It’s not just the fans that are fed up with the lockout, now some big companies are expressing their frustrations as well. The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel is reporting that brewing company MillerCoors is not paying any more money to the NBA until the lockout is resolved.
Obviously, beer advertising and sponsorship are a big part of revenue for NBA teams, but if the ads aren’t going to be seen, what’s the point in paying for them? A spokesman for MillerCoors says all the payments will be made in full when the lockout is over, but for now, they’re not paying a dime.
I can only imagine that more sponsors will follow suit. Large companies that are paying to have their logos plastered all over arenas that nobody is sitting in will surely start finding better uses for their money.
So I guess it’s time for the owners to start feeling a little bit of a strain from missed checks. Obviously the owners are rich enough to be swimming in their money like Scrooge McDuck so a few advertisers pulling out isn’t going to break their backs like players missing paychecks. But maybe this will be a little spark that inspires some more negotiating. We’re all still holding on to a little bit of hope that something will salvage this NBA season, maybe it’s beer.
