Black Friday is the commercial kick-off day leading up to the big holiday celebration that for many is aimed squarely at 12/25/11 this year – and the NBA perfectly mimicked that scenario, putting in a productive 16 hours of negotiation time in Black Friday to reach a tentative agreement that will lead to the first basketball game of the season on 12/25.
Details of the agreement were not released, and it was said that there are still a few minor issues to iron out. But a basic meeting of the minds was achieved and is expected to hold up and result in a final agreement.
The pact also still needs to be ratified by majority vote of both the NBA team owners and the players.
On the players’ side, they disbanded their union in the course of the labor dispute, and the union will have to be reformed before they can vote.
The tentative agreement is great news for broadcasters with ties to the league. Both parties to the dispute will be able to take a page from the NFL as they strive to make up to fans who lost access to their sport. The NBA has much more work to do on this score, since the NFL labor disruption did not cause the cancellation of anything more significant than some exhibition games.
