Is This the End?

By now everyone is fully aware of the scandal involving NBA referee Tim Donaghy. A quick refresher for those who aren’t: Donaghy has been accused of betting on games which he officiated, influencing games based on the spread, and having mafia ties.

I was listening to the KQ Morning Show today, and they brought up an interesting question: is this the death knell for the NBA?

As a fan of the game (though I prefer college to professional) I have put up with a fair amount of garbage over the years. We all have. We put so much faith in the next great hope Kobe Bryant as the heir apparent to the Jordan throne, only to stand aghast as this image crumbled under allegations of rape, or, at the very least, infidelity. Jordan’s “successor” then revealed himself as the sniveling, self-centered, undignified egomaniac that he truly is.

We all watched in disgust when a brawl between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers escalated into a mini-riot as players leapt into the stands and began attacking fans, leaving behind a trail of carnage including pummeled innocent bystanders, multi-game suspensions, and one particularly memorable old woman trampled under foot

We’ve collectively held our breath as our respective team’s superstar entered contract negotiations, praying that he’d be reasonable as players demand skyrocketing salaries to play a game. We’ve watched our favorite players turn out one lackluster performance after another, lackadaisically biding their time until the playoffs, or a contract year.

We’ve put up with it because there’s always the hope that one day our team will be great, that one day our superstar will do something spectacular. And if nothing else, we can hope that in a world of injustice, relativism, and uncertainty at least in sports there are rules. At least in sports there is a winner and a loser, decided in a battle of skill, strength and will. At least sports are fair…

It remains to be seen how deep this Donaghy scandal will go. It may implicate a number of league officials, it may be an isolated incident. Either way, the fact that any games at all (Donaghy’s point shaving is believed to have affected 55 games) were subjected to outside influence cuts to the very integrity of sports.

NBA Commissioner David Stern knows this. If anyone saw clips of his press conference after the scandal was revealed, you could see it in his eyes, hear it on his voice. As a fan of the game himself, I’m sure this incident hurts him as much as anyone, and he knows better than anyone that it will be nearly impossible for the NBA to recover its integrity or its dignity.

Thanks for reading.