NBA Injuries

Who is Protecting the Game of Basketball? 

Imagine waiting a whole lifetime to see childhood hero. The years go by, but when the time finally comes to see him in person, he bails! NBA fans are devastated about this across the nation!

In the past four years, a strategy has been formed to reach the ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship, but it has come at the expense of fans all around the world missing their moment to see the star they have always dreamt of seeing in real life. Star players are being told to take a rest from games during the season to avoid injury and to preserve energy for the playoffs. 

Former NBA player and head-coach, Mark Jackson, now an NBA analyst and ABC commentator for the NBA, unveils the true issue in the league. After the Cleveland Cavaliers rested their three marquee players the day before a back-to-back game, Jackson stated his opinion regarding the matter. 

I understand the medical information that we are acquiring. I even understand that we are getting more and more data to protect the players, but this still is an absolute joke. Who is protecting the fans? Who is protecting the game of basketball? Something’s gotta be done. (Prada)

The true issue in the National Basketball Association is that the media and the head executives are idolizing the enjoyment of the fans while ignoring the health and protection of their own players. So who is protecting the fans? Who is protecting the game of basketball? What should be done? These are the very questions that will be answered in this essay. 

The NBA strives to protect their fans. This may sound valiant, but the fans give the NBA their business. The executives try to make decisions that will maximize the number of viewers on the television and attendees at their exhibition games. While the NBA is “protecting their fans,” they are doing so at the expense of their own players. The stars of the show are being forced to continuously strain their tendons, threatening their career every time they appear on the court. The problem with NBA players being wise about their health, to viewers like Mark Jackson, is that the league will lose business. The executives must see that the measure at which they are trying to protect their fans will cost them much more in the end. Players like Greg Oden, Grant Hill, and Brandon Roy might have had legendary careers had it not been for injuries. 

Giving more value to the wellbeing of star players would not only improve the livelihood of these men who give so much to the NBA, but it would also bring in lots of revenue for the business itself. A team without a superstar on the roster will sell significantly less team hardware than a team with one to several superstars. If the NBA really wants to protect the fans, they should protect the game of basketball. But who is currently trying to protect the game of basketball? 

In December of 2012, the first act to start this issue costed the San Antonio Spurs $250,000. Head coach, Gregg Popovich, noticed that his players were worn down after a road trip and gave his star players the day off. Although the NBA fined his team an enormous amount of money, more teams began to use this strategy. Team’s health professionals and coaches persist in this tactic throughout the season, even after former NBA Commissioner, David Stern, calls resting players a “disservice” to the league. (Associated Press)  Even in this 2016-17 season, Commissioner Adam Silver warns of “significant penalties” for this very same issue. (Prada)

Twenty percent of all starting players in the 2015-16 playoffs missed games due to injury. This number has increased drastically over the years, rising from ten percent just ten years ago. Twenty years ago, the number was near seven percent. Something has to change to protect the game of basketball, or else in another decade the statistic could show forty percent or more of our star players injured during the games that matter most. Injuries can be solved by rest, as demonstrated by the San Antonio Spurs who lost zero star players to injury in these playoffs. (Korzemba) 

More support for rest can be seen through the medical standpoint, as well. Dr. Emil Pascarelli, a world leading expert on repetitive strain injury, states that playing through acute pain can lead to chronic condition. “If you rest and obtain appropriate treatment, your acute pain usually goes away” (88). The IOC Manual of Sports Injuries also contains evidence that rest is a crucial part of avoiding injuries in heavily stressing and repetitive sports. 30-50% of sports injuries come from overuse. These types of injuries do not come from a traumatic event, but get worse over time as training continues, so NBA players commonly play through them, causing them to worsen. (Bahr 29)

The NBA supports players persevering through pain to help their team. James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the top two candidates for the 2016-17 MVP award, pride themselves on playing almost every game of the season. However, there are reports of James Harden rolling an ankle and showing obvious pain but persisting through the game. This is a respectable by fans everywhere, but the people that are trying to protect the game of basketball see the medical data and determine the need for rest at these moments. This shows importance in the long run. James Harden is playing for the fans in these moments, not for the prudence of his career or wellbeing. 

So what should be done? What can the NBA do to maximize viewing and revenue of their events, and also protect the players who do the most work to bring the NBA to fame? The answer is simple. “The NBA’s injury problem is a scheduling one,” writes Baxter Homes. This season, the Oklahoma City Thunder have 13 back-to-back games, and they have it easy! In fact, they have it easier than every single team in the NBA. The average number of back-to-back games for a team this season is 16.3. (Faigen) If the NBA could find a way to stretch their season longer to minimize the number of these back-to-back games, the overuse that is analyzed in the medical studies would become less significant. The NBA includes a pre-season, an eighty-two game regular season, weeks of playoffs, and summer leagues and training camps! Some of these scheduled events could be shortened or cut altogether to increase time away from basketball for these players. Discussions including shortening the season to 60 games have arisen as well as discussion for shortening the pre-season. 

The NBA should recognize that these teams practice year-round and do not need all of this extended time for hardcore training during the summer. The NBA draft could happen sooner after the playoffs end, and the pre-season could be cut short. The playoffs could start later and the NBA could still regulate eighty-two games! After extending and shortening these periods, the league could give an extra month for the regular season, reducing the number of back-to-back games by many! No matter what is done, the attitude of the NBA must change in regards to the health and wellbeing of its players. 

Executives protecting fans, coaches and health professionals protecting the game of basketball, and scheduling changes needing to be done; in answer to Mark Jackson, the game of basketball can be saved. The real joke is that the NBA is collapsing upon itself in the direction it is heading, not that players are taking rests. Everything that is being done on the courts are well-developed decisions made by people who understand the medical data and know their players. These decisions should not be penalized by the league, but encouraged to promote the longevity of the fan’s heroes. Players such as LeBron James and Michael Jordan have only been able to create their success because of their health. The world might have been able to see more games played by Magic Johnson if not for overuse injuries! The only way that the NBA can avoid self-deterioration is if they see value in protecting their players more than the fans. 

 note: This is a paper I wrote for English 1302 and written by me, Joseph Arze. 

Works Cited

Aschburner, Steve. “No Rest for James Harden in MVP-Caliber Season.” No Rest for James Harden in MVP-Caliber Season - NBA.com, 11 Mar. 2017, www.nba.com/article/2017/03/11/houston-rockets-james-harden-no-rest-mvp-season. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Bahr, Roald, editor. The IOC Manual of Sports Injuries: an Illustrated Guide to the Management of Injuries in Physical Activity. Wiley-Blackwell.

Diamond, Dan. “NBA Injuries Have Nearly Doubled In This Year's Playoffs.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 12 June 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2015/06/11/nba-injuries-are-up-91-in-this-years-playoffs/#4057e84e15ca. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Faigen, Harrison. “The Thunder Have the NBA's Fewest Back-to-Backs.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 11 Aug. 2016, www.sbnation.com/2016/8/11/12443008/nba-schedule-2016-back-to-backs-oklahoma-city-thunder-atlanta-hawks-la-lakers. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Faigen, Harrison. “The Thunder Have the NBA's Fewest Back-to-Backs.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 11 Aug. 2016, www.sbnation.com/2016/8/11/12443008/nba-schedule-2016-back-to-backs-oklahoma-city-thunder-atlanta-hawks-la-lakers. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Holmes, Baxter. “Too Many Games: The NBA's Injury Problem Is a Scheduling One.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 7 June 2016, www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/16009898/nba-injury-problem-scheduling-one. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Korzemba, Mike. "The NBA's Biggest Problem That NO ONE Talks About!" YouTube. YouTube, 27 Dec. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk9OGqNfi3o>.

Madu, Zito. “The DNP-Rest Debate Exposes the NBA's Central Paradox.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 22 Mar. 2017, www.sbnation.com/2017/3/22/15012220/nba-rest-players-lebron-james-gregg-popovich. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Pascarelli, Emil F. Dr. Pascarelli's Complete Guide to Repetitive Strain Injury: What You Need to Know about RSI and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Hoboken, NJ, John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Prada, Mike. “Adam Silver Threatens Penalties for NBA Teams That Rest Stars without Notice.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 20 Mar. 2017, www.sbnation.com/2017/3/20/14992496/adam-silver-nba-rest-players-fined-memo. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

Press, Associated. “Spurs Fined $250,000 for 'Disservice'.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 1 Dec. 2012, www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/8695865/nba-fines-san-antonio-spurs-250000-sitting-players. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.