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AirTalk

The Spurs vs. The Heat, again: Does the economics of pro-basketball curb competition?

By AirTalk Staff
Published Jun 5, 2014
MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 26: LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat posts up Boris Diaw #33 of the San Antonio Spurs during a game at American Airlines Arena on January 26, 2014 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
LeBron James #6 of the Miami Heat posts up Boris Diaw #33 of the San Antonio Spurs during a game at American Airlines Arena on January 26, 2014 in Miami, Florida.
(
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
)
Listen 11:30
The Spurs vs. The Heat, again: Does the economics of pro-basketball curb competition?

It’s The Heat against The Spurs in this year’s NBA Finals, for the second year in a row.

New York Times columnist Harvey Araton argues that the makeup of the league, and the economics underpinning it (in particular the individual salary cap), makes it the most anti-competitive enterprise in US pro sports today.

Guests: 

Harvey Araton, sports reporter and national basketball columnist for the New York Times; author of many books including “When the Garden Was Eden: Clyde, the Captain, Dollar Bill, and the Glory Days of the New York Knicks” (Harper, 2011), and the forthcoming novel “Cold Type” (Cinco Puntos Press, 2014)

Larry Coon, an expert on the NBA salary cap. He owns the blog, NBA Salary Cap FAQ and is a computer scientist and the IT Director at UC Irvine