Every American sports league strives to be like the NFL, and now the NBA is following in the NFL’s footsteps. But it’s not something to be proud of. Like the NFL, the NBA owners have decided to lock out their players, meaning coaches and players can’t have any contact with one another. No meetings, no phone calls, no text messages, and no tweeting. Yes, Twitter (News - Alert) was specifically mentioned by the NBA as a tool players and coaches cannot communicate with. 

Twitter is a social media website used by athletes and coaches in all sports. Athletes discuss their opinions and what they are doing, but NBA coaches and general managers are now banned from communicating with NBA players through the social networking site.  

According to ESPN.com, coaches can continue following players on Twitter, but they are not allowed to message or retweet a player. If coaches do contact players, they can be fined up to $1 million and can lose draft picks.

Although NBA coaches can’t follow players, they can get a laugh by following the Twitter users poking fun at the lockout. Faux John Madden tweeted, “NBA announces it will lockout. It’s the first work stoppage the NBA has seen since LeBron James took the floor in the 4th quarter.

The last work stoppage by a professional sports league occurred in 2004. The NHL locked out its players for an entire season and struggled to recover from the PR hit. Greg Wyshynski sarcastically tweeted, “Don’t worry, NBA fans: It only takes 3-5 years, a Crosby, an Ovechkin, a resurrection in Chicago & outdoor games to get over canceled season.” 

The NHL had difficulty coming back from a lockout meaning the NBA and NFL are playing with fire. Both lockouts are focused on how to split money between the owners and players, and neither league is in a hurry to get a deal done. However, as the prospect of missing games gets closer, both leagues are going to feel the pressure to end the lockout. 

Like everything in this world, the central issue of these lockouts is money. “It amazes me that millionaires and billionaires aren’t smart enough to recognize the importance of working together,” tweeted Greg Bettinelli.   As fans, it’s frustrating to see these millionaires and billionaires battle over millions of dollars, but at least we’ll still be able to communicate with our friends and coworkers.