The latest Jordan branded effort from Nike disappoints me even further. I recently caught an article in AdFreak that discussed the new “Love the Game” video developed in the midst of the NBA lockout. In short, I don’t really care about these modern athletes who supposedly “love the game.” It’s not that I feel they don’t work hard or don’t necessarily deserve their salaries. I’m just worn out from the same old story.

Rather than taking the “love the game” angle, I think Nike and others could have focused on different elements during the lockout. I mean, who is really impacted by the loss of games in the NBA season? I doubt it is Chris Paul or ‘Melo.

So, just for a minute, let’s shine a light on others who may be impacted during the lockout.

• What about the NBA player who doesn’t make millions each year? Did he prepare for the loss of income? What about insurance? His family?
• How about the restaurant and bar owners in cities that depend on the NBA games for revenue? How much revenue will be lost? Better yet, what percentage of the shop owner’s annual revenue will be lost because of the shortened NBA season?
• What about the people who work in the stadium? Are they taking pay cuts? How will their families be impacted? What do they do as they wait for the start of the season? What about their love of the game?

At the end of the day, I haven’t been following the lockout too closely and am not aware of all the details. However, I fully understand that the players and owners both have difficult decisions to make. But, from a brand and marketing perspective, I’m pretty sure that this type of video has been done before — there is an entire YouTube channel dedicated to this group of stories. And, at this point in time, I’m looking for another story.