The current NBA lockout has affected many people. Owners, players and team employees have all felt the crunch due to the work stoppage. But is it possible that the economies of smaller NBA markets could be affected by the lockout?
The folks over at the The Oregon Economics Blog hypothesized whether the economy of Portland could be adversely affected by the lack of an NBA franchise operating in the city for an extended period of time. When you think about it, it does make a lot of sense. A market as small as Portland really relies on something as large as the NBA. When you take into account all of the employees that work at the stadium, merchandise sold, money being spent on game nights at local restaurants, it all begins to add up.
However, I hesitate to believe that the economy could be affected to the degree that this blogger makes it out to be. While the Portland Trailblazers may be an important cog in the economy of the city, they are not the only thing keeping the region going. As long as the stoppage of an NBA franchise is not coupled with another major company or franchise pulling out of Portland, I believe that the affect on the economy will be negligible.
