NBA to Reimburse Season-Ticket Holders in Case of Lockout

The bad news is that there might not be any NBA hoops to watch next year. The good news is that if you purchase season tickets, you will get your money back. Bloomberg reports: “National Basketball Association season-ticket holders will receive refunds plus interest if games are canceled because of a labor dispute next season, in contrast to the National Football League, which has said it’s up to clubs to decide how to handle deposits. While both leagues have told fans that they’ll get their money back for tickets to lost games, the NBA will also pay interest on what could amount to loans to franchises from fans, Mike Bass, a spokesman for the NBA, said in a telephone interview. The NFL is letting its clubs set their own policies. At least one team, the Chicago Bears, is not offering interest. Whether interest payments are addressed at the league or team level should be of less concern than how fans are treated overall, said David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. ‘Individual fans will be made more than whole by the teams, directly or indirectly, or these franchises will face an extraordinary community relations backlash,’ Carter said in a telephone interview.”