On  the  other  hand,  the  National  Basketball  Association  felt  an  absolute  need
to  maintain  its  monopoly  by  destroying  this  new  fledgling  league.  The  NBA
rushed  to  open  up  new  franchises  around  the  country  so  as  to  close  down  the
markets  for  ABA  teams.  That  failed,  so  the  NBA  next  had  to  meet  the  new
competition.  The  only  method  was  to  keep  its  players  happy,  i.e.,  pay  higher
salaries  and  sign  all  the  best  new  amateur  players  in  an  attempt  to  prevent
the  ABA  from  obtaining  a  foothold.  As  a  consequence  of  the  complex  competi-
tive situation,  the  monetary  and  other  l^enefits  paid  to  the  athletes  markedly
improved.  There  is  nothing  so  terrible  about  the  fact  that  the  owners  had  to
pay  more  for  services  than  they  had  to  pay  when  there  was  a  100%  monopoly.
That  is  what  the  American  system  is  about :  competition.  There  is  nothing  that
prohibits  a  professional  tennis  player  from  earning  an  unlimited  amount  of
money  if  he  is  the  best  in  his  profession.  There  is  nothing  prohibiting  a  pro-


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fessional  golfer  from  earning  large  sums  of  money  for  performing  in  his
chosen  field.  Nor  is  there  anything  to  limit  the  amount  of  money  a  profes-
sional boxer  may  earn.  There  surely  is  nothing  that  limits  the  salary  of  an
entertainer.  Thei'e  is  nothing  that  limits  the  salary  of  a  business  executive  or
a  lawyer.  Why  should  a  basketball  star  be  forced  to  operate  under  a  system
that  takes  away  his  rights  to  negotiate  a  salary  to  which  he  is  entitled?  The
owners  have  obviously  not  been  limited  in  the  amount  of  income  they  could
earn  during  their  careers.
