NBA is on lockout?

Oh my God, did you hear the news? The NBA has locked out its players!
Oh, you heard? You didn't care, either?
If the NBA ever wanted to know its standing in the sports landscape in this country, the utter apathy over its work stoppage should be a clear indicator. Football fans practically went on life support when the NFL went through its labor issues. And, that was during the offseason.
The idea of the NBA actually losing regular-season games, meanwhile, is met mostly with yawns of indifference.
It proves what most have been saying for a long time. The NBA season is too long. Fans don't get invested until the playoffs because the perception is the regular season means very little.
In the NFL, every game is important. Five games into the season, teams are already being counted out of the playoff chase. Plus, the NFL is just hugely popular. NFL players could spit in fans' cereal bowls on Sunday morning and those fans will still watch them play in the afternoon.
There's nothing the NFL can do to hurt its fan base. They took out the celebrations. Didn't hurt it. They eliminated hits on the quarterbacks. Didn't hurt it. They've taken hitting completely out of the game. Hasn't hurt it. Hell, they've taken defense completely out. Still going strong.
The NBA looks longingly at the NFL. But, fact is, the NBA is not the NFL. The owners and players are going to find out the hard way. I think a lot of fans can do without the NBA a lot easier than they can the NFL. Between the end of college basketball and the beginning of baseball, the NBA's window of importance isn't that large to begin with.
So, I think I speak for a lot of folks when I say, take your time NBA in working out your labor issues. You can kill the entire season for all I care. I'm sure I can find something to do while you're gone.