Introduction
Persons of Note in the 1982–1983 NBA Collective Bargaining Negotiations
1. No Final Victories
2. Pleasantries and Unpleasantries, July 1982
3. Survivors, August 1982
4. That Brave Group of Guys Who Said “Fuck You,” January 1964
5. Larry
6. The Sport of the ’70s
7. The Cap, 1979–1980
8. The Right of First Refusal, Summer 1981
9. David
10. The Moses Signing, September 1982
11. The Big Item, October 1982
12. Strike Date, January 1983
13. War, February 1983
14. Unbounded Pessimism and Cautious Optimism, March 1983
15. Peace, April 1983
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
The Cap brings the economic history of professional basketball to life by going behind-the-scenes to tell the story of the deal between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association that created, in 1983, the salary cap—the first in all of sports.
Joshua Mendelsohn is a veteran labor lawyer with extensive experience in sports and entertainment. He is currently the senior labor counsel for the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and an adjunct professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Mendelsohn has negotiated agreements covering professional athletes and sports broadcasters with media companies and professional sports franchises.