On a macro level, the NBA lockout really isn’t going to hurt cities much. Studies show the money you would have spent on NBA tickets you will spend on movies, dinners, maybe seeing a hockey game. It still gets spent and the city still benefits.
But on a micro level people will get hurt — people who work in the arenas, the guy who bartends at the pub across the street from the arena, hotels where NBA teams stay…
And escort services.
CNBC’s Darren Rovell took a look at the pains of some small businesses and added this about the ladies of the night.A 30 percent decline seems to be the magic number, even for Henry, who runs an escort service in New York that he says charges between $400 and $4,000 an hour, depending on the woman.
Henry says he takes between 65 and 80 percent of the total cut to match the players and other high-profile fans, who are with the client an average of four hours.
“There are replacements but they aren’t as consistent and not nearly as high paying,” Henry said.
There are players who prefer paid professional escorts to the many groupies that follow teams around because the pros are discrete and go away quietly when it’s over. There are no Internet postings or stories among friends. Discretion matters.
So if you can help out the economy, go spend some money and help out the bartenders and hotels that are feeling the pinch with the loss of the NBA, as well as the… no way I’m going there. How you choose to spend your money is up to you.
