There is a big reason why the NBA is about to lose games because of its lockout and the NFL did not.

The difference does not lie in the collective bargaining agreement problems; in both scenarios, the issues were ugly, contentious and divisive. But the NFL got things done anyway. Much credit should go to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for how hard he worked with the labor side to get a deal done. NBA commish David Stern and the owners, on the other hand, have been one of the biggest reasons why the NBA labor talks are still unresolved just weeks before the regular season is supposed to tip off.

Ever since the first day of the NFL ordeal, Goodell was actively committed to solving the problem. In a strong symbolic gesture, Goodell famously slashed his own $10 million salary to just $1 during the lockout until the problem was resolved. Goodell began working with NFLPA leader DeMaurice Smith. Early in the talks, the sides were at a stalemate, little progress was made and the outlook became bleak at times. But this was early in the process, still many months away from the start of the NFL season.

Goodell didn’t give up. He promised fans a resolution. The Super Bowl was held on Feb. 6, and the two sides were entering federal mediation talks just 12 days later, only after early talks broke down. That’s how ahead of the curve the NFL was with this problem. Goodell worked with the players to continue to compromise down to terms on which both sides could agree. Goodell and all those involved worked tirelessly for those months while the media feverishly covered every moment. Finally, a deal was officially agreed upon on July 25 and the season was saved.

Doesn’t it seem like there was an absence of similar sentiments in the NBA lockout? The NBA talks had commenced early on, but Stern and the owners refused to compromise, so little progress was made over a long period of time, all while the NFL labor talks were inching toward a resolution. NBA owners submitted a formal proposal in April … a whole nine months after the players’ previous proposal.

The owners wanted to bring the percentage of revenue going to the players down to 46 percent (players currently yield 57 percent). Players representative Derek Fisher said the players tried to bargain the number down. The owners “compromised” and offered 47 percent, masking it as a 50-50 proposal to the public when it was actually not. Players considered it, refused, then proposed bringing the figure to 52.4 percent, and again were stifled by the owners.

Yes, the NBA’s problems are deep. Its system is broken and its business model is unsustainable. But beyond that, the lack of compromise and blatant lack of respect from Stern and the owners should be palpable not just to the NBA players but to the sport’s audience as well. This isn’t the first time that labor negotiations have been so stalemated. The NBA shortened its season to just 50 games in 1998-99, and actually saw two minor lockouts before the massive game-consuming lockout even happened.

The common denominator is Stern. His apparent unwillingness to take the players’ demands seriously and compromise with them has hurt the NBA in the past, and it’s the primary reason why the NBA will lose games this season. If the NBA can’t sort its stuff out early enough to complete a 50-game season, there likely won’t even be a season. This is why so many NBA superstars have flocked overseas to play in other leagues.

The NBA risks not just losing games, but losing its fanbase to a lengthy, messy lockout. If the NBA thought it had money problems now, just wait until it loses revenue dollars after people become fed up. A friend of mine noted that it took baseball 10 years, lots of steroids and a home run chase to make it relevant in American culture again. Hockey has arguably still not recovered from its own full-season lockout.

Just for some perspective, in the 1998-99 NBA lockout, a deal was not reached until Jan. 6, 1999. We are certainly in danger of a similar predicament this year. Stern could take a free lesson from Goodell about the arts of negotiation, compromise and proactivity. If he did, this conflict would still be incredibly difficult to resolve, but at least it would be settled in time for the multi-billion dollar industry to have a full slate of games.