Is this the secret to a slam dunk marriage?
A question that started a lighthearted conversation on a podcast has sparked serious discourse online: What if marriages were like NBA contracts?
Comedian, writer and actor Biniam Bizuneh presented the concept on a previous episode of “Firsties Podcast” when he half-jokingly noted that “50% of marriages end in divorce or something like that.”
“This is my thing, I think we should do. It sounds like a joke, but it actually is real,” he began. “I think we should do marriage like NBA contracts.”
He explains that it would logistically look like having a four-year deal with clauses and an option to renew after the four years are up.
When the contract expires, if you don’t wish to renew, it’s over with no fuss and no lawyers.
“If we don’t want to renew, be a free agent. You go off to the Mavs,” Bizuneh quipped.
But if the couple does decide to renew, re-sign at the end and “have another little party.”
“That strengthens us, and because you know your term is coming up, there is a little bit more work you put in,” he argued. “But if it’s just like, well, it’s forever, stop trying.”
The clip recently went viral, prompting several jokes and commentary with men online.
“4-year-old kid’s looking at you like ‘Dad, you gonna sign an extension?’” one person quipped.
“Telling shawty to get her act together cause she’s in a contract year would go crazy,” someone wrote with a laughing face emoji.
“People are about to get traded against their will like Doncic,” one commented, referencing the Dallas Mavericks’ unexpected trade of Luka Doncic.
Some noted that this isn’t a new concept, with many pointing out, “that’s just dating.”
“If you can’t go into a marriage all in with divorce not even being a thought in your mind, then you should never get married. Marriage is a sacred covenantal relationship, not a contract you can opt out of,” someone else argued.
When one women asked how this concept is any different from a pre-nuptial agreement, Bizuneh replied, “It’s basically a prenup with stakes that can trigger the end of a marriage without a divorce. A prenup deals with assets, not the terms of behavior during the relationship.”
And while Bizuneh isn’t completely wrong about the statistic that almost 50 percent of all marriages in the U.S. end in divorce or separation, it’s slightly misleading. This number includes all marriages — first, second, third and so on.
According to official publications released by the U.S. Census Bureau, only about 30-35% of first marriages end in divorce.
With each subsequent marriage, the probability of divorce increases. About 60% of second marriages end in divorce, and 73% of third marriages result in divorce.
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