As a whole, the NBA has lost around 45% of its viewership since 2012.

[Gotright]

Put them on against Boston on LA. Of they’re one of the best teams they should absolutely be on national tv. Stop putting these big market teams on just because they’re big market teams.

Cant be a draw if you dont get opportunity. Every big draw has recieved a big push first. Even the Spurs and GTW Pistons got a certain push. To have a showcase day with 10 teams playing an exclude the top team in the West for the last season plus is a joke.

They getting their chance with this cup game coming up. They did lose in the second round last year right? Remember when the hawks won 60 games had 4 all stars? They didn’t play the following Christmas. They’re a small market team and just got to prove their self a little more. They should be there next year

 

[FTBS]

The Swifties also tuned in to KC games last year because of the marketing of all that bs.

I think your assessment is spot on about gamblers/FF players. So that goes to the question with the NBA, is there a marketing issue with the NBA that is not connecting with potential audiences that is causing this dip in ratings? Or is it just the product quality?

People dont fukk with basketball like that and never have. The style or quality of play is immaterial. The sport itself doesn't appeal to a broad audience and never has. If Magic, Bird, and MJ were never born...we may not have an NBA right now. You can pick any 3 football players in history and eliminate them and the NFL is still the behemoth that it is. In addition to gambling and fantasy, football is more conducive to parties and get togethers and a communal atmosphere. Even though they tryna ruin it, they have scarcity going for them as well.

 

[Rakpo98]

you know we all keep talking about the play but nobody is really talking about how socially nobody gives a fukk about these players. Commercials ain't dynamic enough, they not showing up in enough movies and shows, the brands they got deals with, frankly nobody cares too much. Simply put, we don't have much of a cohesive culture for the NBA to attach to like it did in the previous 3 decades so a lot of people aren't watching cause they don't really relate or look up to the players. I legit haven't watched any games so far because I just don't find any of the players important enough to watch over playing videogames or watching abbot elementary.

This is a really good point. LeBron, Steph & KD are STILL the faces of the league, and their games are the most televised games on national TV. With the exception of the Suns, Both LeBron & Steph play for irrelevant teams that will not be a factor in May or June. The teams that will be factors in May & June (Thunder, Cavs, Magic, T-Wolves, etc), don’t get anywhere near the National TV love from ESPN or TNT, so the casuals who want to watch the NBA playoffs in the spring will have no idea about those teams, after being force fed LeBron/Step/KD in the regular season.

This also goes to a larger issue that will deepen the disconnect that the NBA has with the casual viewers: There are currently no marketable American stars that draw viewers to watch right now. American viewers don’t care about Jokic or Luka. Embiid is a villain, but he’s not American and he misses tons of games, so he isn’t a draw. The only foreign player that tries to be marketable is Giannis. A LOT of these American born players have no personality or marketability. Tatum is boring, and Ja & Zion are fukkups. That leaves Ant as the only player that the NBA can push organically.

 

[Nero Christ]

By the same token, didn't traditional roles for positions limit individual creativity?

When a PG rarely looked to score, when bigs rarely ventured out of the paint, when circus shots and spontaneity on offense were discouraged. Back during a time when offenses consisted of only the PG bringing up the ball into the halfcourt, waiting for everyone to get into their set positions and playing inside-out.

Why are analytics looked at as the boogeyman to imagination and innovation, when the game used to be far more restrictive once upon a time?





Players over the last 5-10 years arguably have more freedom than they ever have.

It doesn't matter what position or role you play on a team, if you're good enough to perform any action, you'll be given a stage to showcase it. DeRozan's still out here literally taking 10 midrange attempts per game (true story). Even Giannis has been getting it in from the elbows this season.

Great points...I and a lot of others reminisce about individual players that were the scorers of the team getting to do what they wanted while others like you said were kept to a primary role. Maybe folks subconsciously feel others shouldn't have the opportunity to expand on their roles on the court...maybe it's archaic thinking a certain build of a player should do certain things because that's what they grew up watching. I know a lot of folks still carry that venom that Bynum received for taking those infamous 3s 12 years or so ago with modern bigs taking 3s now. I guess folks are a little slower to realize the change and accept it.

 

[Rakpo98]

Maybe this should be a separate thread, but Ja & Zion turning into colossal fukkups might have bigger lasting impacts to the NBA than we might realize. Both of them actually play the game the way that casuals love, above the rim, and close to the basket. Those two were supposed to carry league after Bron & Steph. Now they’re both personal non grata with the league and marketing/television executives. Both players being irrelevant, after coming into the league with such hype, and delivering on that hype early on set the league back years.

 

[FTBS]

MJ’s brand was being smooth just like his game. NBA ratings dropping after the lockout like all the other sports. MJ was the coolest cat around. Charles Barkley wasn’t Mike, neither was Shaq, Magic, KG, AI, etc.

Hip hop people at fashion week and it’s viewed as fashion week - not “hip hop” fashion week. I agree that it isn’t how it used to be and some of it is old head shyt but I don’t see the kids loving this shyt was what I said in one of my older posts. I’ve got colleges aged younger cousins who are athletes who don’t give two shyts about what is happening in the NBA. And it’s weird because all of these people played on ball teams as kids.

MJ as a person is nothing like what his brand presented. He was absolutely not being himself. He intentionally hid his true thoughts and feelings to maintain his brand. If anything being yourself or a exaggerated version of yourself is the goto in branding these days.

We gotta acknowledge that part of the reason peoole dont connect with athletes these days is underlying resentment/clinging to the past. People were impressed by Dr J, Magic, Birds, MJs exploits on the court as is. They werent nitpicking or diminishing every little thing or constantly comparing them to ghosts. People were just happy to see Dr. J in the dunk contest. They let him rock with the FT line dunk over and over. shyt they let Mike do it and win. If nikkas aint defying the laws of gravity in a whole new way now "that shyt was wack". The standards now aint what the standards were then.

Hip hop is even more intertwined with fashion and branding in general than basketball players. I am around kids (middle and HS age) that love basketball and have that same wide-eyed wonder we used to have. Obviously thats all anecdotal.

 

[FTBS]

They getting their chance with this cup game coming up. They did lose in the second round last year right? Remember when the hawks won 60 games had 4 all stars? They didn’t play the following Christmas. They’re a small market team and just got to prove their self a little more. They should be there next year

Then when they in the playoffs or advance to the Finals and the ratings are down because nobody knows or cares about them then what? ATL shoulda got some shine but honestly we all knew they were fraudulent . But they did earn at least a look. We been putting regular or even ass big market squads on these games for years and what good has it done?

 

[FakeNews]

Terrible sign for NBA Cup. Whether it’s sports or sports entertainment, people want to see STAKES and even WWE had more Saturday night

He deleted the tweet

 

[In The Zone '98]

He deleted the tweet

Near two million a game just seems to be where the viewer consciousness is for the NBA

Tonight's cup chip will be no different. Maybe 2.2ish because it's OTA on a Tuesday

 

[G-Zeus]

I would say, them actually winning the illegal stream battle is highly affecting streams...

Why pay of NBA app if you can't catch all the games?

And then they are the

 

[barese]

The success of the Mavs/Warriors tonight is the European vision of what they want the NBA to be

Nah it would be the European vision if the rules made it more difficult for the offense compared to difense, meaning:
- no carrying,
- no traveling,
- no difensive 3s,
- smaller court.

The rules that help the offense more are all yours (not European) lol





That said, the complaining about a lot of missed shots reminds me of complaints about low goals number in soccer...

From an outside perspective, the American vision seems to be an efficient offense, without which the individual magicians, or interesting offensive and defensive schemes seem not to be so important...

 

[FakeNews]

 

[CHICAGO]

It takes time for teams to adjust and implement new things. Zone was allowed in 2001. Many teams kept playing the same style for years because thats what they knew. Sports figures are conservative as fukk in general. They dont take to change well. Similiar to how the 3 been around since 79 but just recently became what it is. But even during that period we saw the impact of the zone and the 3. That was also right after freedom of movement was implemented. So in short it was a transition period.

FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
DIDNT EXIST UNTIL 2018-19



​

 

[In The Zone '98]

82 is fine. They should change the travel. There's no need to play in 3-4 cities a week.

 

[FakeNews]

If Bill Simmons is suggesting it, then surely it will happen. Didn't he come up with the play-in tournament and a few other ideas the NBA is now using?