This isn’t clearly true. You guys cannot point to any data points that say this. It’s a conclusion searching for evidence that validates it. NFL teams play 17 times a year before the playoffs and don’t even play each other every year. The NFL is closer to something like the premier league then it is to the NBA. You cannot compare a sport that happens that infrequently to an 82 game season. Baseball, basketball and hockey all struggle to have people care about their regular seasons. They don’t command a single day of the week like those other sports. Cut the NBA season to 30 games and have big teams play each other as infrequently as soccer or football and see what the ratings would look like. Have the teams command Sunday after the NFL season is nearly done and see what happens.
Their business plans aren’t remotely similar. I don’t care how much you promote teams. Most fans won’t care until near the end of the season. You think the average NBA fan is going to give a shyt about Lakers-Warriors if both teams aren’t good or Knicks-Nets? NBA rivalries have historically been formed based on repeatedly battling in the playoffs. (Hear-Knicks, Lakers-Kings, Knicks-Bulls, etc.) It’s unsurprising that the one team-based rivalry the NBA has always been able to sell is Lakers-Celtics. Maybe in the new CBA you get the same teams playing each other again and again in the playoffs and it happens organically and you can sell it.
The nfl can’t play as many times as the nba, the only way the nba works is when they have long seasons shorter seasons will result in less money not more, that discussion has already been had about shortening the season and it has been put to rest over a decade and a half ago.
It isn’t about the casual fans, they come at the end of the season in all sports. The engaged fans are who you market too because they bring the enthusiasm that allows for other people to come and engage in, hitting streaks or win streaks in baseball for example it is the enthusiasm for those that lead to the casual fans getting involved like Sammy sosa and mark maguire and the media played a big role in getting the casual fan engaged in that race.
Multiple sports writers on espn, fs1, JJ Redikk, Colin cowherd, and Rich Esien have discussed how the nfl and nba marketing is different. NFL focuses more on teams and the product on the field providing equal Media access for all of them for the most part.
The nfl has rivalries too, cowboys-49ers, 49ers-Seahawks, eagles-giants, packers-bears, packers-Vikings, giants-cowboys, eagles-cowboys, and they create new ones. Why do you think Adam Silver is creating a new cba that pushes parity, he is trying to grow all the markets not just the ones situated near the two major media markets of LA and Boston.
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