Stephen A Smith suggest that NBA rating are down because players don't hate each other. Is there any truth to that?

[mastermind]

Moreover, there needs to be more games on national TV and a consistent schedule of national televised games.

Next season

 

[Marlow Stanfield]

I bet nobody on here even knew (besides Rockets fans) that the Rockets were 0-16 against the Warriors until this year in the NBA Cup tournament game that they ended up winning. Two teams who've had history for going on damn near 10 years, but guys like SAS don't build the game up and just want to tear it down. SAS would probably know that if he watched games but he doesn't, these narratives are just thrown out there because the league doesn't do a good job of promoting itself.

The NBA needs to really get hands-on in how their game is presented and do more to promote the games. A great starting point would be a "Game of the Week" that showcases 2 top teams playing each other in prime time. Then, promote tf out of it every week as the must-see game.

 

[Doobie Doo]

The ratings are down because everyone is streaming games and not watching them through traditional cable and legit streaming sites

 

[FukkaPaidEmail]

This ain’t it .

 

[FAH1223]

I bet nobody on here even knew (besides Rockets fans) that the Rockets were 0-16 against the Warriors until this year in the NBA Cup tournament game that they ended up winning. Two teams who've had history for going on damn near 10 years, but guys like SAS don't build the game up and just want to tear it down. SAS would probably know that if he watched games but he doesn't, these narratives are just thrown out there because the league doesn't do a good job of promoting itself.

It’s cause there’s no narrative driving the story

Like CBS used to do



Andrew Wiggins’ late father in that intro

 

[Silkk]

These old fools do know NBA players didn’t hate each other in the old days either?

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain didn’t hate each other while they played. Magic and Bird didn’t hate each other either—they didn’t know each other. Jordan didn’t hate anyone he went against

This whole, “players today aren’t competitive like the old days when they tried to kill each other” is fake.

shyt, Magic and Isiah were giving each other kisses before finals games.

There are lot of reasons for NBA ratings not being that high, but this ain’t it.

Who hated each other? Russell and Chamberlain were having dinner together. Bird and Magic aint know each other and once they did they became friends. Zeke was all in the Lakers locker room and him and Magic was kissing before games. MJ and Chuck were friends. MJ is besties with the Knicks top enforcer. So without clicking when exactly was the hate era that was drawing all these big ratings?

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

I remember when the NHL was on NBC, they would have Wednesday Night Rivalry which was a night where two teams who had a rivalry would play (such as: Boston vs. Toronto). This was regardless of current team standing. It was dope af.

I love the NBA and I think much of this ratings talk is blown wayyyy out of proportion. But, the league lacks excitement and a level of fun right now. It's on the NBA to drum up excitement for the games.

Moreover, there needs to be more games on national TV and a consistent schedule of national televised games. Having ESPN broadcast NBA on SOME Wednesdays or TNT on SOME Tuesdays is annoying. If it's Tue, Wed, Thurs, or Fri, NBA needs to be on for everyone to watch. No exceptions. Imagine if the NFL let Amazon take Thursdays off from broadcasting TNF.

People kinda thought I was trippin when I suggested the league do similar to the NFL and put more games on national TV and emphasize rivalries and also foster regional rivalries if there’s any missing.

 

[Crude]

Too much load management, too many non-televised games or local teams not on local broadcasts, too many gimmicky in season tournaments and ish like it’s amateur league, they ruined the all star game as well, etc.

Silver is not a great commissioner and he hedged his bets on the NBA having polarizing stars like back in the 80s and 90s and they don’t anymore.

The best players now are foreign born such Jokic, Giannis, and Luka.

People ain’t watching that shyt. Unlike the NFL the NBA doesn’t have a cult like following.

 

[Marc Spector]

Average NBA salary is a shade under 12 million per year. No incentive to be the best or be consistently competitive because everyone is fat and happy.

If you are a fringe player, you basically have to go along to get along.

the real problem nobody wants to talk about.

Factor in the significant gain of income when players make it to their second and third contract and you also get a huge reason why load management and 3 point utilization (aside from analytics) is so excessive.

I am against exploitation in sports but the NBA players association is so cynically out for themselves that it takes a lot of the excitement out of the league.

why should I as a fan care if the players don’t really have anything to lose by not fully competing for a championship? It’s really a huge issue with the NBA that the other leagues don’t face.

In baseball football and hockey the next generation of player is always behind you, ready to take your spot.

The NBA talent pool is so small and niche that mediocre, lazy and checked out players can float around the league for a decade. I think his podcast is funny but look no further than Jeff Teague as a microcosm of this problem.


And to top it off, the owners are so p*ssy and afraid to put pressure on the players, they literally sabotage their team’s abilities to stack talent and are hindering the teams that actually want to compete (Warriors and Nugs).

 

[Braman]

These old fools do know NBA players didn’t hate each other in the old days either?

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain didn’t hate each other while they played. Magic and Bird didn’t hate each other either—they didn’t know each other. Jordan didn’t hate anyone he went against

This whole, “players today aren’t competitive like the old days when they tried to kill each other” is fake.

shyt, Magic and Isiah were giving each other kisses before finals games.

There are lot of reasons for NBA ratings not being that high, but this ain’t it.

You can easily just modify all that to ‘fans don’t perceive players to hate each other’ and he’s right ….But you’re still wrong tho.

Dr. J put hands on Bird

Zeke punched Mahorn

Zeke got 40 switches from Karl Malone

Mike squared up with Xavier McDaniels, Reggie miller, and Danny Ainge

The Knicks vs Bulls series

Kareem didn’t fw Wilt

Zeke on Bird ‘if he was black he’d be just another guy’

So yea all of it wasnt imagined

 

[Blessings]

the real problem nobody wants to talk about.

Factor in the significant gain of income when players make it to their second and third contract and you also get a huge reason why load management and 3 point utilization (aside from analytics) is so excessive.

I am against exploitation in sports but the NBA players association is so cynically out for themselves that it takes a lot of the excitement out of the league.

why should I as a fan care if the players don’t really have anything to lose by not fully competing for a championship? It’s really a huge issue with the NBA that the other leagues don’t face.

In baseball football and hockey the next generation of player is always behind you, ready to take your spot.

The NBA talent pool is so small and niche that mediocre, lazy and checked out players can float around the league for a decade. I think his podcast is funny but look no further than Jeff Teague as a microcosm of this problem.


And to top it off, the owners are so p*ssy and afraid to put pressure on the players, they literally sabotage their team’s abilities to stack talent and are hindering the teams that actually want to compete (Warriors and Nugs).

Just curious, what's your solution to the issues you outlined?

 

[Marc Spector]

I bet nobody on here even knew (besides Rockets fans) that the Rockets were 0-16 against the Warriors until this year in the NBA Cup tournament game that they ended up winning. Two teams who've had history for going on damn near 10 years, but guys like SAS don't build the game up and just want to tear it down. SAS would probably know that if he watched games but he doesn't, these narratives are just thrown out there because the league doesn't do a good job of promoting itself.

i watched that game and it was one of the best games of the year.

Think how the NFL glazed DeMeco Ryan last year for coaching up a young Texans team led by a Rookie QB…..

Contrast that to the lack of media attention Ime Udoka is getting for taking a mess of a Rockets team from last place to top three in the West, how hes turning Amen Thompson into the best defensive guard in the league, Alpie Sengun into a All Star, and saving Jalen Greens career…

None of that narrative has penetrated the national media landscape.

Huge failing on the NBA .

 

[qwasi]

The product is down as there no unique storylines, playing styles or personalities. Outside Ant, Ja and Shai the stars have the appeal of mouldy bread. This does little to attract the casual viewer. For the puritans the game style is less about distinction and more on who'll out shoot 3s and defensive players are dime a dozen. Add accessibility issues i.e average ticket & watch prices are highest any league. The discourse around games announcing and analysis is washed.

 

[Marc Spector]

Just curious, what's your solution to the issues you outlined?

The owners need to nut up and tie pay to bigger team based incentives, like making the playoffs. call me a hater but there is no reason for Bradley Beal to have made all the money he made in Washington with as little success as he had. and there’s no way you’re going to convince me that Scottie Barnes or Franz Wagner currently deserve what they got paid either (at least the magic made the playoffs tho).

They also need to tell college basketball to go fukk themselves and get rid of the one and done rule and actually invest in the G League infrastructure. The G League is a facade so that the NBA can pretend that they are a serious league. If the NBA took the G league seriously then there would be a steady pipeline of NBA ready players to pull from, meaning a lot of current players would have to get their shyt together.

None of this is actually going to happen and I know it’s extremely implausible, but just my thoughts.

 

[bl2k8]

Can we stop perpetuating this myth that the viewership is down for the NBA? It's not down. Point. Blank. Period.

The NBA is still one of the most watched leagues, in this country and all around the globe. The percentage of people in this country who're fans of the NBA has increased since 2019. The NBA is the most followed sports league online in the entire world. The NBA has set attendance records overs the last two seasons.

The TV ratings in the U.S. are down.

And the main reason for why the TV ratings are down are because -

“Currently, Cable TV subscriptions are in just 68.7 million households in the United States. That’s a decline of 34.57% compared to 105 million cable TV subscribers recorded in 2010.”

I hope you work and get paid for by for the NBA