The funny thing about all this NBA popularity discourse - people watched / enjoyed Olympic basketball this summer

[KnowledgeDropper]

Which featured a lot of the same players in a situations where the final outcome wasn’t that much in doubt... but if I recall, ratings and even overall buzz were very good. Why?

1) Each game mattered, and all players played hard
2) The games were accessible

 

[HandyWithTheSteel]

It was on NBC. NBC is just objectively better than that trash ESPN/TNT puts out. Better HD, better camera angles, better replays, better analysis, better play-by-play. And you don’t need cable to watch it.

Just one more year and we byke.

 

[KnowledgeDropper]

U.S.-France men’s basketball final averages 19.5 million viewers, most watched gold medal game since 1996

Team USA earned its fifth-straight gold medal in a 98-87 victory over France.

www.nytimes.com

 

[num123]

Which featured a lot of the same players in a situations where the final outcome wasn’t that much in doubt... but if I recall, ratings and even overall buzz were very good. Why?

1) Each game mattered, and all players played hard
2) The games were accessible

The Olympics are every 4 years, so there is that too. Track and field comps outside of the Olympics do not get anywhere near the same views as it does during, so does that mean T&F in general is not good as well?

 

[NYC Rebel]

It was on NBC. NBC is just objectively better than that trash ESPN/TNT puts out. Better HD, better camera angles, better replays, better analysis, better play-by-play. And you don’t need cable to watch it.

Just one more year and we byke.

LOL @ NBC being the reason why folks watched OLYMPIC Basketball.

 

[360Waves]

All due respect OP but this is such a shyt take. It’s the fukking Olympics. A once in every 4 year event that’s basically a global phenomena and is on broadcast tv, easily accessible by even the poorest of Americans.

No one gives a flying fukk about swimming or track and field but they’ll tune in in droves to watch the Olympic events. It means nothing.

The only take away you can get from it is that the NBA should consider moving marquee matchups to broadcast full time like the NFL, because by nature they’ll draw far more viewers. Anything else about the games “mattering more” or the players “playing harder” is bitter wah wah bring back the 90s old nikka babble.

 

[tremonthustler1]

LOL @ NBC being the reason why folks watched OLYMPIC Basketball.

the announce team was Noah Eagle and

 

[jerniebert]

Having less commercials and the games finishing pretty quickly probably helps a lot. You don't have to commit as much time to watching like you do a regular game. It also helps that games after the qualifying round are 1 and done and even the qualifying games mean something.

 

[The_Dread_Dormammu]

It’s the damn Olympics… lol

Let’s not forget about people watching simply for the fact that they are rooting for USA

 

[bl2k8]

It’s been 6 years since since Bron KD and Steph were all playing high stakes basketball in the same game and probably the last, of course people tuned in.

 

[Box Factory]

the announce team was Noah Eagle and

What place did DR finish