The NBA has more parity than the NFL. Why aren't ppl watching?

[RammerJammer]

Too many nikkas the face of teams. Most nfl teams have white star qbs

That’s slowly going away though

The best QB in the NFL is black
The best rookie QB is black
The #1 QB drafted is black
The reigning NFL MVP is black

 

[Biscayne]

This.

NFL fans love the front of the Jersey, not the back of it.

When youre a slave to the back of the jersey, you league loses.

I wrote this 25 years ago

So the parity argument that ppl used as to why the NFL was more popular than the NBA was a lie, that was repeated for decades? I figured. I always knew the "any given sunday" stuff was BS. Most sports fans NBA/NFL/MLB are fans of the blue bloods. That means every fan of every league loves Dynasties. Patrick Mahomes winning every year, probably brings on alot more casuals and swifties to the ChiefsKingdom, rather than a new team and market winning every year. Most NFL Fans are Cowboys fans because of their past dominance and recognition and regionalism. And that popularity carried on through the decades. Same will/is happening with KC. On the NBA side most NBA fans are Lakers fans, because of their dominance in the past, and that carried on through the decades. As a Heat fan, when Miami made it to the finals every year with Bron, it was must see TV. Ppl watched to hate, and some watched to cheer. I think it's time for fans to admit, parity is bad for business. This "everybody gets a shot" thing doesn't work, because unless you're from that particular market of the "new champs" you generally don't care.

We watched Tom Brady dominate our division for 20+yrs. Longer than any NBA Dynasty. And we Dolphins' fans kept watching, like some masochist.

 

[NYC Rebel]

The NBA on NBC was well aware of its future when MJ retired in 94 and they saw the ratings drop off. So to blame ESPN/ABC for a reality that was long ago known and wasn’t worked on is flawed.

From shytty 90s NBA play, I think many of you are really under rating how much MJ held up the league

 

[Rekkapryde]

The level of play is garbage. The NBA is at the level of Playstation. It's impossible to watch if you know basketball.

@Gizmo_Duck @Mowgli @Diondon @Fatboi1 @Kamikaze Revy @ItWasWritten @Deezay @CoolinInTheCut

 

[Deezay]

@Gizmo_Duck @Mowgli @Diondon @Fatboi1 @Kamikaze Revy @ItWasWritten @Deezay @CoolinInTheCut

But Playstation gets play...

 

[SchoolboyC]

So the parity argument that ppl used as to why the NFL was more popular than the NBA was a lie, that was repeated for decades? I figured. I always knew the "any given sunday" stuff was BS. Most sports fans NBA/NFL/MLB are fans of the blue bloods. That means every fan of every league loves Dynasties. Patrick Mahomes winning every year, probably brings on alot more casuals and swifties to the ChiefsKingdom, rather than a new team and market winning every year. Most NFL Fans are Cowboys fans because of their past dominance and recognition and regionalism. And that popularity carried on through the decades. Same will/is happening with KC. On the NBA side most NBA fans are Lakers fans, because of their dominance in the past, and that carried on through the decades. As a Heat fan, when Miami made it to the finals every year with Bron, it was must see TV. Ppl watched to hate, and some watched to cheer. I think it's time for fans to admit, parity is bad for business. This "everybody gets a shot" thing doesn't work, because unless you're from that particular market of the "new champs" you generally don't care.

We watched Tom Brady dominate our division for 20+yrs. Longer than any NBA Dynasty. And we Dolphins' fans kept watching, like some masochist.

The reality is that in any sport, hardcore fans care more about parity than casual fans do. Casual fans just want to watch the most popular players/teams

Case in point, look at March Madness. People love the idea that any team can win on any given night, they love the thrill of the upset. But when it came down to it, last year how many people really wanted to watch San Diego State & Florida Atlantic play in the Final Four compared to say Duke vs. Kentucky?

 

[Hey_zeus]

Nba is a dynastic league. It's been built around super teams and dynasties since Mikan. The NFL is a completely different dynamic. Apples to oranges.

 

[SpikeLee Cumbersmith]

@Gizmo_Duck @Mowgli @Diondon @Fatboi1 @Kamikaze Revy @ItWasWritten @Deezay @CoolinInTheCut

Are you calling your fangirl posse?

 

[K-Apps]

The NBA on NBC was well aware of its future when MJ retired in 94 and they saw the ratings drop off. So to blame ESPN/ABC for a reality that was long ago known and wasn’t worked on is flawed.

From shytty 90s NBA play, I think many of you are really under rating how much MJ held up the league

Bryan Curtis is his NBA On NBC nostalgia piece mentioned that Jordan called Ebersol when he unretired if NBC would pay him to come back. I bet they did too considering that comeback game vs the Pacers is the highest rated regular season game ever:

 

[Biscayne]

The reality is that in any sport, hardcore fans care more about parity than casual fans do. Casual fans just want to watch the most popular players/teams

Case in point, look at March Madness. People love the idea that any team can win on any given night, they love the thrill of the upset. But when it came down to it, last year how many people really wanted to watch San Diego State & Florida Atlantic play in the Final Four compared to say Duke vs. Kentucky?

You see it! The hardcore fans live in an echo chamber of other hardcore fans. I'm one of the few hardcore fans who always called it like it was. The hardcore fans sustain the product through the down years. The casuals take the product through the stratosphere. I've always always hated how the hardocre fans would say "parity is good for business". Numerically, that just doesn't make sense. Every region in the US is gonna have a contingent of fans who are fans of the overlord blue bloods. Merely due to transplants, and older cities with older and more established fanbases, moving to other regions of the US where the small market teams have lost fan interest over decades time. Or the regions where you have "newer" post expansion teams, will have ppl who were born and raised in that region, be fans of the blue bloods from other regions: IE The South having HELLA Cowboys fans, despite the Panthers, Jags, Bucs, Falcons, etc being around since being around for decades. In what universe is the Panthers or Jags winning the superbowl, better than the Cowboys winnin the superbowl?

Hardcore fans get mad at the media wishing for NY vs Boston ECF, but the media has a pulse on what the casuals (money bringers) want from their sports. The hardcore fans are stuck in an echo chamber, where they think ppl would've given a shyt about a potential Cle vs Indy ECF.

 

[King Static X]

17 games vs 82

1 and done vs best of 7 series

This is the real answer.

If the NBA season was only 16–17 games with the playoffs being win-or-go home games, the ratings would increase exponentially.

Most people don't have time to keep up with 82 (or more) games; it's also why the MLB with their 162-game season faded from the spotlight decades ago. "Ain't nobody got time for that".

 

[Biscayne]

The NBA on NBC was well aware of its future when MJ retired in 94 and they saw the ratings drop off. So to blame ESPN/ABC for a reality that was long ago known and wasn’t worked on is flawed.

From shytty 90s NBA play, I think many of you are really under rating how much MJ held up the league

The league is more skilled today(allegedly), and its like nobody cares.

 

[calh45]

I see some of y'all still in here lying by claiming NFL is popular because only white folks.

The NFL has never devalued it's regular season nor allowed any of it's stars to do so. It's never allowed it's broadcast partners to openly shyt on it. It's older stars never have beef with the current crop or vice versa. The stars don't sign ridiculous contracts then demand trades. The teams don't tank even when the owners are cheap and shytty.

Here's more reasons why. The NBA had Larry vs Bird then MJ and fukking squandered it by trying to manufacture another MJ. Every new player was the "next MJ" and got ruined trying to live up to it. Then when the next MJ actually showed up in Kobe y'all hated him because he was a Laker. Outside of that Stern kept digging in his heels trying to fight NFL popularity directly and let First Take/ESPN ruin any and all NBA discourse by focusing everything on the big markets.....First Take tried with the NFL and the whole network got taught a lesson.....and that's why even now NBA fans were fine with the Knick love fest on the ESPN broadcast and some are shytting on the idea of any Pacers fans being mad about it. On the flip side if the Lions made the Super Bowl last season most football fans would've been happy about it.

The core of NBA fandom is rotten because the fandom loves arguing and highlight packages and being stans more than the actual sport itself. Y'all are miserable. The NFL is just more fun. I swear this thread comes up once a year and NBA fans pretend like they have no idea why less and less people watch. The current and reigning finals MVP doesn't even like basketball that much.

 

[Biscayne]

Nba is a dynastic league. It's been built around super teams and dynasties since Mikan. The NFL is a completely different dynamic. Apples to oranges.

Dynasties never hurt NFL popularity. The Chiefs are going through a Dynasty as we speak. Cowboys, 49niners, Steelers, Patriots, none of those runs hurt the sport.

 

[Biscayne]

I see some of y'all still in here lying by claiming NFL is popular because only white folks.

The NFL has never devalued it's regular season nor allowed any of it's stars to do so. It's never allowed it's broadcast partners to openly shyt on it. It's older stars never have beef with the current crop or vice versa. The stars don't sign ridiculous contracts then demand trades. The teams don't tank even when the owners are cheap and shytty.

Here's more reasons why. The NBA had Larry vs Bird then MJ and fukking squandered it by trying to manufacture another MJ. Every new player was the "next MJ" and got ruined trying to live up to it. Then when the next MJ actually showed up in Kobe y'all hated him because he was a Laker. Outside of that Stern kept digging in his heels trying to fight NFL popularity directly and let First Take/ESPN ruin any and all NBA discourse by focusing everything on the big markets.....First Take tried with the NFL and the whole network got taught a lesson.....and that's why even now NBA fans were fine with the Knick love fest on the ESPN broadcast and some are shytting on the idea of any Pacers fans being mad about it. On the flip side if the Lions made the Super Bowl last season most football fans would've been happy about it.

The core of NBA fandom is rotten because the fandom loves arguing and highlight packages and being stans more than the actual sport itself. Y'all are miserable. The NFL is just more fun. I swear this thread comes up once a year and NBA fans pretend like they have no idea why less and less people watch. The current and reigning finals MVP doesn't even like basketball that much.

Yet the Spurs were always seen as the team that played basketball "The Right way". Why didn't stern try to stop their small market run?

How come all the small market teams, end up with the generational talent? Jokic, Wemby, Giannis, D. Mitch, Antman, etc.

Why have small markets make a renaissance, and nobody seems to care? Shouldn't minny and indy make fans and casuals excited?

Why hasn't Milwaukees title run bring folks back to the game? That was nearly half a decade ago. We should've seen fans rushing back to the sport since then.

Also, how come big market dynasties in the NFL(Cowboys, 49ers, Patriots) haven't ruined the sport? I'm not understanding any of this. When was the last Green Bay superbowl? When was the last Jags, Saints, Browns, Panthers, Titans, Ravens, Dolphins, Cardinals, super bowl? Why hasn't small market St Louis, losing the Rams to back to their big city LA origins, hurt the league or their fanbase?

You really think NBA "catering to large market talk" hurt the league?