[The Ringer] The 15 biggest challenges facing Adam Silver in his next 10 years

[IIVI]

Dunno. When you look at the NFL they're very protective of their brand and it results in less bullshyt like that. You actually see segments about football, schemes, details, etc. Is that partially because we're a football addicted nation and you can get away with analyzing a 4-3 defense on television in ways that you couldn't get away with for basketball? Sure. But I don't see ESPN crucifying or attempting to harm NFL QBs the way they do with NBA superstars. There's a clear animosity and resentment being tapped into and lets be frank: a lot of that has to do with race. NFL is gonna protect the shield and its brand whereas the NBA will do nothing. We're at a point where Luka and Tatum, likely the next faces of the league, are already facing ridiculous attacks and criticism as the media tries the LeBron gameplan on them. How long can guys be called losers or have their heart questioned before Silver does something?

I'll also say the sport of football itself will get less criticism because of the nature of it. The high speed collisions deem/warrant more respect.
Somebody nearly died two years ago on that field and every single news station covered it with breaking news or the top story.

Even into adulthood people check you with that "You play football?!" when asked if someone played high school sports.

I still remember when Jamie Foxx checked Kevin Hart with that question

Americans loves contact sports. Boxing/MMA will get people hype.
I really think the NBA was dumb for not enforcing flopping. It's now basically put the sport into the same "soft" category as soccer now, especially with how much players try to sell contact and will act out rolling around on the floor literally like Euroleague soccer players.

While there are more flags than there used to be, it doesn't make the optics and hits any less brutal in the NFL. People will still watch, react to and respect big collisions. I have yet to hear someone in-person ever call someone a "baby" for taking a hit in the NFL and I've watched a lot of NFL games out in public. I don't even think I've ever read it online. When someone takes a hit and starts rolling around on that field, chances are it's legit. shyt, if anything I've heard/seen people say for players to not get back on that field after they take a hit.

 

[Rakpo98]

NBA is a bytch made league. Look at them complain at the league having the audacity to institute quality control for choosing MVP selections. A sport full of bytches. A big reason I don't really watch NBA anymore is that it's full of limp wristed fakkits. Soft sport for divas and fakkits and people that like them - always comparing players in a so-called team sport. I abhor what the GOAT discussions has done to the game of basketball. Have literal DBZ fan comparing players as if they have power levels while no one has respect for the history or the game, While other sports have dikk measuring contests and comparing stats and talking about whose the best, it seems that's the ONLY thing basketball fans ever seem to talk about. Just people stanning their favorite player whose dikk they wanna suck (pause). In football everyone agrees Brady is the GOAT QB. There is no debate. But everyone respects Manning brothers, Montana, Elway, Romo, Staubach, Moon. Mahomes is inching towards Brady's crown and people don't have a problem with Mahomes being named top 3 QB. While there's a "debate", ultimately you can tell people love and respect the game of football and its history. You don't see football fans saying legends played against janitors the way NBA fans do here on the Coli. It feels as if basketball fans love stars and not the game of basketball. This attitude extends to the current crop of players and the way they treat the sport.

Women's college hoops is better and NBA players should be ashamed. The entirety of the NBA is embarrassing: from the players, to the discussion made by fans, to the league rules, referee scandal. I watched every Rockets game we could possibly watch as a kid with my father, went to basketball camps in the summer, and it saddens me what the game of my youth has become.

Thank God football, baseball, and hockey exist.

Preach, my brother. 100% facts in everything you just spit. The NBA is probably the least captivating sport around at the current moment, and there are other leagues now that run circles around it. The NBA is a soap opera, where the fans are fans of individual stars, and hate anyone who isn’t said star. The NFL is king, but no other league comes close to it. If you’re looking for competitive athletes, where the game is the primary focal point, and not a side topic, the NBA is NOT for you and me. It’s really sad how bytch made the NBA athletes are today, and how tone-deaf and aloof they’ve become.

Imagine bytching about having to play at least 80% of your games to qualify for individual awards. As if it’s such a burden to do the absolute minimum to meet the criteria of individual recognition (which by the way THE PLAYERS UNION AGREED UPON). These players are bytches, and the people here on this forum and on social media who support these bytchmade antics are 100% responsible for the toxic discourse around the NBA.

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

People in here talking about how good of pro league the CTE ball has like the majority of games every Sunday aren’t snoozefests . The Thursday night games are some of the worst products in ALL of professional sports. Then you have the London games where guys fly for 10 hours to score 6 points.

People tune in because it’s only on once a week and because they’re hooked on gambling (fantasy CTE ball, etc) and violence.

The NFL isn’t some mastermind marketing organization; it’s just the only league where players are so replaceable that you have no choice but to get attached to a team.

If it wasn’t for fantasy leagues, the average fan wouldn’t even care who’s on the field outside of the QB.

Y’all are cheering on a league that believes guys who literally get their brains turned to mush every play don’t deserve a guaranteed contract . The players and former players are so dumb they don’t even advocate for themselves.

Let’s not even talk about the on field changes, where defense has gotten so handcuffed that an actual strategy is to launch the ball downfield with no hopes of a catch just so you can get a pass interference call

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

Preach, my brother. 100% facts in everything you just spit. The NBA is probably the least captivating sport around at the current moment, and there are other leagues now that run circles around it. The NBA is a soap opera, where the fans are fans of individual stars, and hate anyone who isn’t said star. The NFL is king, but no other league comes close to it. If you’re looking for competitive athletes, where the game is the primary focal point, and not a side topic, the NBA is NOT for you and me. It’s really sad how bytch made the NBA athletes are today, and how tone-deaf and aloof they’ve become.

Imagine bytching about having to play at least 80% of your games to qualify for individual awards. As if it’s such a burden to do the absolute minimum to meet the criteria of individual recognition (which by the way THE PLAYERS UNION AGREED UPON). These players are bytches, and the people here on this forum and on social media who support these bytchmade antics are 100% responsible for the toxic discourse around the NBA.

So you’d rather have players who end up broke (no guaranteed contracts) with brain damage and can barely pick their kids up to play with them because they’re doing what’s right by the fans?

I’m against the whole load management thing and LeGBT Adam Silver basketball in general, but acting like the NBA is so bad because players advocate for themselves is straight up entitled conservative talk.

Football players are just trained crash dummies for the most part which is why the average fan loves the sport. “Go out there and have no regard for your well-being, just entertain me”. No different than people watching gladiators.

 

[Rakpo98]

So you’d rather have players who end up broke (no guaranteed contracts) with brain damage and can barely pick their kids up to play with them because they’re doing what’s right by the fans?

I’m against the whole load management thing and LeGBT Adam Silver basketball in general, but acting like the NBA is so bad because players advocate for themselves is straight up entitled conservative talk.

Football players are just trained crash dummies for the most part which is why the average fan loves the sport. “Go out there and have no regard for your well-being, just entertain me”. No different than people watching gladiators.

It’s not my concern if they end up broke or not. The players are there for our entertainment. I think people forget that fans will sympathize with players who think that they aren’t getting their fair share, or paid enough, but that’s clearly not the case in the NBA. Mid-Level players are earning $100 Million contracts, and scrubs like Dillon Brooks are getting $80 Million deals. If you end up broke as an NBA player today, I don’t want to hear shyt about your excuses why, or what led to it. Also, there’s no brain damage or long term injury risk playing basketball, so I have no idea what you’re talking about there.

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

It’s not my concern if they end up broke or not. The players are there for our entertainment. I think people forget that fans will sympathize with players who think that they aren’t getting their fair share, or paid enough, but that’s clearly not the case in the NBA. Mid-Level players are earning $100 Million contracts, and scrubs like Dillon Brooks are getting $80 Million deals. If you end up broke as an NBA player today, I don’t want to hear shyt about your excuses why, or what led to it. Also, there’s no brain damage or long term injury risk playing basketball, so I have no idea what you’re talking about there.

I was talking about the NFL and its players

 

[Rakpo98]

People in here talking about how good of pro league the CTE ball has like the majority of games every Sunday aren’t snoozefests . The Thursday night games are some of the worst products in ALL of professional sports. Then you have the London games where guys fly for 10 hours to score 6 points.

People tune in because it’s only on once a week and because they’re hooked on gambling (fantasy CTE ball, etc) and violence.

The NFL isn’t some mastermind marketing organization; it’s just the only league where players are so replaceable that you have no choice but to get attached to a team.

If it wasn’t for fantasy leagues, the average fan wouldn’t even care who’s on the field outside of the QB.

Y’all are cheering on a league that believes guys who literally get their brains turned to mush every play don’t deserve a guaranteed contract . The players and former players are so dumb they don’t even advocate for themselves.

Let’s not even talk about the on field changes, where defense has gotten so handcuffed that an actual strategy is to launch the ball downfield with no hopes of a catch just so you can get a pass interference call

Blah Blah Blah. You basically said a whole bunch of nothing there. All that, and it still out-rates NBA games by 5-10x. If you’re an NBA Stan, just say it, and stop making a fool of yourself. NBA fans shouldn’t even bring up the NFL, you’re embarrassing yourself and that association everytime you do.

 

[Damnshow]

What challenges are they talking about, this is hilarious. NBA has become the ultimate casual sports with inflated stats, newly broken records every day and so on and so on.

The next competition they have is Euroleague and their marketing is as bad as it gets.

Their only challenge is maybe if soccer ever decides to fukk up its defense so the viewers could see more goals scored every game. Then I can see some of NBA viewership dedicating less time on basketball and venturing to other inflated stat sports.

 

[mbewane]

I don't know how, or if this even makes sense, but the NBA needs to somehow promote TEAMS more-so than individuals imo. Of course there will always be superstars and that's good, but sometimes I feel like teams as a concept are kind of an afterthought. Can be simple things, for example on Knicks games there's always some small trivia question about the history of the team. Brings some sense of continuity in some way. Because otherwise with all the player movement, same styles of play, plain jerseys with no identity and arenas looking/sounding the same there's really not much in terms of identity.

 

[Space Cowboy]

People in here talking about how good of pro league the CTE ball has like the majority of games every Sunday aren’t snoozefests . The Thursday night games are some of the worst products in ALL of professional sports. Then you have the London games where guys fly for 10 hours to score 6 points.

People tune in because it’s only on once a week and because they’re hooked on gambling (fantasy CTE ball, etc) and violence.

The NFL isn’t some mastermind marketing organization; it’s just the only league where players are so replaceable that you have no choice but to get attached to a team.

If it wasn’t for fantasy leagues, the average fan wouldn’t even care who’s on the field outside of the QB.

Y’all are cheering on a league that believes guys who literally get their brains turned to mush every play don’t deserve a guaranteed contract . The players and former players are so dumb they don’t even advocate for themselves.

Let’s not even talk about the on field changes, where defense has gotten so handcuffed that an actual strategy is to launch the ball downfield with no hopes of a catch just so you can get a pass interference call

A bad football game > a bad basketball game

 

[In The Zone '98]

Keyboard warriors for the NFL on this forum is tiresome

 

[IIVI]

It’s not my concern if they end up broke or not. The players are there for our entertainment. I think people forget that fans will sympathize with players who think that they aren’t getting their fair share, or paid enough, but that’s clearly not the case in the NBA. Mid-Level players are earning $100 Million contracts, and scrubs like Dillon Brooks are getting $80 Million deals. If you end up broke as an NBA player today, I don’t want to hear shyt about your excuses why, or what led to it. Also, there’s no brain damage or long term injury risk playing basketball, so I have no idea what you’re talking about there.

I agree, but I will say the bolded is false.

Dirk Nowitzki said straight up he regrets the last few years of his NBA career because his foot hurts so bad today and can't do things like play soccer with his kids. Bill Walton and many big men actually. Brandon Roy, etc.

A lot of examples here:


Really any sport where players get injured then make their way back are pushing their bodies beyond normal capacity and risk longterm injury.
It simply ain't normal.
Someone like Derrick Rose I'm pretty sure will be feeling it post-NBA career.

Impact of Knee Injuries on Post-retirement Pain and Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Professional Basketball Players - PMC

Professional basketball players are at increased risk for knee injuries. Epidemiologic data exist on the prevalence of such injuries in players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), but little is known about how these injuries affect ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

One hundred eight retired NBA players participated (a response rate of 12%). Almost a third (32.4%) sustained a knee injury before starting their NBA career; 51 (47.2%) sustained knee injury during professional play in the NBA, and nearly two-thirds of those players (62.7%) needed surgery. Among those who reported knee injuries during their NBA career, a majority had knee pain that continued until retirement (72.5%). Two-thirds (67%) reported having knee pain currently (at the time of the survey). More than a third (34.0%) underwent knee surgery after retirement, which included nine total knee arthroplasties (8.3%).

 

[FTBS]

Dunno. When you look at the NFL they're very protective of their brand and it results in less bullshyt like that. You actually see segments about football, schemes, details, etc. Is that partially because we're a football addicted nation and you can get away with analyzing a 4-3 defense on television in ways that you couldn't get away with for basketball? Sure. But I don't see ESPN crucifying or attempting to harm NFL QBs the way they do with NBA superstars. There's a clear animosity and resentment being tapped into and lets be frank: a lot of that has to do with race. NFL is gonna protect the shield and its brand whereas the NBA will do nothing. We're at a point where Luka and Tatum, likely the next faces of the league, are already facing ridiculous attacks and criticism as the media tries the LeBron gameplan on them. How long can guys be called losers or have their heart questioned before Silver does something?

NFL can afford to be protective of their brand. People actually care about football and will watch football coverage. A lot of basketball fans don't care about actual basketball. shyt a lot of players don't . Basketball as we know it was built on the blue collar white vs flashy black of Magic and Bird and taken to another level by transcendent play and blandness by Mike. Conflict, drama, and movement is what keeps the NBA relevant. Mike Trout can walk through any mall with his jersey on and not be bothered. Baseball gets 0 coverage outside of a scandal and the WS.

As far as that list goes only things that matter on there are getting another face or faces and the viewing experience/getting people to care about regular season. But those are related. You get more faces of the league that actually play in the regular season, problem solved.

 

[Dorian Breh]

The NBA needs to embrace capitalism

Abolish the cap, luxury tax, profit sharing

Establish relegation

Then the regular season will mean something

 

[IIVI]

My idea straight up would be move the season to be after the NFL season so you won't be competing with them anymore.

That way you can have less games and Summertime Play-off Basketball.

Only thing that would really suck is you'd miss out on International competition like the Olympics.

NBA season starting in February/March would be so dope for kids because they also know school would be done soon though. Just like how the NFL is associated with the Winter, snow and cold weather. A lot of dopamine hits and a lot of addiction.