Why is NBA Media so much worse than other Major Sports

[FTBS]

You don’t hear football fans saying that the NFL needs another Tom Brady to thrive again . You don’t hear baseball fans saying the MLB needs another Barry Bonds/Ken Griffey/Babe Ruth/Pete Rose to thrive again. You don’t hear hockey fans saying the NHL needs another Wayne Gretzky to thrive again. You don’t hear soccer fans saying soccer needs another David Beckham/Pelé/Maradona to thrive again.

They moved on because life goes on. They left the past where it belongs, in the past. They be like, thanks for the memories but let’s enjoy the present moment and let’s focus on the future and the young players currently playing right now.

Tom Brady announced his second (and permanent) retirement and most football fans said : good luck in your next life Tom, thanks for the memories. And right after that, they went back to watch and support joe burrow, Lamar Jackson, Patrick mahomes, josh Allen etc. Because Life goes on. Because at the end of the day, for football fans, football will always be bigger than Tom Brady. Same thing for hockey fans, hockey will always be bigger than Wayne Gretzky. But somehow plenty of people believe Micheal Jordan will always be bigger than Basketball and will always be above the NBA . I mean many supposed basketball « fans » believe the Jordan era was the peak of the NBA and when he retired in 1999, they never came back to the sport. They felt that it was pointless to watch beyond that, in their minds they were like -we saw the best ever player and best era ever of this product. You will never find football fans who believed that the Brady era was the best the NFL had to offer and stopped watching the NFL for good in 2022. Why? Because football fans genuinely love their sport. Ultimately, they love football more than Brady. People just loved the aura, the image and the mythology of MJ more than basketball. And when Jordan said goodbye, they immediately abandoned the nba in droves. The nba was a temporary fad for them. They never genuinely embraced the sport for what it was. They were never emotionally invested in the sport. They were never interested in the NBA. They never cared about the actual sport of basketball, its culture, its history, and its traditions. Their fandom was superficial and very surface level. They didn’t even support their local nba team, they just liked the bulls because everyone liked them and because they were a pop culture juggernaut and one in a lifetime dynasty team in sports. They were the generational products of their context and era and environment( their youth- childhood, teenage, early 20s period was in the 1990s)

Fans of Other sports respect the past but they aren’t pining about it.. they are too busy to watch the present and wonder about the future. Fans of other sports are much more loyal and diehard to their sport than basketball fans who are more casual , trendy, capricious and finicky. Basketball « fans » root for individual players, not for teams. Other Fans of sports root for teams over individuals. Also they love the entire history of their favorite sports, not certain eras or particular players. They love everything about their teams, their sports, their history, their traditions , their rules, the sports as they are, they love the good and the bad things of their favorite sports for better and for worse. A lot of TMZ/NBA modern fans are cherry-picking fans. They pick and choose aspects of fandom and sport appreciation.

@FTBS
@The Amerikkkan Idol
@NYC Rebel
@tremonthustler1
@IIVI

Football fans love football and are gonna watch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday regardless of who is playing or how good they are. People are more invested in teams but that is a result of being more invested in the game itself. Fandom is passed down from generation to generation. That doesnt happen in basketball outside of the Lakers, Celtics, and for some reason...the Knicks. People complain about the game going soft, being too QB centric etc but they still love it because the love the game. Its also more of a communal event that you can build gatherings and your day around.

Most bball "fans" love MJ or morever what they felt during that era. That is the prism through which everything is seen. So you take him away (and add adult cynicism, responsiblity, and bitterness) and all you got left is this game that they dont truly like, understand, or care about. And you dont even have drinking, eating, community, and fantasy to help make up the difference like football.

 

[VegetasHairline]

 

[FTBS]

Oldhead players mad the game has grown and the bags are way bigger now. Don't seem to understand inflation and cost of living at their big age. So they hate nonstop.

Media has to handle these divas with kid gloves giving softball questions or they start throwing tantrums about "being grown men" . These NBA guys are very sensitive and feel that they have millions so they shouldn't be questioned.

People in general are like that. Look how nikkas act on here when you disagree with them or present facts they dont like. shyt look at the president elect.

That said nobody takes more questions about their toughness, commitment, worthiness than NBA players. Nobody has to hear more about a time and a player that aint coming back and cant be recreated.

And some of the biggest divas work in the media shytting on current players and the game itself.

 

[Soldier]

Football fans love football and are gonna watch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday regardless of who is playing or how good they are. People are more invested in teams but that is a result of being more invested in the game itself. Fandom is passed down from generation to generation. That doesnt happen in basketball outside of the Lakers, Celtics, and for some reason...the Knicks. People complain about the game going soft, being too QB centric etc but they still love it because the love the game. Its also more of a communal event that you can build gatherings and your day around.

Most bball "fans" love MJ or morever what they felt during that era. That is the prism through which everything is seen. So you take him away (and add adult cynicism, responsiblity, and bitterness) and all you got left is this game that they dont truly like, understand, or care about. And you dont even have drinking, eating, community, and fantasy to help make up the difference like football.

The NBA is by far the youngest sports league of the big four. And it was also the latest team sport to be created. Basketball was invented as a indoor game in the 1890s by the Canadian-born American professor James Naismith to keep both baseball and football players active inside during winter ´.

James Naismith - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

From then on, the game evolved and became more complex, and developed into a legit sport with rules.

meanwhile in the same decade both baseball and football themselves were thriving in popularity at the professional level(baseball) and at the college level (football). Also in the 1890s, The Stanley cup, before it became the official championship trophy of the NHL, was already awarded to the champion team in Canadian hockey leagues. Lord Stanley of Preston, a British nobleman, gave his name to the cup.

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The MLB was founded in the late 19th century/early 20th century

Major League Baseball - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

NHL was founded in 1917

National Hockey League - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

NFL was founded in 1920

National Football League - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

And the NBA was founded in 1946.

National Basketball Association - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

National Basketball Association - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Meanwhile joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams
were baseball stars, and babe Ruth already retired. Jackie Robinson would break the color line with the Brooklyn dodgers the following year. And The NFL and NHL were nearly 30 years old themselves.


And we all know the nba was small league with few teams and lacked presence and stature before the ABA/NBA merger in 1976 and expansion in the 1980s/1990s ( heat, Timberwolves, mavericks, magic, raptors, grizzlies ) and relocation (Philly/golden state warriors, Buffalo braves/Los Angeles clippers, st.Louis/Atlanta hawks, New Orleans/Utah jazz, Syracuse nationals/philly 76ers, Rochester/Cincinnati royals to Kansas City/Sacramento kings, Vancouver/Memphis grizzlies, Seattle SuperSonics to OKC Thunder )


Baseball and football are more ingrained in American culture and way of life than basketball. Baseball and football have Longer history, a more Romanticized « «black and white past » (before color were added in pictures and tv) more memories(good and bad) more vintage media archives (where’s the equivalent of Steve sabol for the nba?) and deeper roots in this country than basketball . More generations of fans. Much more chance that NFL/MLB team fandom is inherited and passed down from generation to generation than NBA team Fandom. NCAA College basketball is another story because it has the pageantry, history and tradition that the NBA lacks. And loyalty because current students/former students/graduates will always root for their current and former school to do well in athletics/sports.


Tailgate parties only exist in football. We have Super Bowl parties…. where’s the nba finals parties? Basketball fans root for individual players/characters over teams. Basketball fandom is personal and individual. Baseball/football/ hockey/soccer fans root for teams overs individuals/players.

Basketball fandom is capricious, superficial, thin, fairweather, bandwagonish, mercenary, individual, impersonal, trendy and «rootless cosmopolitan ».

Baseball/football/hockey/soccer fandom is tribal, loyal, deep, genuine, personal, communal and familial. It transcends eras and players. They’re together watching their own local team and hoping that they win in Super Bowl /World Series/World cup/champions league/Stanley cup parties. Meanwhile nba player Stans are watching the game alone in the room rooting for their favorite player and hoping he has a exciting and productive game. The Stans don’t care about the team he’s on…as long as their favorite player looks good. His team lost but at least their favorite scored 35 points, made 10 assists and got 10 rebounds -wow a triple double performance!!! They are happy either way because they only like him and could care less about how his team performs . Their emotional attachment is directed to the players, not to any team. They could care less if the team loses as long as their favorite player shines.

 

[In The Zone '98]

The NBA is by far the youngest sports league of the big four. And it was also the latest team sport to be created. Basketball was invented in the 1890s by the Canadian-born American professor James Naismith to keep both baseball and football players active during winter indoors. From then on, the game evolved and became more complex, and developed into a legit sport with rules.

meanwhile in the same decade both baseball and football themselves were thriving in popularity at the professional level(baseball) and at the college level (football). Also in the 1890s, The Stanley cup, before it became the official championship trophy of the NHL, was already awarded to the champion team in Canadian hockey leagues. Lord Stanley of Preston, a British nobleman, gave his name to the cup.

Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

The MLB was founded in the late 19th century/earlyn20th century

NHL was founded in 1917
NFL was founded in 1920
And the NBA was founded in 1946. Meanwhile joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams
were baseball stars, and babe Ruth already retired. Jackie Robinson would break the color line with the Brooklyn dodgers the following year. And The NFL and NHL was nearly 30 years old themselves.


And we all know the nba was small league with few teams and lacked presence and stature before the ABA/NBA merger in 1976 and expansion in the 1980s/1990s ( heat, Timberwolves, mavericks, magic, raptors, grizzlies ) and relocation (Philly/golden state warriors, Buffalo braves/Los Angeles clippers, st.Louis/Atlanta hawks, New Orleans/Utah jazz, Syracuse nationals/philly 76ers, Rochester/Cincinnati royals to Kansas City/Sacramento kings, Vancouver/Memphis grizzlies, Seattle SuperSonics to OKC Thunder )


Baseball and football are more ingrained in American culture and way of life than basketball. Baseball and football have Longer history, more vintage media archives and deeper roots in this country than basketball . More generations of fans. Much more chance that NFL/MLB team fandom is inherited and passed down from generation to generation than NBA team Fandom. College basketball is another story.


Tailgate parties only exists in football. Super Bowl parties where’s the nba finals parties? Basketball fans root doe individual players Iver teams. Basketball fandom is personal and individual. Baseball/football/ hockey/soccer fans root for teams overs invidials/players.

Baseball/football/hockey/soccer fandom is tribal, communal and familial. They’re together watching their own local team and hoping that they win in Super Bowl /World Series/World cup/champions league/Stanley cup parties. Meanwhile nba player Stans are watching the game alone in the room rooting for their favorite player and hoping he has a exciting and productive game. The Stans don’t care about the team he’s on…as long as their favorite player looks good. His team lost but at least their favorite scored 35 points, made 10 assists and got 10 rebounds -wow a triple double performance!!! They are happy either way because they only like him and could care less about how his team performs . Their emotional attachment is directed to the players, not to any team. They could care less if the team loses as long as their favorite player shines.

Over abundance of emotional team attachment for the NBA

 

[NYC Rebel]

nah im saying its not real...i stopped caring cause its funny seeing men take it serious

they have straight man and hater man.... good cop bad cop... rile people up
even the stars are dumb to buy in... people are stupid

forums like this we speak at for free and they just video our talking points

There’s something serious about former players shytting on current players

 

[SchoolboyC]

Football fans love football and are gonna watch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday regardless of who is playing or how good they are. People are more invested in teams but that is a result of being more invested in the game itself. Fandom is passed down from generation to generation. That doesnt happen in basketball outside of the Lakers, Celtics, and for some reason...the Knicks. People complain about the game going soft, being too QB centric etc but they still love it because the love the game. Its also more of a communal event that you can build gatherings and your day around.

Most bball "fans" love MJ or morever what they felt during that era. That is the prism through which everything is seen. So you take him away (and add adult cynicism, responsiblity, and bitterness) and all you got left is this game that they dont truly like, understand, or care about. And you dont even have drinking, eating, community, and fantasy to help make up the difference like football.

Also not just MJ

You ever notice how the main people claiming they stopped being interested in the NBA after the 2016 season are Kobe stans?

And I’m sure the same will be said when LeBron & Steph call it quits

That’s the downside of being a players league. If people’s primary investment comes from following their favorite player, then what happens when said player retires?

 

[FTBS]

Also not just MJ

You ever notice how the main people claiming they stopped being interested in the NBA after the 2016 season are Kobe stans?

And I’m sure the same will be said when LeBron & Steph call it quits

That’s the downside of being a players league. If people’s primary investment comes from following their favorite player, then what happens when said player retires?

Kobe and Bron are MJs sons. Kobe was originally hated and then loved for being an MJ clone. Bron was supposed to be the next MJ but then blew up as a foil to MJ. All comes back to MJ. Steph is his own organic thing though.

I dont know how old you are but in the 90s "Who is the next MJ?" was a legit topic. I have wondered about this issue aloud, as Steph and Bron are basically stealing time at this point. They have pushed this thing longer than the most generous projections would have suggested. Yet we still waiting on that next transcendent dude to rise. Ants the most recent candidate and whats his hook? "He dark skinned so he looks like Mike"

The flipside is, without ever becoming a players league, do they even make it this far? Nobody has ever checked for them for any other reason.

 

[Kang Deezy]

Perkins is the fukking worst

 

[Soldier]

Also not just MJ

You ever notice how the main people claiming they stopped being interested in the NBA after the 2016 season are Kobe stans?

And I’m sure the same will be said when LeBron & Steph call it quits

That’s the downside of being a players league. If people’s primary investment comes from following their favorite player, then what happens when said player retires?

The nba is the sports version of a Ponzi scheme. As long as new customers(kids and teens) always come in, the older ones can leave . But when new fans become
Older themselves and their own favorite players retire, they retire too. And the next cycle of this continues

The NBA/ nba media needs to change their strategy and accept that they can’t always rely on transcendent and exceptional players forever. They were lucky with magic-bird-mike-kobe-shaq-bron-curry coming in succession. They cant always expect those kind of legendary players to come out every season. They are Taking this situation for granted.

It’s always safer and smarter to rely on team interest, not player interest. Why? Because The Players come and go, the teams always remain, that’s all. Relying on players is a volatile and risky business, relying on teams is a smart and stable business. People should be invested in their teams again. Building loyalty and attachent to the local teams over players. Players are important because they are the product but the teams themselves and the sport of basketball itself should be valued. Traditionally, it’s the attachement to the Teams and love of the sport that sustain and maintain the viability and purpose of sports leagues

 

[mson]

Kobe and Bron are MJs sons. Kobe was originally hated and then loved for being an MJ clone. Bron was supposed to be the next MJ but then blew up as a foil to MJ. All comes back to MJ. Steph is his own organic thing though.

I dont know how old you are but in the 90s "Who is the next MJ?" was a legit topic. I have wondered about this issue aloud, as Steph and Bron are basically stealing time at this point. They have pushed this thing longer than the most generous projections would have suggested. Yet we still waiting on that next transcendent dude to rise. Ants the most recent candidate and whats his hook? "He dark skinned so he looks like Mike"

The flipside is, without ever becoming a players league, do they even make it this far? Nobody has ever checked for them for any other reason.

Always thought DWade was more MJ than Bron.

 

[Dorian Breh]

when MJ was around you could bandwagon in peace

nowadays youd be killed being a bulls fan without an O Block passport

 

[Soldier]

THERE'S AN ILL WIND BLOWING FOR THE NBA

In his elegant corner office at the Manhattan headquarters of the National Basketball Association, Commissioner Larry O'Brien leaned back in his chair and

vault.si.com

« Of course, Larry O'Brien also believes that the NBA is "exciting," that it has "the greatest athletes in the world," that, according to every survey he's seen, "basketball is the favorite sport among Americans below the age of 35," and that "the potential for our sport goes right off toward the sunset »

The more the things change, the more they stay the same

People right now are saying the same exact thing people 45 years ago said to reassure themselves and avoid honest discussions about the actual state of the league (this sports illustrated article was published in 1979)

« The nba mostly gets interest, love and ratings from young people(folks under 35-40) »

« Basketball is the sport of the future, the nba as a league has so much potentîal and opportunities »

I have one simple question. Do fans from that era still watch and follow the nba ?

 

[FTBS]

The nba is the sports version of a Ponzi scheme. As long as new customers(kids and teens) always come in, the older ones can leave . But when new fans become
Older themselves and their own favorite players retire, they retire too. And the next cycle of this continues

The NBA/ nba media needs to change their strategy and accept that they can’t always rely on transcendent and exceptional players forever. They were lucky with magic-bird-mike-kobe-shaq-bron-curry coming in succession. They cant always expect those kind of legendary players to come out every season. They are Taking this situation for granted. It’s always safer and smarter to rely on team interest, not player interest. The Players come and go, the teams always remain. Relying on players is a volatile and risky business, relying on teams is a smart and stable business. People should be invested in their teams again. Building loyalty and attachent to the local teams over players. Players are important because they are the product but the teams themselves and the sport of basketball itself should be valued.

Sure...but what if its not? Thats the thing, they didnt rely on transcendent players just because. They did it because they had no other choice and frankly needed those players. They tried to be like everybody else and ended up on tape delay.

And for all the sky is falling hue and cry, they did just land a $70 billion TV deal. People project their own issues with the product so often and so loudly that its easy to think thats how it is. The league is good right now. And as I said before, moving away from the negative coverage is a good first step to preparing for life minus Bron and Steph. But you cant just make teams matter when for a lot of folks the sport doesnt even matter. Pushing Ant as the face and/or TMZ ball is way more feasible.

 

[SchoolboyC]

Sure...but what if its not? Thats the thing, they didnt rely on transcendent players just because. They did it because they had no other choice and frankly needed those players. They tried to be like everybody else and ended up on tape delay.

And for all the sky is falling hue and cry, they did just land a $70 billion TV deal. People project their own issues with the product so often and so loudly that its easy to think thats how it is. The league is good right now. And as I said before, moving away from the negative coverage is a good first step to preparing for life minus Bron and Steph. But you cant just make teams matter when for a lot of folks the sport doesnt even matter. Pushing Ant as the face and/or TMZ ball is way more feasible.

Yeah they’re not switching up the formula

It’s gonna be like WWE in the mid to late 2010s after Cena aged out

They’re gonna keep trying to force a guy to be the face until it sticks. They tried Zion and Ja and it failed. So whether it ends up being Ant, Wemby, Cooper Flagg or someone else, they’ll keep at it until they get their guy