Is the NBA becoming more physical? More popular?

[MikeyMike]

I was born in '84, and I used to watch the Knicks since as far back as I remember. (Born and raised in Long Island, NY...didn't start to watch the Lakers until I moved to Los Angeles in '97)

My opinion or memory might be skewed from watching the Ewing/Riley Era Knicks. But wow, the NBA used to be so much more physical. I remember a time when guys would routinely try to take eachother's heads off.

During the Shaq-Kobe era, the NBA became a little more tame...but still extremely physical. Hack-A-Shaq, anyone?

I think the past few years, especially after the Artest bullish, Stern has really clamped down on the physical play....and that has in turn made the NBA less relevant in popular US culture.

I feel like now, the NBA is really starting to become more popular again.
I also feel like the NBA is becoming more physical too.
The less the refs blow their whistle, the more the game flows...as well as the more physical it becomes.

Obviously there are a ton of factors involved in the so-called resurgence I am referring to. Lakers and Celtics coming back to dominance. Lebron James. An ultra competitive Wild West. Sure.

But can one make the connection that the more physical and violent a sport is...the more popular it becomes in the US?

I mean, Football is the most popular sport in the US...and it's the most violent sport involving a ball. Obviously boxing/UFC is more violent but that's not a game in the traditional sense..compared to football, basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis. etc...

Am I trippin? Please discuss.

(mods please don't lock this thread, thank you)

[Rox_Nix_Nox]

I was born in '84, and I used to watch the Knicks since as far back as I remember. (Born and raised in Long Island, NY...didn't start to watch the Lakers until I moved to Los Angeles in '97)

My opinion or memory might be skewed from watching the Ewing/Riley Era Knicks. But wow, the NBA used to be so much more physical. I remember a time when guys would routinely try to take eachother's heads off.

During the Shaq-Kobe era, the NBA became a little more tame...but still extremely physical. Hack-A-Shaq, anyone?

I think the past few years, especially after the Artest bullish, Stern has really clamped down on the physical play....and that has in turn made the NBA less relevant in popular US culture.

I feel like now, the NBA is really starting to become more popular again.
I also feel like the NBA is becoming more physical too.
The less the refs blow their whistle, the more the game flows...as well as the more physical it becomes.

Obviously there are a ton of factors involved in the so-called resurgence I am referring to. Lakers and Celtics coming back to dominance. Lebron James. An ultra competitive Wild West. Sure.

But can one make the connection that the more physical and violent a sport is...the more popular it becomes in the US?

I mean, Football is the most popular sport in the US...and it's the most violent sport involving a ball. Obviously boxing/UFC is more violent but that's not a game in the traditional sense..compared to football, basketball, soccer, hockey, tennis. etc...

Am I trippin? Please discuss.

(mods please don't lock this thread, thank you)

Well this vid gives a good idea of how phyiscal the NBA was back then.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kYtjs0FqxoM

[8'sReverse]

I mean, Football is the most popular sport in the US...and it's the most violent sport involving a ball.

How do you explain baseball then?


But, ya, I do get your point though... I haven't been watching basketball long enough, I guess, that dealt with the more "physical" style. But, even with that said, constant blowing of the whistles does not help the game at all. It is almost unorthodox to the game. Fouls that are hard to determine (charges/flopping) where never meant to be it seems. It takes the game out of sync.

[8'sReverse]

Well this vid gives a good idea of how phyiscal the NBA was back then.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kYtjs0FqxoM

And according to this video... it was the mindset of the players to be physical. They didn't like it when it happened to them, but it was accepted. A kind of "You did this to our guy, we're gonna do it to you!"

[milesfides]

Didn't Dirk just do this to Kirilenko a couple days ago? And Dirk isn't even a tough player.

You could always find clips of hard fouls. How about Raja clotheslining Kobe? How about Bruce Bowen karate-kicking 10 guys? Al Horford's foul on TJ Ford?

The league is less physical on the perimeter because the NBA allowed more contact in the past, i.e., hand-checking rules.

But in terms of hard fouls, I don't think that's really changed that much. All teams try to give hard fouls around the rim. Don't give up easy baskets.

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

What they need to do is great rid of the annoying ticky tack touch fouls. It slows down the game and stops the action. I mean if a guy has his elbow against a guys back and he's posting up on him should that really be a foul??