"The NBA is a lifestyle brand. The way to grow is to appeal to people beyond hardcore basketball fans" - Silver

[ScrantonBulls]

I had to shorten his quote to fit the title. This seems relevant as many are upset with Adam Silver here. He's trying to make the NBA marketable to more than just diehard fans.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6084318/2025/01/23/adam-silver-nba-euroleague-youth-basketball?source=user-shared-article

[Tim_Hardawayy]

Oof. Yeah this one's a swing and a miss to me. I was comparing it to failing video game companies, and this is another similarity, instead of slowly growing your audience by improving the baseline product, you start targeting an entirely new audience and ignore your base, assuming they will just stick with you.

Could not disagree with him more.

[Onus]

Feels like what ea does to video game franchises and ends up ruining the game.

[The Laker Kid]

Better get Hallmark involved then. They already garnered lots of interest with the Luka trade, so maybe hire a few Hallmark scriptwriters to finish the script. "Giannis traded to Lakers for Bronny, but father must go with son" sounds like it will really attract more viewership.

[Big J]

Oof. Yeah this one's a swing and a miss to me. I was comparing it to failing video game companies, and this is another similarity, instead of slowly growing your audience by improving the baseline product, you start targeting an entirely new audience and ignore your base, assuming they will just stick with you.

Could not disagree with him more.

The problem with your logic is that the biggest base of NBA fans aren't hardcores who post on message boards. The NBA's largest consumer base is actually casual fans.

[TheGOATRises007]

Silver is a moron

[JDR720]

I don't know about the lifestyle brand part, but the second part is 100% true for any sports league. They make money appealing to casual fans, not the hardcore ones.

[Optms]

Oof. Yeah this one's a swing and a miss to me. I was comparing it to failing video game companies, and this is another similarity, instead of slowly growing your audience by improving the baseline product, you start targeting an entirely new audience and ignore your base, assuming they will just stick with you.

Could not disagree with him more.

Another example is NASCAR in the US. The classic alienating the existing fanbase to appeal to people who will never care. Great.

[D.Brasco]

I don't know about the lifestyle brand part, but the second part is 100% true for any sports league. They make money appealing to casual fans, not the hardcore ones.

That's the entire model of the NFL now. Of the 130 million who watch the Superbowl, how many are actually die hard fans and how many are just there for the pageantry and vibes.

[sp6r=underrated]

Oof. Yeah this one's a swing and a miss to me. I was comparing it to failing video game companies, and this is another similarity, instead of slowly growing your audience by improving the baseline product, you start targeting an entirely new audience and ignore your base, assuming they will just stick with you.

Could not disagree with him more.

The problem with your logic is that the biggest base of NBA fans aren't hardcores who post on message boards. The NBA's largest consumer base is actually casual fans.

I agree with you casual basketball fans provide most league revenue. But "lifestyle" brand sound like he wants non-basketball fans to be interested in the NBA.

That's great but unless you convert them into hoops fans I doubt it can work.

[JDR720]

I don't know about the lifestyle brand part, but the second part is 100% true for any sports league. They make money appealing to casual fans, not the hardcore ones.

That's the entire model of the NFL now. Of the 130 million who watch the Superbowl, how many are actually die hard fans and how many are just there for the pageantry and vibes.

I'd guess the majority of them. The Superbowl (And NFL games in general) are social events for most people. Same for big league soccer games.

Most casual NBA fans wouldn't even know who Adam Silver is, they just want to have a jersey of their favorite player. Which is why for the NBA specifically, you need to have marketable stars to reach those casual fans. All these niche issues people on RealGM care about don't even exist for most people.

[SNPA]

I had to shorten his quote to fit the title. This seems relevant as many are upset with Adam Silver here. He's trying to make the NBA marketable to more than just diehard fans.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6084318/2025/01/23/adam-silver-nba-euroleague-youth-basketball?source=user-shared-article

Paywalled article.

The quote in the OP makes no sense. Lifestyle brand…so you target people outside the life style. Ok, recruiting sure but you best not turn the actual lifestyle (ball is life) crowd against you in the process. You sell basketball, that shouldn’t be forgotten.

[LakerLegend]

He doesn't need to make it more marketable.

This isn't wrestling where the players need gimmicks.

The game and the players have always sold themselves.

[Big J]

Oof. Yeah this one's a swing and a miss to me. I was comparing it to failing video game companies, and this is another similarity, instead of slowly growing your audience by improving the baseline product, you start targeting an entirely new audience and ignore your base, assuming they will just stick with you.

Could not disagree with him more.

The problem with your logic is that the biggest base of NBA fans aren't hardcores who post on message boards. The NBA's largest consumer base is actually casual fans.

I agree with you casual basketball fans provide most league revenue. But "lifestyle" brand sound like he wants non-basketball fans to be interested in the NBA.

That's great but unless you convert them into hoops fans I doubt it can work.

Right, the problem will be when the league starts losing casuals. Hardcore fans will never leave though.

[Tim Lehrbach]

I can't read NYT articles, but if this has been faithfully quoted, this is terrible messaging. Appealing to a broader audience is something you talk about in closed strategy sessions and take actions to achieve. You don't telegraph that your hardcore fans don't mean much to you, even if, where the bottom line is concerned, they don't. Two reasons: one, you don't alienate your core constituency, and two, nobody identifies as a casual or "lifestyle" fan. Those latter you are marketing to don't want to be tagged with that label any more than the hardcore fans do. People are turned off by the idea they are being pandered to.

I'm not an NBA alarmist, and I generally agree with most of Silver's moves in recent years. But there is a growing problem with the league reputation in MSM, and he won't help it by fueling the fire.

[Big J]

I can't read NYT articles, but if this has been faithfully quoted, this is terrible messaging. Appealing to a broader audience is something you talk about in closed strategy sessions and take actions to achieve. You don't telegraph that your hardcore fans don't mean much to you, even if, where the bottom line is concerned, they don't. Two reasons: one, you don't alienate your core constituency, and two, nobody identifies as a casual or "lifestyle" fan. Those latter you are marketing to don't want to be tagged with that label any more than the hardcore fans do. People are turned off by the idea they are being pandered to.

I'm not an NBA alarmist, and I generally agree with most of Silver's moves in recent years. But there is a growing problem with the league reputation in MSM, and he won't help it by fueling the fire.

Hardcore fans are never going to leave the NBA though. They're too invested, and don't have another option to fill that void.

[Dr Aki]

Please drink verification can

[sp6r=underrated]

The problem with your logic is that the biggest base of NBA fans aren't hardcores who post on message boards. The NBA's largest consumer base is actually casual fans.

I agree with you casual basketball fans provide most league revenue. But "lifestyle" brand sound like he wants non-basketball fans to be interested in the NBA.

That's great but unless you convert them into hoops fans I doubt it can work.

Right, the problem will be when the league starts losing casuals. Hardcore fans will never leave though.

You need to create hardcore fans too as current hardcore fans will eventually die. Boxing used to be a mainstream sport. They failed to create the next generation of hardcore fans and the sport is niche. Baseball didn't create enough and while mainstream it cratered in popularity,

[Big J]

I agree with you casual basketball fans provide most league revenue. But "lifestyle" brand sound like he wants non-basketball fans to be interested in the NBA.

That's great but unless you convert them into hoops fans I doubt it can work.

Right, the problem will be when the league starts losing casuals. Hardcore fans will never leave though.

You need to create hardcore fans too as current hardcore fans will eventually die. Boxing used to be a mainstream sport. They failed to create the next generation of hardcore fans and the sport is niche. Baseball didn't create enough and while mainstream it cratered in popularity,

Baseball is actually an example of a sport that leaned too hard into hardcores and the game became less fun because they refused to modernize. Hardcore baseball fans are the ones who wanted to take a hardline on PEDs. They are the guys who get mad when players flip their bats after a homerun. Baseball catered to those guys for years and killed the game.

[Appwrangler]

Why “grow”? Why does everything have to “grow”? How about just doing some particular thing well?

The accountant–driven obsession with making one more dollar, instead of just enjoying the profits from being really good at something, has completely gutted so many businesses, including entertainment businesses