NBA's always playing second fiddle to other sports

[Slotback]

I feel sorry for the National Basketball Association. It has this problem. It's a calendar orphan. Think about it. The NBA really never has its time in the sun, its heyday. Well except maybe for right about now, but we'll get back to that. Most every other sport enjoys at least a day or so, when all the other sports are in its shadow.

Never mind the Super Bowl or the World Series. Even the individual sports pop up here and there with a championship that makes it top dog: the Kentucky Derby, the Daytona 500, the Masters, Wimbledon. The National Hockey League does run pretty much concurrent with the NBA, but at least the NHL has Canada in its pocket, so having a whole country swoon over you surely makes up for calendar deficiency.

But the poor NBA. It's always second fiddle. The schedule starts late in October when football sucks up all the news. Come March, the NBA has to cede primacy to its own country cousin, college basketball

[HarlemHeat37]

I don't think the schedule is a huge deal..it didn't affect the popularity in the past..the NBA will always come down to the big market teams, and this year it looks like it'll be a popular year..LA and Boston are back, the Suns added Shaq..that alone should raise popularity from the last few years..

[Cevap]

agree and here are Cevap's ways of making the nba more important


1) Cut the number of regular season games to 60 or so...82 games is way too long

2) Only six teams from each conference go to the playoffs...as of now 16 teams out of 30 qualify. that's more then one half...

3) best of seven series over 12 weeks does no one good. preferably switch to best of three but realistically have it be best of five except for the finals which should stay best of seven

4) Non guaranteed contracts, a overpaid signing can pretty much cripple a franchise for years. Also get rid of maximum contracts, for example a player like Wade and LeBron deserve to get paid more then Bosh yet they get the same money.


this all will result in a shorter season, players playing hard year in year out to keep their job (and teams being able to rebuild on the fly), and top players getting paid more.

[pewing33ny]

I don't think the schedule is a huge deal..it didn't affect the popularity in the past..the NBA will always come down to the big market teams, and this year it looks like it'll be a popular year..LA and Boston are back, the Suns added Shaq..that alone should raise popularity from the last few years..

agreed.

in the 90s the knicks were HUGE around nyc. i also knew a ton of chicago bull fans and now they probably couldn't name more then 2 players on the team.

i also remember when the rangers won the cup in 94 everyone was a rangers fan. it was a huge deal.

a majority of fans in all sports are bandwagon fans. doesn't really have to do with the season. i barely heard anythign about the jets this year and the rangers have been pretty non-existent for the last 10 years. i'm sure in some regions sports are bigger than another. i'm living in boston now and the pats/redsox are huge. last year no one cared about the celitcs but now they're huge again.

[Patterns]

It's the Spurs fault really. When it is time for the NBA to shine, aka the Finals, the Spurs always record some of the lowest ratings ever. It's quite sad that the NBA's marquee games are played by one of the most boring team ever in one of the smallest NBA cities.

[HumbleBumbleBee]

welcome to toronto

[High 5]

It plays the second fiddle because the NFL and college sports are better, plain and simple. No change to the schedule will change that.

[Yankee]

NFL= 90% hardcore fans. Root and show up for their teams no matter
what. ie. Cleavland Browns

MLB= Great rivalries Yankees-Red Sox Cubs-Cardinals Phillies-mets
Dogers-Giants Braves-mets

NBA= No rivalries that gets fans really reved up like MLB, Majority of
die hard fans are in big cities.



NFl revenue 7-8 billions dollars every year
MLB revenue 7.5 Billion a year
NBA 3.5 billions/year


NFL great draw on TV MLB great draw at the gates

NBA advantage is that its pretty popular on a global scale

[ilikecb4]

well i'm a really hardcore fan...and i do find the regular season and especially the playoffs a bit long...

sometimes u gotta wait days before your team plays the next game...

Now that the Lakers and Celtics are good..and if the Knicks get better the NBA will be back...

No one cares about San Antonio, Miami, etfc.

[Serpo]

2) Only six teams from each conference go to the playoffs...as of now 16 teams out of 30 qualify. that's more then one half...

Make it 4 or leave it with 8 im not a big fan of wildcards , which you have to give to 2 teams .

NBA and NHL's biggest problem are the 82 games , so many meaningless games , also 7 game playoff series are way too long in my eyes .

[Cevap]

NFL= 90% hardcore fans. Root and show up for their teams no matter
what. ie. Cleavland Browns

MLB= Great rivalries Yankees-Red Sox Cubs-Cardinals Phillies-mets
Dogers-Giants Braves-mets

NBA= No rivalries that gets fans really reved up like MLB, Majority of
die hard fans are in big cities.



NFl revenue 7-8 billions dollars every year
MLB revenue 7.5 Billion a year
NBA 3.5 billions/year


NFL great draw on TV MLB great draw at the gates

NBA advantage is that its pretty popular on a global scale

what are you talking about? LA clippers can't sell out a game 38 out of 41 tries. Knicks are not pulling fans this year to MSG. Boston was just brutal last year.

65% of die hards of the nba are 15 year old kids who need a ride to the arena

[Ballings7]

Hopefully the NFL and NASCAR slown down

[Carnage]

NFL= 90% hardcore fans. Root and show up for their teams no matter
what. ie. Cleavland Browns

MLB= Great rivalries Yankees-Red Sox Cubs-Cardinals Phillies-mets
Dogers-Giants Braves-mets

NBA= No rivalries that gets fans really reved up like MLB, Majority of
die hard fans are in big cities.



NFl revenue 7-8 billions dollars every year
MLB revenue 7.5 Billion a year
NBA 3.5 billions/year


NFL great draw on TV MLB great draw at the gates

NBA advantage is that its pretty popular on a global scale

I think the NBA can pull figures like MLB if the media promoted NBA basketball more. By promoting the Red Sox/Yanks, the media has driven up revenue for MLB. Let's not kid ourselves, no one gives a damn about Brewers/Reds games or games between any teams outside the core (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Cardinals). MLB's deal with FOX >>>>NBA's deal with ABC.

Often I've found that people are sheep and go with the masses (in this case the media).

If I had to change anything I'd:

*Reduce the # of games to 72 in the regular season

*Move up the all-star game to the week in-between the AFC/NFC championship games and Superbowl.

*Move up the trade deadline to end of January, forcing teams to make the big deal earlier and bring some intrigue and excitement for the fans.

*Begin the season in early October, the same time the NHL starts. So what if you competing with the NHL for your entire season, your doing so 90% of the season anyways.

*Promote the teams (especially the big-market teams). For example, instead of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, promote it as Lakers vs. Cavs. Everyone with a half-brain knows that Kobe is on the Lakers and LeBron is on the Cavs, but it gives some spotlight on their teammates.

*Put more teams on Nationally Televised games. Fans get tired of seeing Cavs v. Heat, Bulls v. Pistons, Lakers v. Suns. I'm not saying that one of those big market teams (Bulls, Cavs, Heat, Lakers, Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets) shouldn't be in the game but once in a while show a Suns v. Hornets game on ABC or Mavs v. GSW or even Portland v. Den.

[ljp24]

NFL= 90% hardcore fans. Root and show up for their teams no matter
what. ie. Cleavland Browns

MLB= Great rivalries Yankees-Red Sox Cubs-Cardinals Phillies-mets
Dogers-Giants Braves-mets

NBA= No rivalries that gets fans really reved up like MLB, Majority of
die hard fans are in big cities.



NFl revenue 7-8 billions dollars every year
MLB revenue 7.5 Billion a year
NBA 3.5 billions/year


NFL great draw on TV MLB great draw at the gates

NBA advantage is that its pretty popular on a global scale

I think the NBA can pull figures like MLB if the media promoted NBA basketball more. By promoting the Red Sox/Yanks, the media has driven up revenue for MLB. Let's not kid ourselves, no one gives a damn about Brewers/Reds games or games between any teams outside the core (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Cardinals). MLB's deal with FOX >>>>NBA's deal with ABC.

Often I've found that people are sheep and go with the masses (in this case the media).

If I had to change anything I'd:

*Reduce the # of games to 72 in the regular season

*Move up the all-star game to the week in-between the AFC/NFC championship games and Superbowl.

*Move up the trade deadline to end of January, forcing teams to make the big deal earlier and bring some intrigue and excitement for the fans.

*Begin the season in early October, the same time the NHL starts. So what if you competing with the NHL for your entire season, your doing so 90% of the season anyways.

*Promote the teams (especially the big-market teams). For example, instead of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, promote it as Lakers vs. Cavs. Everyone with a half-brain knows that Kobe is on the Lakers and LeBron is on the Cavs, but it gives some spotlight on their teammates.

*Put more teams on Nationally Televised games. Fans get tired of seeing Cavs v. Heat, Bulls v. Pistons, Lakers v. Suns. I'm not saying that one of those big market teams (Bulls, Cavs, Heat, Lakers, Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets) shouldn't be in the game but once in a while show a Suns v. Hornets game on ABC or Mavs v. GSW or even Portland v. Den.

Oh my gosh!!! Derek Fisher vs Daniel Gibson!?!?!? *orgasms*

[HarlemHeat37]

market teams, not players..

[Cevap]

I think the NBA can pull figures like MLB if the media promoted NBA basketball more. By promoting the Red Sox/Yanks, the media has driven up revenue for MLB. Let's not kid ourselves, no one gives a damn about Brewers/Reds games or games between any teams outside the core (Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs and Cardinals). MLB's deal with FOX >>>>NBA's deal with ABC.

*Put more teams on Nationally Televised games. Fans get tired of seeing Cavs v. Heat, Bulls v. Pistons, Lakers v. Suns. I'm not saying that one of those big market teams (Bulls, Cavs, Heat, Lakers, Mavs, Suns, Spurs, Rockets) shouldn't be in the game but once in a while show a Suns v. Hornets game on ABC or Mavs v. GSW or even Portland v. Den.

makes no sense. You say MLB's revenue has been driven up by promoting only a handful of teams, yet you want the nba to stop doing the same thing and try to show a wider variety of teams.

[greenbeans]

Boston was just brutal last year.

all the other stuff ill give ya, but dont say Boston fans didnt show up. that team won 24 games and they got love like nobodies business. they were sellin out left and right last year.
now NY on the other hand. . .

[greenbeans]

also, my long held belief on this topic is that the NBA has to contract 2-4 teams.
this year your seeing how fun it is when theres actually some *quality* depth on the contenders. i think if you did that(contraction) there would be a LOT more interest from the national, casual fan. its a hell alot easier to root for a team where the 2nd star is Chris Paul compared to Josh Smith(sorry Atlanta, just an example).

[Sloanfeld]

I was just thinking about this like two hours ago when ESPN kept talking about Clemens. They spent a lot more time on that scandal and the Patriots scandal than the Donaghy scandal this summer. I guess that's good for the NBA but I'm really sick of stupid Clemens and Macknamee already.

I like the NFL and all, but basketball is just plain better. They only play a handful of games in the NFL, it's just all talk and speculation during the week, and there's much more action in basketball. Plus the Super Bowl is way too overblown. There wasn't much coverage the two days after the Giants won, but if the Pats won they'd be all over the 19-0 crap like they were the WHOLE ENTIRE SEASON. Remember those fantasy matchups where they said that the Patriots would beat every dynasty? LOL

Why would anyone want to shorten the season? I don't care if we take third place in this country. I hate it when baseball is the only sport going, that sport is only good in the playoffs IMO.

[greenbeans]

that sport is only good in the playoffs IMO.

unless your an actual baseball fan then yes, thats true. i LOVE baseball season. sox season gives my life meaning from april til october(fingers crossed). its gonna be weird to not really give a damn about opening day for once, im looking forward to that though.