NBA viewership down

[Showtime 80]

The league is in decline in my opinion. At some point the game went from being an athletic competition into full fledged entertainment. Adam Silver doesn’t understand the game. He’s an Ivy League educated lawyer who looks at the NBA as a business. I get it. He’s trying to appeal to the casual fan with all of the gimmicky stuff he’s introduced (Mickey Mouse tournament, play in tournament, All Star game draft, multi colored play in tournament courts, teams having dozens of home and away jerseys, redesigning all of the season award trophies, conference finals MVP trophies etc). The game is hard to watch for real fans: Teams spamming 50-60 3’s a game, no defense being played, players scoring 70+ frequently, load managing, not playing back to backs, marquee players acting like idiots (Ant, Ja etc), obnoxious carrying, traveling and other rule violations that slide in favor of more points and highlights. It’s turning into the WWF. Watch the NCAA or FIBA to see real basketball.

Beautiful post!

The thing is the NBA was gonna trend to this pathetic form sooner or later thanks to the AAU, high schooler and one and done generation starting to take hold in the mid 90’s with basic fundamentals and basketball IQ taking a back seat to athleticism and showing off your “skilzzzzzzz”

The NBA higher ups had no choice but to change a bunch of rules to make the game as easy as can be for the modern offensively limited players and soft Euros coming over who just want to dunk or chuck a 25 3 pointer. The attention span of these modern numbskulls would never allow them to learn the game at an organic level and master all areas like defensive positioning, posting up, moving without the ball, mid range shooting, playing through contact without flopping, boxing out on defensive and offensive rebounds etc… That’s not as fun as dribbling the air out of the ball for 20+ seconds just to heave a 25 foot brick at the horn while the other 4 guys are standing outside the 3 pint line without even attempting to grab an offensive board lol: Those are the modern offenses for you folks.

What modern youngins don’t understand is that before the NBA went Charmin soft all the great rivalries were created through physicality and actions in the paint not teams shooting 100+ 3’s a game!!! That’s why rivalries are extinct and the NBA has become a sanitized shooting exhibition of layups and 3 pointers with the rest of the court in between virtually ignored by 99% of the teams

[EH15]

The league is in decline in my opinion. At some point the game went from being an athletic competition into full fledged entertainment. Adam Silver doesn’t understand the game. He’s an Ivy League educated lawyer who looks at the NBA as a business. I get it. He’s trying to appeal to the casual fan with all of the gimmicky stuff he’s introduced (Mickey Mouse tournament, play in tournament, All Star game draft, multi colored play in tournament courts, teams having dozens of home and away jerseys, redesigning all of the season award trophies, conference finals MVP trophies etc). The game is hard to watch for real fans: Teams spamming 50-60 3’s a game, no defense being played, players scoring 70+ frequently, load managing, not playing back to backs, marquee players acting like idiots (Ant, Ja etc), obnoxious carrying, traveling and other rule violations that slide in favor of more points and highlights. It’s turning into the WWF. Watch the NCAA or FIBA to see real basketball.

I mostly agree with you but what's the point of the bolded? I don't think Ant/Ja comport themselves any worse than some NFL stars or soccer stars.

[Rainwater]

Every freaking year a thread like this is created and every freaking year it’s wrong. Even after the NBA just signed a record media deal you would think people would see that the NBA is in a good place and people are watching.

[Showtime 80]

Every freaking year a thread like this is created and every freaking year it’s wrong. Even after the NBA just signed a record media deal you would think people would see that the NBA is in a good place and people are watching.

Sports teams have become vanity projects for the uber rich which combined with social media, China and gambling have increased their value thanks to the many new avenues that have been created to increase visibility and profits. Quality of product has nothing to do with it as the highest ratings the NBA has ever had and will have came from 1988 to 1998 (gee I wonder why).

Modern “stars” and teams are not nearly as engaging as those of the past which is also a major factor aside from the snooze fest Chuck and Duck fest style of play to why people prefer to watch 1 minute highlight rather than closely following the league

MLB and NHL team valuations and TV contracts have also gone through the roof as well and they have NOWHERE near the numbers of people watching it when compared to the 80’s and 90’s.

[NBA4Lyfe]

The league is in decline in my opinion. At some point the game went from being an athletic competition into full fledged entertainment. Adam Silver doesn’t understand the game. He’s an Ivy League educated lawyer who looks at the NBA as a business. I get it. He’s trying to appeal to the casual fan with all of the gimmicky stuff he’s introduced (Mickey Mouse tournament, play in tournament, All Star game draft, multi colored play in tournament courts, teams having dozens of home and away jerseys, redesigning all of the season award trophies, conference finals MVP trophies etc). The game is hard to watch for real fans: Teams spamming 50-60 3’s a game, no defense being played, players scoring 70+ frequently, load managing, not playing back to backs, marquee players acting like idiots (Ant, Ja etc), obnoxious carrying, traveling and other rule violations that slide in favor of more points and highlights. It’s turning into the WWF. Watch the NCAA or FIBA to see real basketball.

I mostly agree with you but what's the point of the bolded? I don't think Ant/Ja comport themselves any worse than some NFL stars or soccer stars.

The nba is pushing Ant Edward’s to be the new face of USA basketball which in my opinion would be a TERRIBLE mistake. He is too immature and if you follow the urban blogs on social media he is very similar to disgraced nfl star wr Antonio brown. The ordering McDonald’s at a postgame presser and the stupid remarks on the past legends of the sport. The multiple baby mothers he has created. The anti-lgbt comment at the beginning of last season

I might not like Jason Tatum and Jaylen brown but they are a pros pro. It’s sad how the media wants them to turn on each other so bad for drama

Ant Edwards is nowhere near as professional as Kobe or mj. And ja/jalen green are immature as well. The league sucks

[jokeboy86]

I usually dont start paying attention unless my team is really struggling or really hot early until mid December. Same goes for casual viewing other teams and stars. Early October is too damn early for the league to start with how crowded the sports calendar is.

Even with the early season tournament buzz and casual attention, you would hope the NBA one of these years realize it makes too much sense to start the season in December instead of October. And obviously they wont shorten the season but I'm not understanding this hesitancy they have to go later in to the summer if they start later. I genuinely dont think that the numbers, ratings and fan interest would fall off that much if they ended the season by early August(at the latest). Right now its foolish to try and compete with the NFL which (actually appears to still be getting bigger)and college football (also only getting bigger as well), in the fall at this point.

[Mephariel]

The league is in decline in my opinion. At some point the game went from being an athletic competition into full fledged entertainment. Adam Silver doesn’t understand the game. He’s an Ivy League educated lawyer who looks at the NBA as a business. I get it. He’s trying to appeal to the casual fan with all of the gimmicky stuff he’s introduced (Mickey Mouse tournament, play in tournament, All Star game draft, multi colored play in tournament courts, teams having dozens of home and away jerseys, redesigning all of the season award trophies, conference finals MVP trophies etc). The game is hard to watch for real fans: Teams spamming 50-60 3’s a game, no defense being played, players scoring 70+ frequently, load managing, not playing back to backs, marquee players acting like idiots (Ant, Ja etc), obnoxious carrying, traveling and other rule violations that slide in favor of more points and highlights. It’s turning into the WWF. Watch the NCAA or FIBA to see real basketball.

I mostly agree with you but what's the point of the bolded? I don't think Ant/Ja comport themselves any worse than some NFL stars or soccer stars.

The nba is pushing Ant Edward’s to be the new face of USA basketball which in my opinion would be a TERRIBLE mistake. He is too immature and if you follow the urban blogs on social media he is very similar to disgraced nfl star wr Antonio brown. The ordering McDonald’s at a postgame presser and the stupid remarks on the past legends of the sport. The multiple baby mothers he has created. The anti-lgbt comment at the beginning of last season

I might not like Jason Tatum and Jaylen brown but they are a pros pro. It’s sad how the media wants them to turn on each other so bad for drama

Ant Edwards is nowhere near as professional as Kobe or mj. And ja/jalen green are immature as well. The league sucks

Wait Kobe? Are you sure? The guy that was accused of rape and admitted to cheating?

[Mephariel]

Every freaking year a thread like this is created and every freaking year it’s wrong. Even after the NBA just signed a record media deal you would think people would see that the NBA is in a good place and people are watching.

You can even argue that the league has never been better. They just signed a record media deal and the attendance is at an all time high.

[Tony15]

Product just hasn't been as appealing to me top to bottom....from the play on the court to even the way the league is covered.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

[adubmac]

The NBA, its players hand its media partners have continually told us nothing matters except the playoffs so why would anyone care about the regular season?

[Tempe]

No need to watch games live. You can catch any of the relevant action on YouTube or IG highlights the next day. At this point little to no reason to watch highlights either. As other posters mentioned, it’s a 3 point spamming contest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rainwater]

Every freaking year a thread like this is created and every freaking year it’s wrong. Even after the NBA just signed a record media deal you would think people would see that the NBA is in a good place and people are watching.

Sports teams have become vanity projects for the uber rich which combined with social media, China and gambling have increased their value thanks to the many new avenues that have been created to increase visibility and profits. Quality of product has nothing to do with it as the highest ratings the NBA has ever had and will have came from 1988 to 1998 (gee I wonder why).

Modern “stars” and teams are not nearly as engaging as those of the past which is also a major factor aside from the snooze fest Chuck and Duck fest style of play to why people prefer to watch 1 minute highlight rather than closely following the league

MLB and NHL team valuations and TV contracts have also gone through the roof as well and they have NOWHERE near the numbers of people watching it when compared to the 80’s and 90’s.

What is considered quality is subjective. And to compare ratings from the 80s,90s (basically the stone ages at this point) to today without considering how media is consumed is dumb and is a topic that has been beaten to death. We literally have the same conversation every year.

[Johnny Bball]

Maybe they should listen to their fans for the last 5 years.

[ogmagicfan]

Speaking for the younger generation, most of us illegally stream basketball games

Considering the NBA has the youngest fanbase out of any major sports league, more fans illegally stream than any other league does

In the end, the advertisers paying for ads are still having their ads be watched, but they cant quantify it as accurately, but trust that their analytic departments they are making projections taking this into account, and is part of the reason the NBA broadcasting deal grew as much as it did

If the NBA made NBA League Pass more consistent with quality and didnt have local blackouts they could solve alot of this

[Johnny Bball]

Speaking for the younger generation, most of us illegally stream basketball games

Considering the NBA has the youngest fanbase out of any major sports league, more fans illegally stream than any other league does

In the end, the advertisers paying for ads are still having their ads be watched, but they cant quantify it as accurately, but trust that their analytic departments they are making projections taking this into account, and is part of the reason the NBA broadcasting deal grew as much as it did

If the NBA made NBA League Pass more consistent with quality and didnt have local blackouts they could solve alot of this

Illegal streaming vs old school illegal cable box probably makes little difference in what was stolen, except maybe directly from whom.

[ogmagicfan]

Speaking for the younger generation, most of us illegally stream basketball games

Considering the NBA has the youngest fanbase out of any major sports league, more fans illegally stream than any other league does

In the end, the advertisers paying for ads are still having their ads be watched, but they cant quantify it as accurately, but trust that their analytic departments they are making projections taking this into account, and is part of the reason the NBA broadcasting deal grew as much as it did

If the NBA made NBA League Pass more consistent with quality and didnt have local blackouts they could solve alot of this

Illegal streaming vs old school illegal cable box probably makes little difference in what was stolen, except maybe directly from whom.

I'm not sure how popular that was back in the day, but legitimately all of my friends I play basketball with watch games illegally

[NBA4Lyfe]

- The Celtics are putting up over 50 3pt attempts per game, and certainly other teams will be following suit.
- One of the most electrifying players in the league, Anthony Edwards, has doubled his 3pt attempts this season

--> More threes = booriiingg. No wonder the viewership is down.

Cannot wait for all this love for analytics lead to a game where both teams only shoot threes, making it the ultimate three-point competition and the absolute low for the league. It can really happen!

the moreyball/harden teams invented that style

[HangTime]

No need to watch games live. You can catch any of the relevant action on YouTube or IG highlights the next day. At this point little to no reason to watch highlights either. As other posters mentioned, it’s a 3 point spamming contest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How about a radical(ish) change. Your team cannot attempt a 3 point shot, on back to back attempts.

IF you make a shot from behind the 3 point, on a consecutive attempt, it's only worth 2.

[Crazy-Canuck]

Lack of competitiveness and the game is more geared towards casual entertainment until the playoffs.

No rivalry, gameplay is basically spamming 3s and baiting fts, and load management. You cant market stars and then be surprised when fans aren't watching because they are unsure whether the stars will play.

[doogie_hauser]

Has anyone else noticed the vast majority of whiners complaining about the current state of the NBA are supporters of crap/bottom feeding teams or those plastic/unauthenticate fans bemoaning the end of the cheque book Super Star Teams being constructed via cheque book (aka Miami and Lakers of previous generations)