2022 NBA Finals on ABC is 5th least-watched series since 1988

[NYC Rebel]

I think it's too far gone at this point for them to do anything about it as the hot take culture has become too much of a cash cow to turn back now. The NBA should have nipped it in the bud long ago. It would need to be a situation of where we reach peak hot take culture, which doesn't seem to have an end in sight.

Ive been saying this on this board for over a decade. Folks are just now catching on at how culturally, the NBA and how its discussed by media is dysfunctional

 

[GOAT]

@GOAT

You post about the C’s so much, you’re even tagging me in threads I haven’t even seen yet

 

[malbaker86]

2 days in between EVERY game is ridiculous

 

[broller]

Eastern Standard Time is the WOAT timezone for being a sports fan, you can't convince me otherwise. I was on EST in college and a west coast national TV game would be coming on at 9:30p on a weekday. I'd be falling asleep before half time. PAC-12 football games would kickoff at 10:30p.

In western timezones you can watch games and still have a little time to do something afterwards or just go to bed at a reasonable time.

The only downside for some folks is missing football due to Church during those 1030am football starts. As well as the rare London NFL games starting at 630am

I agree about being able to do stuff after the primetime games. Went to a MNF on the west coast once and being able to go hang out after the game at a reasonable hour was dope, considering it was a school/work night.

 

[DrexlersFade]

Trash ass nikkas with no skills

 

[broller]

Those ideas still won't change the fundamental problem that's present with the NBA as long as load management is still an issue. You'd have more networks griping and complaining and rightfully so that they are paying a premium for games that star players aren't playing. The good thing about that idea though as it'd put more pressure on networks like ESPN and TNT to up their quality and standards in taking the sport more serious instead of using it strictly for hot take content.

What if they made it so that players can't simply miss one game for load management.

If you're absent, you have to go on an inactive list and miss at least 4 games, for example.

 

[Satsui no Hadou]

I just wanted d white to get a chip man

 

[tremonthustler1]

What if they made it so that players can't simply miss one game for load management.

If you're absent, you have to go on an inactive list and miss at least 4 games, for example.

So what happens when you've clinched your spot down the stretched and you ain't tryna get your main guys hurt on the last couple of games?

Load management wouldn't be half as big of an issue as it is if people would be honest with themselves. Fans, networks who go out of their way to schedule a team 60 times in any given season and might flex them in later, the fan of a home team who's mad that a star isn't available to beat the shyt outta the team they root for. What we all want is for injuries to be turned off and the optic that the team is out there giving it their all that night. Sometimes the latter isn't worth it when I'm being judged by one thing: whether I win a ring or not.

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

So what happens when you've clinched your spot down the stretched and you ain't tryna get your main guys hurt on the last couple of games?

Load management wouldn't be half as big of an issue as it is if people would be honest with themselves. Fans, networks who go out of their way to schedule a team 60 times in any given season and might flex them in later, the fan of a home team who's mad that a star isn't available to beat the shyt outta the team they root for. What we all want is for injuries to be turned off and the optic that the team is out there giving it their all that night. Sometimes the latter isn't worth it when I'm being judged by one thing: whether I win a ring or not.

Truth.

 

[Thavoiceofthevoiceless]

So what happens when you've clinched your spot down the stretched and you ain't tryna get your main guys hurt on the last couple of games?

Load management wouldn't be half as big of an issue as it is if people would be honest with themselves. Fans, networks who go out of their way to schedule a team 60 times in any given season and might flex them in later, the fan of a home team who's mad that a star isn't available to beat the shyt outta the team they root for. What we all want is for injuries to be turned off and the optic that the team is out there giving it their all that night. Sometimes the latter isn't worth it when I'm being judged by one thing: whether I win a ring or not.

Let me ask you this question.... wouldn't sports gambling make the load management issues even more glaring as teams would essentially be swaying with the betting lines in advance knowing the days players will and won't play? Or is it one of the reasons why Silver is doing the midseason tournament as even he knows that it's going become even worse once the gambling money really kicks in?

 

[dora_da_destroyer]

What do u mean casual fanbase? I don’t really understand the term outside the internet insult lol

The way people feel pressured to watch football for shyt like fantasy or wanting to be out and about at a bar on a sunday or super bowl, NBA doesn’t have that same appeal to casuals, you either really like the NBA as a whole (very small group) are a big fan of a team/player (larger group) or you kinda don’t care (a lot of people)

 

[JesusFOREVER]

Neither team deserved to be there, script writers should have called the audible and went with Grizzlies-Heat or Grizzlies-Bucks

 

[JesusFOREVER]

Id also like to add in that people are tired of Golden State and it felt inevitable they were gonna be champs after Game 4, Tatum and Brown are boring to watch

 

[FakeNews]

ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro talks plans for NBA​

On whether Pitaro sees any scenario where ESPN would not have a portion of the NBA’s next media rights contract given ESPN’s long history in the sport

Pitaro: I sure hope not. It’s an incredibly important property for us. We also see that property as ascending — younger demographics. Right now I think they have more parity than we’ve seen in a long time. We see young stars who are starting to catch on in the zeitgeist. We are incredibly excited about the NBA. We also like what we’ve done. We’re very happy with our team both in front of and behind the camera. I’m talking games. I’m talking about our studio programming.

That being said, do we need to continue to innovate? (NBA commissioner) Adam (Silver) and I have talked about this. Yes. Are these alternative broadcasts that we’ve done solid? They absolutely are. Do we need to be doing more of them? Do we need to be thinking about more innovation around the primary broadcasts? We do. We can’t just sit idle here and be complacent. I know that there’s some discussion around the (ratings) comps to 2019, but we’re very pleased with our numbers for the NBA Finals, especially when you compare them to the past few years. Our sales team has been very happy with our ratings performance. We have a great relationship with the league, and I really want it to continue. Now, we have some time here. We still have three seasons left. So there’s no urgency. But we absolutely would like to extend our partnership with the NBA.


1a. With permission from Sports Business Daily managing editor/digital Austin Karp, the below chart is the NBA Finals viewership trend since 2013. Said Karp: “While Warriors-Celtics was well below the average for many of those matchups before the pandemic, the NBA Finals averaged its highest share of the U.S. TV audience in five years. What does that mean? The overall TV-watching audience continues to decline — whether its news, sports or entertainment programming. But among the remaining U.S. audience, sports is getting a bigger piece of the pie.”

 

[paidNfull]

No lie, people tired of Warriors