The NBA has more parity than the NFL. Why aren't ppl watching?

[Hey_zeus]

Dynasties never hurt NFL popularity. The Chiefs are going through a Dynasty as we speak. Cowboys, 49niners, Steelers, Patriots, none of those runs hurt the sport.

Right. The NFL never needed them. It's icing on the cake. Pro basketball on the other hand needed a star and his dynastic team every decade to latch on to for growth. Except the 70s where even then they had Dr J (to build a bridge of near misses) until Bird and Magic came thru to solidify the league's presentation.

 

[Mowgli]

Are you calling your fangirl posse?

Relax. Just here to correct you. Noticed you didtt know wtf you were saying in that post. You definately meant x box and make sure you dont make that mistake again going forward brother.

 

[SchoolboyC]

You see it! The hardcore fans live in an echo chamber of other hardcore fans. I'm one of the few hardcore fans who always called it like it was. The hardcore fans sustain the product through the down years. The casuals take the product through the stratosphere. I've always always hated how the hardocre fans would say "parity is good for business". Numerically, that just doesn't make sense. Every region in the US is gonna have a contingent of fans who are fans of the overlord blue bloods. Merely due to transplants, and older cities with older and more established fanbases, moving to other regions of the US where the small market teams have lost fan interest over decades time. Or the regions where you have "newer" post expansion teams, will have ppl who were born and raised in that region, be fans of the blue bloods from other regions: IE The South having HELLA Cowboys fans, despite the Panthers, Jags, Bucs, Falcons, etc being around since being around for decades. In what universe is the Panthers or Jags winning the superbowl, better than the Cowboys winnin the superbowl?

Hardcore fans get mad at the media wishing for NY vs Boston ECF, but the media has a pulse on what the casuals (money bringers) want from their sports. The hardcore fans are stuck in an echo chamber, where they think ppl would've given a shyt about a potential Cle vs Indy ECF.

It’s the reality in any sport, most people want to see who they think are the main eventers. Sometimes it’s the best teams and sometimes it’s not.

People love the thrill of upsets and Cinderella runs in the moment, but when they come down from that high

 

[Red Money]

Dynasties never hurt NFL popularity. The Chiefs are going through a Dynasty as we speak. Cowboys, 49niners, Steelers, Patriots, none of those runs hurt the sport.

Hate watching. And rivalries from close play where you feel like the refs made bad calls.

As a Ravens fan. Titans rivalry....then Steelers rivalry, then Payton Manning (colts or broncos), Pats rivalry & Steelers rivalry at same time was good times. I loved When the Ravens would go into foxborough or to Heinz field and bust heads when those teams were at the top. Ray Lewis & Ed Reed embraced going on the road to hush home crowds....good times.

 

[Biscayne]

Don't believe NBA fans, they never gave a flying fukk about parity.

BUT, ratings been trash since the pandezzy.

The truth is in this chart.

 

[WaveMolecules]

Marketing. The GREEN BAY PACKERS who play in a city of 100,000 people have more national clot and presence than most NBA teams. Presentation is everything. The NFL is great at urgency and making things seem important. Cowboys haven’t won anything in 30 years but they’re still Americas team. The Florida Marlins have more championships in the last 30 years than the Cowboys and absolutely NO one cares about the Marlins.

Also football is appointment viewing. Sunday afternoon and Monday night AND it’s on the channels everyone has. Free OTA channels (except ESPN for MNF). Most people don’t work Sunday so they’ll catch a game even if it’s not their home team. Fox or CBS if you wanna watch games, period. Not fox sports 6 or BALLYS 6 for nba or baseball coverage.

 

[JesusFOREVER]

NFL viewership didnt drop with the end of the Patrioita dynasty. :mjloll:

I wonder why

 

[Flex Grossman]

 

[SpikeLee Cumbersmith]

The reality is that in any sport, hardcore fans care more about parity than casual fans do. Casual fans just want to watch the most popular players/teams

Case in point, look at March Madness. People lvs Florida Atlantic? Or do you need to wipe your hands before typing? ove the idea that any team can win on any given night, they love the thrill of the upset. But when it came down to it, last year how many people really wanted to watch San Diego State & Florida Atlantic play in the Final Four compared to say Duke vs. Kentucky?

Do you have the TV ratings for the SD State

This is the real answer.

If the NBA season was only 16–17 games with the playoffs being win-or-go home games, the ratings would increase exponentially.

Most people don't have time to keep up with 82 (or more) games; it's also why the MLB with their 162-game season faded from the spotlight decades ago. "Ain't nobody got time for that".

The best recent NBA season was the strike shortened one in my opinion.

 

[SpikeLee Cumbersmith]

Relax. Just here to correct you. Noticed you didtt know wtf you were saying in that post. You definately meant x box and make sure you dont make that mistake again going forward brother.

Oops! Thanks for the assist.

 

[tremonthustler1]

You see it! The hardcore fans live in an echo chamber of other hardcore fans. I'm one of the few hardcore fans who always called it like it was. The hardcore fans sustain the product through the down years. The casuals take the product through the stratosphere. I've always always hated how the hardocre fans would say "parity is good for business". Numerically, that just doesn't make sense. Every region in the US is gonna have a contingent of fans who are fans of the overlord blue bloods. Merely due to transplants, and older cities with older and more established fanbases, moving to other regions of the US where the small market teams have lost fan interest over decades time. Or the regions where you have "newer" post expansion teams, will have ppl who were born and raised in that region, be fans of the blue bloods from other regions: IE The South having HELLA Cowboys fans, despite the Panthers, Jags, Bucs, Falcons, etc being around since being around for decades. In what universe is the Panthers or Jags winning the superbowl, better than the Cowboys winnin the superbowl?

Hardcore fans get mad at the media wishing for NY vs Boston ECF, but the media has a pulse on what the casuals (money bringers) want from their sports. The hardcore fans are stuck in an echo chamber, where they think ppl would've given a shyt about a potential Cle vs Indy ECF.

If the Panthers being successful is bad for business, why have them around? Fans wanna win and if the possibility of it isn't there, you're gonna tune out.

 

[pete clemenza]

I see some of y'all still in here lying by claiming NFL is popular because only white folks.

The NFL has never devalued it's regular season nor allowed any of it's stars to do so. It's never allowed it's broadcast partners to openly shyt on it. It's older stars never have beef with the current crop or vice versa. The stars don't sign ridiculous contracts then demand trades. The teams don't tank even when the owners are cheap and shytty.

Here's more reasons why. The NBA had Larry vs Bird then MJ and fukking squandered it by trying to manufacture another MJ. Every new player was the "next MJ" and got ruined trying to live up to it. Then when the next MJ actually showed up in Kobe y'all hated him because he was a Laker. Outside of that Stern kept digging in his heels trying to fight NFL popularity directly and let First Take/ESPN ruin any and all NBA discourse by focusing everything on the big markets.....First Take tried with the NFL and the whole network got taught a lesson.....and that's why even now NBA fans were fine with the Knick love fest on the ESPN broadcast and some are shytting on the idea of any Pacers fans being mad about it. On the flip side if the Lions made the Super Bowl last season most football fans would've been happy about it.

The core of NBA fandom is rotten because the fandom loves arguing and highlight packages and being stans more than the actual sport itself. Y'all are miserable. The NFL is just more fun. I swear this thread comes up once a year and NBA fans pretend like they have no idea why less and less people watch. The current and reigning finals MVP doesn't even like basketball that much.

There's non stop complaints during the NFL season as well from the insane penalties, the way games end, the changing of the rules on the fly, awful QB's, teams not kicking field goals to actually win the game, etc. Aaron Rodgers gets hurt in week one and the Jets were still all over national TV for the rest of the season. We couldn't even see CJ Stroud until the end of the year. I'm a NFL fan, but there's complaints and frustration all season long. NFL fans are just as miserable imo, It's just that the league I such a monster and juggernaut that eveything gets swept under the table and given a pass.

 

[StatUS]

T'Wolves-Nuggets Game 7 hits TNT high

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves played in front of their biggest crowd yet, boosting TNT to its top first or second round NBA playoff audience on record.

Sunday’s Timberwolves-Nuggets second round NBA playoff Game 7 averaged a combined 4.1 rating and 8.41 million viewers across TNT (3.7, 7.51M) and truTV (0.41, 905K), marking the largest early round NBA playoff audience ever on TNT Sports (formerly Turner Sports). The previous high was 8.38 million for Magic-Celtics Game 7 in 2009. Keep in mind out-of-home viewing was not tracked in Nielsen estimates until 2020, meaning that 2009 game almost certainly averaged more viewers all things being equal.

Minnesota’s comeback win, which peaked with 11.3 million viewers from 10:15-10:30 PM ET, delivered the fourth-largest early round audience since 2012 — behind three games last year: Warriors-Kings Game 7 on ABC in the first round (9.84M), Warriors-Lakers Game 6 on ESPN in the second round (8.64M) and Sixers-Celtics Game 7 on ABC in the second round (8.44M).

As goes without saying, it delivered the largest audience of the NBA season. Locally, the game averaged a 15.8 rating in Denver and a 15.0 in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Compared to the previous second round Game 7 on TNT — the Mavericks’ 2022 drubbing of the Suns — ratings increased 29% (from 3.2) and viewership 34% (from 6.29M). Going back further, Timberwolves-Nuggets ranks tenth among early round Game 7s in the past 30 years, a list topped by Pacers-Knicks in 1995 (12.89M).

Speaking of Pacers-Knicks, this year’s Game 7 averaged a 3.4 and 6.45 million on ABC — down 11% in ratings and 24% in viewership from Sixers-Celtics in the same window last year (3.9, 8.44M) and the least-watched second round Game 7 on broadcast television since Blazers-Nuggets in 2019 (6.35M). The game aired directly opposite the PGA Championship, tougher competition than is typical in that window.

After opening with a pair of increases, the subsequent five games of Pacers-Knicks declined from last year’s equivalent windows.

Rounding out a busy NBA playoff weekend, Thunder-Mavericks Game 6 averaged a 2.9 and 5.60 million on ABC Saturday night. There was no comparable window last year as the NBA does not typically schedule Saturday games on the final weekend of the second round.

Through the second round, NBA playoff games were averaging a 2.0 rating and 3.77 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, TNT/truTV and NBA TV — down 10% in ratings and 11% in viewership from the same point last year (2.3, 4.25M), but the second-most watched postseason through two rounds in the past decade. Compared to two years ago, ratings are down a tick but viewership is up 2% from 3.71 million.

 

[Based Lord Zedd]

My guess: Parity is better for regular season game ratings. Giving all fans a reason to watch each game. Even better NFL has 17 games.

Post season is still about matchups and star power.

 

[Voice of Reason]

They need more cac stars



If Jokic and the guy from Dallas was American cac the viewership would be up at least 30 percent.