All season long, there has been talk about the NBA’s ratings decline. From the beginning, it was suggested that the popular World Series between two big markets, the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, played a role. The decline has also been attributed to the election, which saw Donald Trump win for the second time, or even the NFL and college football – which should have the least impact since both are always present during this time of year, just like the NBA. Many also complain and believe that games have become nothing more than three-point contests, with teams averaging around 40 attempts per game, and that’s a big part of how the Boston Celtics won the championship last year. In my opinion, it’s a combination of everything, including the lack of defense that makes it seem like players are putting in less effort, even though we’re in the era with the most talent at either shooting or dribbling.
Charles Barkley Proposes Changing the Calendar
Former player Charles Barkley weighed in on this topic on the Dan Patrick Show. Dan compared the work MLB has done under Rob Manfred to increase ratings, including rule changes such as implementing a pitch clock to shorten games and enlarging bases. He suggested that the NBA may need rule changes to make the game more appealing. Barkley mentioned that changing the calendar could help avoid competing with the NFL for ratings for nearly three months on the season. Barkley also pointed out that the most important thing is the audience, which is true-after all, we’re the ones who make the product marketable, whether it’s profitable or not.
As for Dan’s idea of limiting three-point attempts to 25 per game, I don’t think that’s the answer. You’d be taking away a visually appealing aspect of the game. However, I do agree that it’s frustrating to see players miss open layups in order to kick the ball out for a three. Another important issue is load management. The league has already addressed this somewhat by requiring players to play at least 65 games to be eligible for major awards and honors, including MVP, sorry Joel Embiid. As a fan who still watches games every night, I believe that shortening the season would make players more competitive and give more value to each game.
Despite Ratings Decline, NBA Teams Soar in Value
The reality is that Adam Silver and his team of advisors face a tough challenge in improving the product, despite the abundance of talented young players currently in the league. Even Christmas Day, which used to belong to the NBA, has changed with the arrival of the NFL, which will feature two games this year. One of those games features the Chiefs, the most popular team in the league, meaning that only the last two NBA games of the day – Warriors vs. Lakers and Suns vs. Nuggets – are likely to draw good ratings. I dare say this could be the lowest rated Christmas Day in the last 15-20 years.
What’s interesting is that despite this problem, according to Forbes, the average value of NBA teams is the fastest growing over NFL, MLB and MLS. and includes three of the 10 most valuable teams in the world: the Warriors (2), Knicks (5), and Lakers (8). This makes owning an NBA team an incredible business opportunity for wealthy investors. We’ll see how this landscape plays out next season. Finally, I think the game needs to be marketed better. Far too often, the focus is on the off-court narrative rather than what happens on the court, which is ultimately the most entertaining aspect. I trust that they will come up with a better plan for next season, and that this season – which still has a lot of potential – is just a small step down.
