No wonder no one watches the NBA
So, I was watching some things I had recorded on my DVR, and thought I would finish thoseandonly miss a little bit of the gamne and avoid having to see all the pre-game crap which is really bad inthe NBA. So, I finish up and flip over and there's now some sort of circus on the court that may at some future time include player introductions. Jesus, it's 9:15 PM and not only has the game not started, it doesn't look like it will start for at least another ten minutes or so. How do they expect to get a new generation of fans if they all have to go to bed before the big games even start? It's not like they even have the excuse of the game being played in a later timezone, since it's in Miami. I will never ever understand why it's apparently so much more critically important for west coast viewers not to have to miss the beginning of the game, but it's ok if the east coast viewers miss the end, if not the entire second half.
And I love basketball. I hate to think what they're doing to the marginal fan.
11 comments:
I agree about all the goofy hoopla that the NBA ladels on before a game being stupid, but with regard to the larger issue of West-Coast broadcasting bias, it's not fair to pin that on basketball alone. In my experience, the NFL is by far the more egregious offender on that score, particularly since pro football games run much longer than pro basketball games. Every year it's like goddamned slap in the face that the NFL kicks off Monday Night Football between 9:15 PM and 9:20 PM, ensuring that, if I want to stay up and view their product, it means I'll be going to work in a coma the next day. By comparison, give the NBA this: Their Sunday "showcase" games on NBC are smack in the middle of the afternoon, when everyone in every time zone can comfortably view them.
Oh, I'm absolutely not pinning it on basketball alone. Baseball is exactly the same way, and Monday Night Football is bad as well. Though at least the Superbowl usually starts around 6ish, and just about all the other games including playoffs (except for a couple of late Saturday Night ones) start at reasonable times. But we don't have to worry so much about this anymore as the "big" game of the week next season will be the Sunday Night game, not the Monday Night. Though you wouldn't know it by watching ESPN Monday Night hype. And there are plenty of late night basketball games, even if their Sunday games are reasonable, including almost any playoff game that isn't on a Saturday or Sunday. I think the NBA is far worse overall. And anyway, you don't need to worry about watching much football this year, the Jets are going to suck. The Cowboys on the other hand will be Miami come February.
The Cowboys on the other hand will be Miami come February.
Really? Do they have some sort of team vacation planned there to kick off the offseason?
Everyone knows that the Cowboys are big Bears fans. I'm sure they're going to be there to root for Chicago in the Super Bowl.
Chicago? Did we go back in time 21 years? Because if we didn't, I don't think Chicago has any chance.
I listen to sports radio all the time, I watch ESPN, Fox Sports Net, I read plenty about sports,andI have never heard anyone suggest that even any significant percentage, much less "many", NBA players are former gang members. Where do you get this impression from? And how can you possibly contend that it is a widespread belief?
Sounds like a pretty clearly racist argument if you ask me, but since this is the first time I've heard of it, I really don't know what to make of it. Except that you're right, it is unfair. It's also in no way analgolous to baseball's problem with steroids, which is a real problem even if too much is made of it.
Now, I'm not going to argue that sports on the East Coast don't start too late. When I lived in the Eastern Time Zone all those games bothered me as well. Monday Night Football, BCS bowl games, NBA Finals, you name it; they all begin after 9pm. I've also never heard a great argument as to why.
However, I will take issue with your title, "No wonder no one watches basketball." That statement is absolutely untrue. Ratings are up for every single playoff game this year from as low as 10% higher, to as much as 30% higher than last year (and last year was not a bad year either). As many as 10-12 million plus people watch any particular one of these Finals games.
Plus, the early round games on TNT dominated every other cable TV program. In fact, their post games were higher rated than any other cable program. They are also crushing every single other televised sport right now in ratings.
On top of the television ratings, the NBA set their second consecutive attendance record this year. People are going, people are watching.
Finally, all the "hoopla" around the game attracts more marginal fands than it dissuades them, so its not likely to go away anytime soon.
I just mean, people don't watch it like they used to. Of course people do watch. I just think a lot more would if they didn't have to stay up into the middle of the night as soon as the games get important.
AndI'm sure you're right about the hoopla, though I can't see why anyone would have any interest in that, and even less so if they weren't as interested in the game itself.
a parody of the weak minded fouls?
Scottie Pippen was the master of weak-minded fouls.
When you say many NBA players, the majority of whom are black, are former gamg members (a ridiculously false statement in the first place), it sounds racist to me. Or were you talking about Dirk Nowitzki and Keith Van Horn?
Scottie Pippen is terrible on the halftime show on ABC. Someone needs to fire him.
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