The 2007 NBA Finals garnered the lowest television ratings of any NBA Finals in the post Larry Bird/Magic Johnson/Michael Jordan era. Many theories abound as to why.
As we've alluded to many times, the public just doesn't care about the San Antonio Spurs. They're a small market team in the middle of the country (and in a very non basketball oriented region - Texas) full of foreign born players and lacking a marketable, charismatic star player. Tim Duncan is one of the all time great big men in the history of the NBA, but he just doesn't have the requisite "sizzle" to make him compelling to casual sports fans (or, apparently, even to the average basketball fan). Duncan appeals to basketball purists (who constitute a tiny minority of the NBA fan base, let alone the general sports viewing public), yet lacks the "it" factor that has allowed NBA stars like the aforementioned trinity of Magic/Bird/Jordan, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal and pre rape trial Kobe Bryant to transcend sports, and become international super celebrities. Those players drew wide spread interest to the NBA. Duncan and the Spurs can't do that.
What's more, having championship caliber teams in big cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago was also, in part, responsible for delivering large television audiences to the league. The city of San Antonio can't accomplish that. And, despite the marketability and celebrity potential of LeBron James, having the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Spurs' opponent didn't do anything to help draw casual fans to the series. Cleveland, also in the middle of the country, is an even smaller market than San Antonio, and is also in a football crazed and non traditionally basketball oriented region (not to mention the fact that, in the public consciousness, Cleveland is associated with negative things - from rivers catching on fire, to its legacy of sports futility, to its general rust belt economic depression and dwindling population). To the most casual of sports fans, Cleveland teams aren't exactly sexy.
Whatever the reason (and there certainly may be reasons other than those mentioned in this early morning stream of consciousness posting), the NBA's popularity is at its lowest point in recent history.
Monday, June 18, 2007
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3 comments:
Why are you so naive? Clearly, the reason for the NBA's ratings problems lies at the root of the cause of all of the problems in Amerikka: namely RACISM. If there was a blue eyed white devil in the NBA finals like Larry Bird or Dirk Nowitski, ratings would be as high as Lindsay Lohan on a typical Saturday night, and we wouldn't be having this discussion.
Fight the Power!!
"Early morning strream of consciousness posting" can be a dangerous thing. But that's an accurate description of this blog entry. It's also the only accurate thing in the blog entry.
The league is the best its ever been. Youre' out your freakin mind. You need to stop hatin.' The league was the worst in its history when Jordan and the Bulls won all those championships. I mean, who did they have to get past? Nobody.
The league is a thousand times better today then it was back then. And dont even start about the 80's being some kind of golden era. Bird and McKale's Celtics teams wouldn't be athletic enough to get out of the first round of the playoffs in todays NBA.
There are more star players and more good teams than the association has ever had. The NBA is at its all time best.
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