Jalen Green dunking on Cade Cunningham. Photo courtesy of Chron.
MARIA CLARA KOLLER | STAFF REPORTER | mkollerfernandez@butler.edu
Overtime, or “OT,” is an opinion column series where the Collegian takes national sports headlines or polarizing topics and gives them a Butler-centric angle.
NBA viewership has experienced a significant decline, with ratings being down by 25% since this time last year.
However, the NBA currently has no shortage of star power, with the likes of Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum, Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic. So why is the NBA experiencing a drastic decline in viewership?
Sensitive refereeing
Tatum clapping his hands in frustration after a foul. Antetokounmpo looking at Pistons center Isaiah Stewart after a dunk. Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook staring down Grizzlies power forward Santi Aldama.
All of these are actions that commonly occur during the heat of a game; however, all of these players earned technical fouls for their respective actions.
One of the main complaints against the NBA is that referees are far too sensitive and do not allow players to demonstrate simple emotions. Not permitting someone to look at another player sends a clear message that the NBA only wants players to play without showing any sort of reaction.
Kaleb Leiken, a first-year sports media major and lifelong Cleveland Cavaliers fan, commented on how, although referees can be sensitive, part of the blame also lies on the players.
“The NBA viewership decrease is because the modern fan believes the NBA lacks defensive intensity,” Leiken said. “Big-name athletes complain way too much.”
Although the NBA is attempting to remove theatrics and drama, not letting players celebrate and rub salt in the wounds of their rivals makes fans believe that the NBA is no longer what it used to be. Fierce team rivalries like the one between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1960s and 1980s, or even personal rivalries like Michael Jordan vs. Isiah Thomas in the early 1990’s are scarce in today’s league.
The fact of the matter is that drama sells; the lack of drama due to refereeing leads to a shortage of overarching rivalries or storylines. The players or teams that stumble upon that friction — which tends to ignite bitter, yet enjoyable, rivalries — are quickly shut down by the NBA.
Take Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham and Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green, for example. Both players share an old-school-type rivalry that has become rare to see in today’s sensitive environment. Cunningham and Green have been competing against each other since high school, and were the top two picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, with Cunningham being selected over Green.
However, during Houston’s Nov. 10 victory over Detroit, Green dunked on Cunningham and emphatically celebrated before him. Just seconds later, the referees blew the whistle, quickly extinguishing any drama that could unfold between the two.
First-year sports media major Isabella DiVernieri says the NBA’s declining viewership can also be attributed to the fact that the NBA finds itself stuck between the past and the future.
“Eras are ending,” DiVernieri said. “LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are all old and about to retire — Jared McCain was the start of [a new era] but just got hurt.”
The NBA lacks any era-defining storyline as the league sits at a crossroads of aging superstars that set a new standard for longevity and development, leaving the younger generation with near-impossible standards to reach.
Media rights
The NBA’s media rights mess poses another serious issue: the NBA League Pass. The pass will allow fans to watch most games — except those of their local team, which are only available on cable. This is known as regional blackouts.
These restrictions prevent certain sports events — in this case, NBA games — from being aired in certain zip codes, with the intent of promoting in-game attendance as well as protecting local broadcasters.
Daniel Miller, a senior sports media major and Pacers intern, spoke about the difficulties this can cause for fans.
“It is unfortunate, the way that the NBA is laid out,” Miller said. “If I am a fan of a team such as the Timberwolves and I live here in Indiana, I can’t really watch the Timberwolves unless they are on national TV which is very rare.”
This means that as an NBA fan, you would have to purchase the NBA League Pass — $49.99 per season — as well as cable in order to watch all the games.
Only purchasing the League Pass would mean you would not be able to watch your local team, while only purchasing cable would mean missing out on the rest of the action, a lose-lose situation for all fans.
“I watch the NBA in person, but on TV no,” DiVernieri said. “At times TV feels like it’s too much, too hard to watch.”
DiVernieri’s comments showcase one of the NBA’s largest problems: The league is still exciting in some aspects, however, they do not know how to effectively transmit that excitement to their audience.
Players
Finally, one key criticism of the NBA comes against the players. Players in the NBA are held to a different standard than those in college.
In college, the stakes are very high; you typically have to be the best player on a successful team to just get a chance at getting into the league. Having a shorter season in comparison to the NBA, losing really is not an option for a team looking to win the national championship and for a player looking to get drafted.
Another differentiating factor that also starves the league from compelling content is the current playoff format. Eight teams from each conference make the playoffs, and there are few consequences for not qualifying.
Furthermore, the new play-in format gives even more teams the opportunity to play in the postseason. The seventh place of each conference faces off against the eighth-placed team — game A — while the ninth and tenth-place teams face off respectively — game B.
The loser of game A faces off against the winner of game B, while the winner of game A becomes the seventh seed. The loser of game B is eliminated.
A league where more than half of the teams have the chance to qualify for the playoffs pushes for a league filled with mediocrity, making regular season games virtually meaningless.
“The NBA regular season needs to be shortened,” Leiken said. “Modern day we see many top players [resting] or sitting out. Give the players real incentives to play like the play in and in season tournaments growing.”
The lack of incentives also affects the quality of play. If the players are not motivated enough to play, chances are fans are not motivated enough to watch.
Given the longer schedule and the fact that half the teams in the conference qualify for the playoffs, the stakes can be much lower in the NBA. Win or lose, the players get paid — a huge difference to college basketball.
Fans have also criticized players for their lack of loyalty. Players like Spurs point guard Chris Paul and Westbrook have both played for four different teams in four years. Fans are not able to form any sort of affection towards a player, as they leave their team within two or three years.
Although one could argue that the NBA is attempting to mold the league into a product that can be sold to an audience, there are many flaws that make the regular season virtually unwatchable. The decline in viewership has been a culmination of badly managed aspects of the game; in reality, the NBA has only itself to blame.