On one hand, the NBA deserves tons of credit. The league conducted its restart in a bubble, on the Disney campus, and as far as we know, not a single person tested positive for the coronavirus.
That’s success.
Also, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers emerged as champions, courtesy of a 106-93 win over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the Finals.
At 35-years old, James now has four titles — three with three different teams, including two with the Heat. At 35, he’s as dominant as ever, finishing the closeout game with yet another triple-double (28 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists). In the process, he claimed his fourth Finals MVP. Only Michael Jordan has more with six.
When it comes to LeBron, everyone else is pretty much playing for second place. He remains the greatest player in the game today.
Along with all that, this was the perfect ending for the Lakers, who dedicated the season to late basketball hero Kobe Bryant, whose death in January shook an entire nation. It was the Lakers’ first title in a decade, their 17th overall.
So the NBA, Lakers and James pulled it off in spite of some doubts. That counts for a lot.
But the league has issues. And it needs to take a long look in the mirror and make some corrections before next season tips off, whenever that may be.
INTEREST WANES
We have spent most of the summer and fall hearing about the NBA’s television ratings. I’ve written about them in this very space — a lot. That’s because they’re historically awful, and that is a story. It’s not a story the NBA wants out there. It’s a story that makes the NBA fairly annoyed.
And it’s story that actually began prior to the hiatus. Yes, the NBA ratings issues date back to before the coronavirus suspended the season … before the social justice movement … before all the politics and childish back-and-forth on Twitter and Facebook.
In February, Sports Business Daily revealed that the league’s TV ratings had nosedived 12 percent from the previous season. The season was paused in March.
Some people blame the popularity of streaming, both legal and otherwise. Some blame what they consider the league’s left-leaning politics. Others say the rules are too soft, that there is too much of an emphasis on 3-point shooting, too much freedom for guards to roam free untouched on the perimeter and in the lane.
Others insist the league has become too predictable, that only two or three teams can realistically expect to compete for a title.
Well, guess what?
There is truth behind all of it.
It’s also true that the NBA knows all this, that the issues aren’t just limited to a lack of eyeballs. Or at least, not nearly as many eyeballs as the league is accustomed to or desires.
Now, declining interest may or may not impact sponsorships or the next TV deal. But it will lead to a substantial drop in merchandise sales and some serious revenue at the gate. Those are two major money-makers for the NBA.
If the league doesn’t stabilize in those areas, jobs could be lost, teams could contract, and TV contracts could plummet to shocking lows.
That’s all speculation at this point, a worst-case scenario. But based on the 2019-20 season, it’s a scenario the NBA absolutely must consider.
FIX WON’T BE EASY
On top of the above, James will be 36 by the time next season tips off, presumably in January or February. So he has what, another three good years? This is the face of the league we’re talking about. He generally drives the ratings.
But man, he sure didn’t this season. Not even LeBron could save the Finals from a viewership disaster.
At any rate, who will the league turn to when he’s gone? If you think interest is waning now, just imagine the NBA minus James.
It’s true there are other stars and plenty of youth about which to get excited — from veterans such as Steph Curry and Kevin Durant to rookies such as Zion Williamson.
If you love basketball, plenty of players give fans a reason to tune in. That said, Curry and Durant are no spring chickens themselves, and the NBA doesn’t really need to appeal to people who are already basketball fans. In order to run a successful business, it needs to appeal to people who currently don’t care.
All this, and I haven’t even mentioned China.
No American sports league in history has profited off its Chinese fanbase as much as the modern NBA. That’s not even up for debate.
Given the major social justice issues going on in China, that makes a lot of Americans uncomfortable. It makes them angry. It makes them turn their backs on pro basketball.
I don’t have the answers. I don’t really even have any suggestions. All of that is above my pay grade and job description.
All I know is the NBA can’t lose its American audience and survive as is in America. Nor can it lose its Chinese fanbase and survive as is anywhere.
Whether the NBA wants to admit it or not, it’s in a pickle and this is a crucial offseason for commissioner Adam Silver, the team owners and yes, the players union.
Everyone needs to come together for the good of the game, and they need to do it selflessly, and fairly quickly. The fans are the league’s lifeblood, and too many have been turned off and are very clearly turning away.
Perhaps another great moment for the LeBron, and the Lakers, offered the best evidence of that. They emerged as champions once again, and compared to seasons past, hardly anyone noticed.
