The NBA's declining popularity, what's the cause?

[theoneneo]

The league has been shoving Lebron down our throats for the last 10 years, is he the cause of it's decline? His game is boring, and his personality is so contrived and unlikable that it has turned many away.

The league will always be a superstars league, they wanna see one guy, or a duo dominate the headlines I.E. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, Shaq... those players were great, fun to watch, and had great personalities unlike the boring stars of today.

Then with the spurs crushing(I can't emphasis how much they crushed) Miami, using Team ball, fun for us basketball lovers to watch, but for the casual fan... no one wanted to see the Spurs win it they way they did.

So what, or who needs to happen for the League to start becoming popular again? I've started to notice they have begun to Push Durant as the best player, ESPY's, and Nickelodeon(Marketing to kids), Durant also has somewhat of a personality, although he'd be even better with somewhat of a mean streak.

[Yankstar]

I think kyrie is the next superstar the league is trying to push on us. And to be fair he is more clutch and has more flair on court then either Lebron or Durant. I thin if he becomes the next Kobe or something the league will gain in popularity :rockon:

[Dragic4Life]

Durant winning MVP.

[UK2K]

Do you have statistics/ratings to back it up?

I think the NBA is as popular now as ever except the Jordan years. They're about to sign a new TV deal and the NBA is expected to ask for DOUBLE what it got in its last one. I don't think that's out of the blue.

Not saying youre wrong, just asking for numbers.

[miles berg]

The NBAs popularity is soaring. They are back to being the 2nd most watched sport in the US after the NFL.

The LeBron Era has reignited the NBA. Lol at this thread. Dumbass.

[miles berg]

Do you have statistics/ratings to back it up?

I think the NBA is as popular now as ever except the Jordan years. They're about to sign a new TV deal and the NBA is expected to ask for DOUBLE what it got in its last one. I don't think that's out of the blue.

Not saying youre wrong, just asking for numbers.

He is wrong.

The NBA is on a major, major growth spurt.

[bagelred]

I gotta be honest. I don't even think the NBA will be around in 10 years.

It's all about soccer now.

[choppermagic]

You definitely got some of it. Lebron, overall is not very likable. He's been anointed by ESPN and NIke as the CHosen One in HighSchool and never had to "earn" his due in the league. There has been constant talk about "getting him help", which doesn't sound right for legendary superstars to seem like whining for more help each year.

And obviously, the decision, and the teaming up left a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths. Very little rivalries to fuel the interest as well with stars just wanting to team up.

Add to the fact that the Big Markets are not in contention now (Lakers, Knicks), which hurts a lot for popularity. Just recall what Linsanity did for the NBA in general for that short span...it got as big because it happened in New York.

[JohnMax]

Why did Heat games have the best ratings?

[GODbe]

It's definitely a mixture of LeBald, and Godbe's absence.

[JohnFreeman]

Aren't the ratings rising every year?

[miles berg]

I gotta be honest. I don't even think the NBA will be around in 10 years.

It's all about soccer now.

Soccer is just the new fad in America, it won't last as a red hot item like it is now. For awhile it was Tiger/PGA, then it was the NASCAR boom, then we had the UFC boom and now that UFC has cooled off we are entering the soccer boom.

They come and go while the NBA and MLB are always fighting for #2. Always.

[imdaman99]

The NBAs popularity is soaring. They are back to being the 2nd most watched sport in the US after the NFL.

The LeBron Era has reignited the NBA. Lol at this thread. Dumbass.
:roll: at Lebron era... it's called half the country hates him and wants to see him fail for pulling that decision and not 1, not 2 shenanigans. Where were the ratings in 07 when he got swept by the Spurs? One of the worst ratings of all time, rivaled baseball's.

[Im so nba'd out]

comes in to make sure OP is red....leaves disappointed

[Soundwave]

The OP's not actually incorrect.

Ratings for the NBA Finals last year for example weren't that great.

Even in the "Heatles" era, where I suspect a lot of people were watching to see LeBron lose, the ratings of the 2004 NBA Finals ten years ago (LA/Detroit) are higher than any of the recent NBA Finals.

The NBA may be overtaking MLB though just because MLB is declining even more than the NBA. MLB is becoming a sport only followed by old men.

[Soundwave]

These are the ratings for the NBA Finals since 1998:

NBC 1998 Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 (18.7)
NBC 1999 San Antonio Spurs 4, New York Knicks 1 (11.3)
NBC 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Indiana Pacers 2 (11.6)
NBC 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 (12.1)
NBC 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 4, New Jersey Nets 0 (10.2)
ABC 2003 San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 (6.5)
ABC 2004 Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 (11.5)
ABC 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 (8.2)
ABC 2006 Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 (8.5)
ABC 2007 San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 (6.2)
ABC 2008 Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2 (9.3)
ABC 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Orlando Magic 1 (8.4)
ABC 2010 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 3 (10.6)
ABC 2011 Dallas Mavericks 4, Miami Heat 2 (10.2)
ABC 2012 Miami Heat 4, Oklahoma City Thunder 1 (10.1)
ABC 2013 Miami Heat 4, San Antonio Spurs 3 (10.4)
ABC 2014 San Antonio Spurs 4, Miami Heat 1 (9.3)

LeBron alone is not a huge TV draw, in fact the 2007 NBA Finals is pretty much the lowest rated since like the 70s :lol

NFL crushes the NBA anyway.

[Im so nba'd out]

Ratings are wrong nba is def bigger now its just ppl watch NBA on streams,bars,ect.The NFL does crush the NBA doe

[BuffaloBill]

Don't worry they will go back up when Kobe returns. :rockon:

[Soundwave]

Ratings are wrong nba is def bigger now its just ppl watch NBA on streams,bars,ect.The NFL does crush the NBA doe

There aren't really that many people who watching basketball on an internet stream, lol, if they do they probably are hardcore fanatics who also watch on TV.

Watching games at bars has existed since like the 50s/60s dude :lol

Among the general population, yeah definitely I get the sense the NBA has a fairly negative perception actually. Especially from white people, lol.

[Roundball_Rock]

NBC 1998 Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 18.7
NBC 1999 San Antonio Spurs 4, New York Knicks 1 11.3
NBC 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Indiana Pacers 2 11.6
NBC 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 12.1
NBC 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 4, New Jersey Nets 0 10.2
ABC 2003 San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 6.5
ABC 2004 Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 11.5
ABC 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 8.2
ABC 2006 Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 8.5
ABC 2007 San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 6.2
ABC 2008 Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2 9.3
ABC 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Orlando Magic 1 8.4
ABC 2010 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 3 10.6
ABC 2011 Dallas Mavericks 4, Miami Heat 2 10.2
ABC 2012 Miami Heat 4, Oklahoma City Thunder 1 10.1
ABC 2013 Miami Heat 4, San Antonio Spurs 3 10.4
ABC 2014 San Antonio Spurs 4, Miami Heat 1 9.3

So ratings took a dive after MJ retired, fell again in 2003 and rebounded since 2010.

Having large markets in the Finals helps ratings. Look at the five lowest on that list:


ABC 2003 San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 6.5
ABC 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 8.2
ABC 2006 Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 8.5
ABC 2007 San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 6.2
ABC 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Orlando Magic 1 8.4

Ratings were higher when Los Angeles or New York were in the Finals. It is not surprising 07' was the lowest since it featured two small markets and was viewed as an uncompetitive series. Ratings should improve this year when Chicago returns to the Finals. :rockon:

Haven't overall NBA ratings improved in the years subsequent to "The Decision" too? The Finals reflects a lot of casual fans tuning in for a bit. NBA regular season and pre-Finals playoff games are a better gauge of how popular the league truly is.

[Akrazotile]

Once your players have a reputation for raping women its hard to get the publics trust back.

[Soundwave]

I think there is some truth to a divide between white America and the modern NBA.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/397466-nbas-great-american-white-hope-a-lost-cause

The Jordan effect just masked it because every demographic was in love with him, but since he's been gone, ratings have fallen off a cliff.

[bagelred]

These are the ratings for the NBA Finals since 1998:

NBC 1998 Chicago Bulls 4, Utah Jazz 2 (18.7)
NBC 1999 San Antonio Spurs 4, New York Knicks 1 (11.3)
NBC 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Indiana Pacers 2 (11.6)
NBC 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 (12.1)
NBC 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 4, New Jersey Nets 0 (10.2)
ABC 2003 San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 (6.5)
ABC 2004 Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 (11.5)
ABC 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 (8.2)
ABC 2006 Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 (8.5)
ABC 2007 San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 (6.2)
ABC 2008 Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2 (9.3)
ABC 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Orlando Magic 1 (8.4)
ABC 2010 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Boston Celtics 3 (10.6)
ABC 2011 Dallas Mavericks 4, Miami Heat 2 (10.2)
ABC 2012 Miami Heat 4, Oklahoma City Thunder 1 (10.1)
ABC 2013 Miami Heat 4, San Antonio Spurs 3 (10.4)
ABC 2014 San Antonio Spurs 4, Miami Heat 1 (9.3)

LeBron alone is not a huge TV draw, in fact the 2007 NBA Finals is pretty much the lowest rated since like the 70s :lol

NFL crushes the NBA anyway.

Ratings for everything on TV keeps going down. It's called more choices. Look into it.

[Lebron23]

The NBAs popularity is soaring. They are back to being the 2nd most watched sport in the US after the NFL.

The LeBron Era has reignited the NBA. Lol at this thread. Dumbass.


This

OP is probably living under Kobe's butt.

[ralph_i_el]

NBA is increasing in popularity. Most internet/social networking friendly sport.

[JT123]

Ratings for everything on TV keeps going down. It's called more choices. Look into it.
This. Only an idiot would compare Finals ratings from this year to what they were 10 years ago. :facepalm

[jlip]

How are ratings officially determined? Also how accurate are they in expressing an event's genuine popularity. I keep hearing that the 1979 NCAA Championship game between Magic's and Bird's teams is the highest rated NCAA game in history. What really does that mean? Is that saying that more people watched that championship game on TV than any other?

[russwest0]

Aren't the ratings rising every year?

I know for one fact that the number of finals viewers since LeBrons choke in 2011 has declined each year.

I think that the Heat were generally not liked and them being shoved down the throats of people like ESPN viewers wasn't a good thing for the league.

[JT123]

I know for one fact that the number of finals viewers since LeBrons choke in 2011 has declined each year.

I think that the Heat were generally not liked and them being shoved down the throats of people like ESPN viewers wasn't a good thing for the league.
Blatant lies! :oldlol: 2012 Finals averaged more viewers than the 2011 Finals. The fact that it was only 5 games may have skewed the overall ratings, but if the series had gone to 6 games it would have shattered 2011's ratings! :rockon:

[Orlando Magic]

http://doubledribble.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/michael-jordan-6-fingers.jpg

That's the moment that it started. It hasn't been declining really since then nor has it been rising dramatically. It's been fluctuating back and forth over the past 15 years.

Nobody outside of basketball fans gives much of a shit about Shaquille, Kobe, LeBron, Kevin or Tim compared to Michael. Nobody.

Jordan was literally more popular than all of those guys COMBINED.

Anyone who says anything else is posting with a ****ing agenda... and I don't even like Jordan as a person and I think he was overrated, but that's the damn truth.

[russwest0]

I's crazy, aside from the epic Spurs series that went 7, the highest rated Finals LeBron has been in is one where he failed miserably to show up.

People like to see him fail. Jordan and Kobe never really got that on a mass scale.

[dreamwarrior]

The decline was due to the NBA going onto cable with ESPN and TNT broadcasting most of the games. I barely caught any games on ABC other than the finals. I think I watched 2 regular season games last year because it's just not on TV. Hopefully they make the new deal with regular network TV instead of cable. In MJ's day every game was on regular network TV

[Orlando Magic]

I's crazy, aside from the epic Spurs series that went 7, the highest rated Finals LeBron has been in is one where he failed miserably to show up.

People like to see him fail. Jordan and Kobe never really got that on a mass scale.

Nobody gives a shit about LeBron or Kobe compared to Michael.

More popular than both combined.

[Orlando Magic]

The decline was due to the NBA going onto cable with ESPN and TNT broadcasting most of the games. I barely caught any games on ABC other than the finals. I think I watched 2 regular season games last year because it's just not on TV. Hopefully they make the new deal with regular network TV instead of cable. In MJ's day every game was on regular network TV


That's bullshit. It might be a contributing factor, but...

It's because of MJ's retirement, first and foremost.

Look at the numbers when Jordan retired the first time and the second time.

Steep drop offs both times.

The ratings were shit prior to Bird/Magic and that wasn't a result of cable.

Bird/Magic "saved" the NBA... Jordan took it to new heights, and then there was a massive drop off. Pretty much that simple. Nobody in today's league or since Jordan's retirement has been as popular as those 3, and for good reason.

[FKAri]

Soccer is just the new fad in America, it won't last as a red hot item like it is now. For awhile it was Tiger/PGA, then it was the NASCAR boom, then we had the UFC boom and now that UFC has cooled off we are entering the soccer boom.

They come and go while the NBA and MLB are always fighting for #2. Always.

Soccer's been on the rise since the 90's and hasn't shown any sign of slowing down or even evening out.

NASCAR itself has stabilized a bit but auto racing as a whole is as popular as it has ever been in America:
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/01/nfl-most-popular-sport-poll

UFC is hard to say because there are more events with less buys on average but more buys in total.

Basketball is somewhat stagnant in the US (though some trends show slight decline) but worldwide, popularity continues to grow.

[Hoopz2332]

LOL @ the op

The NBA is the most popular it's been since Jordan left. NBA has now become 12 month sport, something it never was before. It's only 2nd to the NFL.


http://i.imgur.com/97qbBcb.png



http://www.besttickets.com/blog/most-popular-athletes/

[russwest0]

The problem is clear, there aren't that many personalities anymore because the league doesn't allow for much fun anymore. The officiating bias and the way the league favors the corrupt officials has also gotten out of hand to the point where Joey Crawford has actually officiated something like 20 Finals in a row.

It also doesn't help that the main source of NBA coverage in ESPN chooses LeBron to be about 50% of their entire NBA coverage when the majority of basketball fans don't even want to see him have success.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

I keep hearing on ESPN radio that ratings have gone up since the decision and that since then interest in the NBA has increased significantly...

[SexSymbol]

There aren't really that many people who watching basketball on an internet stream, lol, if they do they probably are hardcore fanatics who also watch on TV.

Watching games at bars has existed since like the 50s/60s dude :lol

Among the general population, yeah definitely I get the sense the NBA has a fairly negative perception actually. Especially from white people, lol.
There's much more people who watch nba finals on streams than on TV.
Everybody not from USA does that.
NBA's popularity is as good as ever, with a slim decline last few years as biggest markets are not as relevant and the best player in the game is one boring fella

[~primetime~]

I gotta be honest. I don't even think the NBA will be around in 10 years.

It's all about soccer now.
the World Cup is over...no one in the US is watching soccer any more

4 years from now we will go back to it

[Hoopz2332]

I keep hearing on ESPN radio that ratings have gone up since the decision and that since then interest in the NBA has increased significantly...


It's true. I heard Linda Cohn talking about last week. The NBA hasn't been this popular since Jordan. It's ever more a 12 months sport than it was when Jordan played.

[SexSymbol]

LOL @ the op

The NBA is the most popular it's been since Jordan left. NBA has now become 12 month sport, something it never was before. It's only 2nd to the NFL.


http://i.imgur.com/97qbBcb.png



http://www.besttickets.com/blog/most-popular-athletes/
And NBA is 10 times as big around the world as NFL is

Champions league and NBA are the most popular leagues around the world by a wide margin

[hawkfan]

The league has been shoving Lebron down our throats for the last 10 years, is he the cause of it's decline? His game is boring, and his personality is so contrived and unlikable that it has turned many away.

The league will always be a superstars league, they wanna see one guy, or a duo dominate the headlines I.E. Magic, Bird, Jordan, Kobe, Shaq... those players were great, fun to watch, and had great personalities unlike the boring stars of today.

Then with the spurs crushing(I can't emphasis how much they crushed) Miami, using Team ball, fun for us basketball lovers to watch, but for the casual fan... no one wanted to see the Spurs win it they way they did.

So what, or who needs to happen for the League to start becoming popular again? I've started to notice they have begun to Push Durant as the best player, ESPY's, and Nickelodeon(Marketing to kids), Durant also has somewhat of a personality, although he'd be even better with somewhat of a mean streak.

500 million impact in OH because of LeBron.

[russwest0]

I keep hearing on ESPN

Well no wonder lol, they'll do whatever they can to convince themselves that they need to cover LeBron even more while neglecting the rest of the league more.

[Hoopz2332]

the World Cup is over...no one in the US is watching soccer any more

4 years from now we will go back to it


USA doesn't give a sh1t about soccer unless national pride is attached to it. Soccer can't even top NHL.

[outbreak]

It's not one factor but I imagine a combination of more entertainment options, more ways to watch the game and of course Jordan gave the league a big boost in ratings wether you want to believe it or not. Not a knock on Lebron or Kobe or any other player whos been the face of the league but Jordan transcended sports back in the day, you can think he's over rated or what not if you don't like him but he was a big impact on pushing the sport.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Well no wonder lol, they'll do whatever they can to convince themselves that they need to cover LeBron even more while neglecting the rest of the league more.
espnis a bussiness...theyre going to talk about what people want to hear them talk about...this notion that they for no reason talk about bron 24/7 makes no sense

[JimmyMcAdocious]

Most popular "sports" in 10 years (in America):

Football
Soccer
MOBA
Basketball
X Games stuff
Baseball
Golf
NASCAR
Tennis
Women's Volleyball
Cricket
Badminton
Table Tennis
Lacrosse
Rugby
Men's Volleyball
Hot dog eating contests
Hockey

[deja vu]

Jordan's retirement. And more Americans gravitating toward soccer.

[Hoopz2332]

And NBA is 10 times as big around the world as NFL is

Champions league and NBA are the most popular leagues around the world by a wide margin


Exactly. NFL is king in America but noone cares about it on a global level. NBA is 2nd in America and is the most spread around/global of the big 4 leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHl). MLB is basically dying in America


MLB is only surviving off the "old guard". The younger generation doesn't care.

MLB Struggling To Attract One Key Demographic


One key demographic -- children ages 6 to 17 -- is conspicuously losing interest in the sport. According to the Wall Street Journal, kids accounted for 4.3 percent of the average audience for the ALCS and NLCS this year, down from 7.4 percent one decade ago. Kids made up about 4.6 percent of the World Series audience. That figure is lower than the number of kids in the 6-17 range who watch the NFL, NBA, NHL and the English Premier League.

Making the situation more troublesome for MLB is that fewer kids are playing Little League. Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal notes that 2.1 million children played Little League baseball last year, down from 2.6 million in 1997.


http://i.imgur.com/0xl8vio.png

[Soundwave]

There aren't that many likable athletes these days period it seems.

Tiger Woods was the last huge megastar and he completely destroyed his image. I mean cheating on your wife is one thing, but a full blown roster of hoes straight out of a porn movie was a bit much, lol.

Baseball has basically destroyed itself with steroid scandals. I remember in the late 90s how big of a deal the Mark McGuire/Sammy Sosa thing was, turns out we know now they were both juicing. Barry Bonds? Juicing.

The NHL has no interesting personalities in their star players outside of Alexander Ovechekin and he's never won anything, nor does he speak good enough English to break out as a marketable star. Needs to be American born or at worst Canadian born to be relevant it seems. Sidney Crosby as a personality is more boring than watching paint dry.


The NFL is the only league doing legitimately great in all facets, but they tend to be a team driven sport, not an individual driven sport.

[russwest0]

espnis a bussiness...theyre going to talk about what people want to hear them talk about...this notion that they for no reason talk about bron 24/7 makes no sense

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

so why not talk ONLY about lebron, manning, and maybe 1% of time to sidney crosby.

all of those guys are most popular in their sport so it makes no sense to EVER talk about anyone else, no?

[Hoopz2332]

Jordan's retirement. And more Americans gravitating toward soccer.


Americans dont care about soccer. It only gets ratings when fake national pride is involved and USA is winning.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

so why not talk ONLY about lebron, manning, and maybe 1% of time to sidney crosby.

all of those guys are most popular in their sport so it makes no sense to EVER talk about anyone else, no?
i personally dont like the focus on lebron but clearly it's what most mainstream fans want to hear....why would espn talk about him so much for no reason?

[Trollsmasher]

Most popular "sports" in 10 years (in America):

Football
Soccer
MOBA
Basketball
X Games stuff
Baseball
Golf
NASCAR
Tennis
Women's Volleyball
Cricket
Badminton
Table Tennis
Lacrosse
Rugby
Men's Volleyball
Hot dog eating contests
Hockey
:lol

[Hoopz2332]

:facepalm :facepalm :facepalm

so why not talk ONLY about lebron, manning, and maybe 1% of time to sidney crosby.

all of those guys are most popular in their sport so it makes no sense to EVER talk about anyone else, no?


They talk about other's...it's just that lebron has the public on lock

What I Learned From A Year Of Watching SportsCenter




Which names is SportsCenter writing over and over again in its Trapper Keeper?

As Sanchez's inexplicable prominence suggests, the great SportsCenter engine runs not just on money and major sports to which ESPN happens to hold broadcast rights, but also on celebrity. Watch the show at the right time of year, and you might come away thinking that there are only a half-dozen or so athletes in the entire world.

To put in perspective just how fixed SportsCenter gets on the anointed, consider that Tim Tebow got 17 percent more mentions than successful professional quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers put together. Then consider that he wasn't, unbelievably enough, even one of SportsCenter's five most fussed-over athletes.

http://i.imgur.com/TtnkWXT.png


As you can see, if you want the all-powerful SportsCenter to aid your personal #branding campaign, it helps to either play basketball or line up under center. Of the 20 most-mentioned athletes, in fact, 11 play in the NBA and seven were quarterbacks (assuming Tebow counts as one). Golf and baseball each claimed one spot. No one else, from Serena Williams to Lionel Messi, rated at all.



CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (2012)


Total time: 23,052.75 minutes
Time (minus commercials): 17,361.25
NFL: 4,046.25 (23.3%)
NBA: 3,330.5 minutes (19.2%)
MLB: 2,916.5 (16.8%)
SportsCenter staples**: 2,289 (13.2%)
College football: 1,329.75 (7.7%)
College basketball: 1,181.25 (6.8%)
Golf: 580.75 (3.3%)
NHL: 459.5 (2.7%)
NASCAR: 362.25 (2.1%)
Other***: 315 (1.8%)
Soccer: 217.75 (1.3%)
Olympics: 166.5 (.9%)
Tennis: 166.25 (.9%)

MOST-COVERED TEAMS BY SPORT (2012)

Miami Heat (NBA): 962.75 minutes (5.5%)
New York Yankees (MLB): 410.25 (2.4%)
New York Giants (NFL): 362.75 (2.1%)
Alabama Crimson Tide (college football): 208.75 (1.2%)
Kentucky Wildcats (college basketball): 155.25 (0.9%)
Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL): 56.5 (0.3%)

MOST-MENTIONED SPORTS FIGURES (2012)


1) LeBron James: 1,930 mentions
2) Kobe Bryant: 1,345
3) Peyton Manning: 1,218
4) Dwyane Wade: 1,167
5) Kevin Durant: 1,109
6) Tiger Woods: 1,011
7) Tim Tebow: 976
8) Tom Brady: 894
9) Jeremy Lin: 871
10) Derrick Rose: 830
11) Carmelo Anthony: 804
12) Dwight Howard: 752
13) Eli Manning: 621
14) Russell Westbrook: 578
15) Rajon Rondo: 568
16) Robert Griffin III: 567
17) Josh Hamilton: 460
18) Blake Griffin: 457
19) Drew Brees: 433
20) Aaron Rodgers: 401

* This analysis had to exclude teams without unique names—e.g., the Jets, who play both hockey and football. I also left out the 2012 playoff champions and runners-up in any sport, because they attract tons of attention regardless of their regular-season performance.

** Includes things like the "Top 10," "Encore," "What 2 Watch 4," etc.

*** Sports included cycling, lacrosse, Little League baseball, college hockey, arena football, softball, extreme sports, drag racing, Formula One, and IndyCar.

Graphics by Reuben Fischer-Baum and David Roher.

http://deadspin.com/what-i-learned-from-a-year-of-watching-sportscenter-5979510

[outbreak]

i personally dont like the focus on lebron but clearly it's what most mainstream fans want to hear....why would espn talk about him so much for no reason?
Exactly, Lebrons polarising as well. People who hate him still want to hear him talked about if only so they can shake their heads and go "oh lebron did what now?". It's the same thing as what happens with attention seekers like miley cyrus or what not, they get headlines because even if people hate her they still click on an article that says some sensational.

[deja vu]

Americans dont care about soccer. It only gets ratings when fake national pride is involved and USA is winning.
Considering the fact that Latinos are fast increasing in numbers, soccer would soon be the 2nd most popular sport in the US.

[russwest0]

I wouldn't expect everybody to understand a complex concept.

People hate LeBron BECAUSE he is given way too much media coverage. Not the other way around.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

And he is given a ton of media coverage BECAUSE he has a ton of fans not the other way around..

[Soundwave]

Bran inadvertently casting himself as the "villain" after the fallout of "The Decision" was kind of a good move for the NBA, but not so much for his individual brand IMO.

The ratings for his sole Cavaliers Final were horribad.

[russwest0]

When ESPN makes an article about a LeBron tweet and you look at the comments and everyone is mocking ESPN and saying shit like "What's next, an article for when LeBron wipes his ass," they aren't going in there and saying "We hate LeBron so we want to see more articles on him!" they are just making a mockery of how much coverage ESPN thinks sports fans want to see of one player.

Notice the LeBron hate all started up after he aired a one hour special... on ESPN.
Notice how the Tebow hate all started up after he got over-covered... on ESPN.

If you were suggest that LeBron gets covered too much because of how hated he is, then that's using the circular reasoning logical fallacy because the LeBron hate started up as a result of the endless over-coverage of him on ESPN.

[Angel Face]

The NBA needs a second coming of Mike. Ratings has gone downhill since the 1998 Finals. GOAT gonna GOAT

:bowdown:

[outbreak]

When ESPN makes an article about a LeBron tweet and you look at the comments and everyone is mocking ESPN and saying shit like "What's next, an article for when LeBron wipes his ass," they aren't going in there and saying "We hate LeBron so we want to see more articles on him!" they are just making a mockery of how much coverage ESPN thinks sports fans want to see of one player.

Notice the LeBron hate all started up after he aired a one hour special... on ESPN.
Notice how the Tebow hate all started up after he got over-covered... on ESPN.

If you were suggest that LeBron gets covered too much because of how hated he is, then that's using the circular reasoning logical fallacy because the LeBron hate started up as a result of the endless over-coverage of him on ESPN.
sorry but you're missing the point completely (seems like a recurring problem for you). Even if 10,000 post to say Lebron gets too much coverage, that's 10,000 people clicking on that article and taking the time to read it and then post about. The media doesn't give two shits about how much a person likes what they report all they care about is that people are interested enough to go to the story and from your own example many people went to the story and not only read it but posted about it too. That's how media works.

[Hoopz2332]

C'mon, for example, look at how lebrons "Decision 2" in America got talked about more than the world cup finals and that's without him saying 1 word!:lol :bowdown:

[raprap]

Bran inadvertently casting himself as the "villain" after the fallout of "The Decision" was kind of a good move for the NBA, but not so much for his individual brand IMO.

The ratings for his sole Cavaliers Final were horribad.
Small market teams playing in the finals, of course it wont grab great ratings.

[dubeta]

LeBron won multiple rings and is already established as a top 5 GOAT

Therefore all the haters who made the "ringless jokes" before 2012 are all on suicide watch and/or hide in their basements from depression watching old tapes of sidekick Bean

[SupermanOnSteroids]

No great rivalries.

[Hoopz2332]

Bran inadvertently casting himself as the "villain" after the fallout of "The Decision" was kind of a good move for the NBA, but not so much for his individual brand IMO.

The ratings for his sole Cavaliers Final were horribad.


Any finals with small markets, specifically the Spurs will drop in ratings. When you add on top that it was a quick series, of course you're going to get bad ratings. If you have a quick series with 2 stars in 2 somewhat small markets, like OKC vs Heat in 2012, you'll get better ratings. Spurs are a notorious rating killer.

[Hoopz2332]

sorry but you're missing the point completely (seems like a recurring problem for you). Even if 10,000 post to say Lebron gets too much coverage, that's 10,000 people clicking on that article and taking the time to read it and then post about. The media doesn't give two shits about how much a person likes what they report all they care about is that people are interested enough to go to the story and from your own example many people went to the story and not only read it but posted about it too. That's how media works.


exactly

[russwest0]

I'm not missing the point at all. I wrote a speech on ESPN and their bias towards certain teams and players for my Public Speaking 2 class in College and my teacher picked it to be the one to represent her class at a convention for multiple colleges and shit.

Had the Spurs finals of 2013 not been an epic one, then LeBrons most highly rated Finals series would be the one where he choked more than any star in NBA history.

I'm simply saying that fans want to see him fail because of the excessive coverage he receives, namely on ESPN.

I'm not saying there isn't a group of people who want to see LeBron coverage. I'm simply saying that ESPN clearly overdoes this with LeBron (and they always get mocked for it) yet there are always people who stupidly try to justify it with "but thats what the people want to see!" when it's clearly hurting his image because it's not what the people want to see, all the time.

[Soundwave]

Any finals with small markets, specifically the Spurs will drop in ratings. When you add on top that it was a quick series, of course you're going to get bad ratings. If you have a quick series with 2 stars in 2 somewhat small markets, like OKC vs Heat in 2012, you'll get better ratings. Spurs are a notorious rating killer.

We are talking about the lowest rated NBA Finals since like the 70s though, lol.

"Smaller" markets can bring big ratings, Shaq in Orlando in his Finals appearance had pretty good ratings.

[Rose'sACL]

it is called more choices. i think NBA is the most popular it has ever been other than a few MJ years and internationally it is the most popular it has ever been.
in the 90s, i used to keep watching the games even if they were blowouts.
now a days, i do something else on the internet instead of watching a blowout.
all the nba fans i know, watch 90% of the NBA via internet streams or nba league pass.

[Hoopz2332]

We are talking about the lowest rated NBA Finals since like the 70s though, lol.

"Smaller" markets can bring big ratings, Shaq in Orlando in his Finals appearance had pretty good ratings.


Shaq in Orlando is way back in the Jordan era. Ratings in the NBA Finals aren't going to get that high on avg unless you have maybe lebron and Durant face off in atleast a 6 game series. Too much stuff to watch on TV nowadays compared to back then.

[Hoopz2332]

it is called more choices.


i think NBA is the most popular it has ever been other than a few MJ years and internationally it is the most popular it has ever been.

true


in the 90s, i used to keep watching the games even if they were blowouts.
now a days, i do something else on the internet instead of watching a blowout.
all the nba fans i know, watch 90% of the NBA via internet streams or nba league pass.


exactly

[Rose'sACL]

Shaq is Orlando is way back in the Jordan era. Ratings in the NBA Finals aren't going to get that high on avg unless you have to maybe lebron and Durant face off in atleast a 6 game series. Too much stuff to watch on TV nowadays compared to back then.
plus the internet. most people are already on their phones half the time during any game. When game turns into a blowout, you have so many choices that you would be fool to keep watching. Coaches take out their best player in blowouts even more now so it is not like you will get to at least watch the starters in.

[outbreak]

I'm not missing the point at all. I wrote a speech on ESPN and their bias towards certain teams and players for my Public Speaking 2 class in College and my teacher picked it to be the one to represent her class at a convention for multiple colleges and shit.

Had the Spurs finals of 2013 not been an epic one, then LeBrons most highly rated Finals series would be the one where he choked more than any star in NBA history.

I'm simply saying that fans want to see him fail because of the excessive coverage he receives, namely on ESPN.

I'm not saying there isn't a group of people who want to see LeBron coverage. I'm simply saying that ESPN clearly overdoes this with LeBron (and they always get mocked for it) yet there are always people who stupidly try to justify it with "but thats what the people want to see!" when it's clearly hurting his image because it's not what the people want to see, all the time.


You can delete everything else you wrote, it's irrelevant. The only factor that matters is that people want to see him, people want to read about him, people want to bitch and complain about it. That's what drives the media. I don't give a shit if you did a speech in front of your 15 year old class mates about ESPN. No body cares that you had a speech chosen because you spoke about something your passionate about whereas most kids just half ass it. This is the way the world works. I think lebrons an arrogant **** but when they make an article about something he's done I still click on it and so do you, it's irrelevant how we react to them because all ESPN cares about is that we care enough to look at it. Look at Broussard, he never gets any of his claims right but I bet he wins employee of the month all the time because he gets so many people to talk about his "sources"even if they are only talking about how stupid they are and making fun of him.

[russwest0]

:lol :oldlol: :facepalm I don't know how someone can be this delusional.

Hey, lets out of context bold "the fans want to see him" and everything else is irrelevant!

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[DonDadda59]

:oldlol: at people using the internet and 'more stuff on TV'. Like people were basically being forced to watch NBA games against their will during the Jordan era :oldlol:

Explain how the NFL keeps experiencing record setting ratings every year for the past decade+

[Real14]

Who else but Lebrun??:confusedshrug:

[outbreak]

:lol :oldlol: :facepalm I don't know how someone can be this delusional.

Hey, lets out of context bold "the fans want to see him" and everything else is irrelevant!

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
it's not out of context, I know it's hard for you to grasp because you're in that age range where you think you are some kind of great intellect, but you said "fans want to see him fail", it's irrelevant that they want to see him fail due to media coverage because all that matters is people tune in to see him fail, people tuning in means that he gets more media coverage because they know people will tune in to hear about it. Look at threads here for a local example, if it's about Lebron it goes to multiple pages. Most people are dissing him but hey it's still getting more viewers than legit threads about legit stories.

[theoneneo]

Lets be honest, Lebron is boring to watch, that turns people away, then you factor in his Fvckboy tendencies and there goes the ratings. :confusedshrug:

Wiggins will save the day. And Maybe Parker.

Imagine a Bucks Vs Twolves finals... holy fack!:lol The Nba is screwed.

[Real14]

Lets be honest, Lebron is boring to watch, that turns people away, then you factor in his Fvckboy tendencies and there goes the ratings. :confusedshrug:

Wiggins will save the day. And Maybe Parker.

Imagine a Bucks Vs Twolves finals... holy fack!:lol The Nba is screwed.
That would be very horrible, but I think Melo and tha knicks can turn it around for this league.

[JT123]

:oldlol: at people using the internet and 'more stuff on TV'. Like people were basically being forced to watch NBA games against their will during the Jordan era :oldlol:

Explain how the NFL keeps experiencing record setting ratings every year for the past decade+
The NFL is basically the ONLY thing that has increased ratings wise. Take a look at Network TV ratings now days compared to what they were a decade ago, or even 5 years ago. If you think the Internet and better TV shows on cable networks have nothing to do with declining ratings you are a fool.

[outbreak]

Lets be honest, Lebron is boring to watch, that turns people away, then you factor in his Fvckboy tendencies and there goes the ratings. :confusedshrug:

Wiggins will save the day. And Maybe Parker.

Imagine a Bucks Vs Twolves finals... holy fack!:lol The Nba is screwed.

If the bucks make the finals though I imagine Parker will have become a superstar and they would have picked up a bunch of bandwagon fans though? Not as good as a big market for ratings but it's still not as dire as if the bucks right now made the finals somehow.

[Hoopz2332]

:oldlol: at people using the internet and 'more stuff on TV'. Like people were basically being forced to watch NBA games against their will during the Jordan era :oldlol:

Why do you think even soap operas used to get big ratings back in the day but not anymore? More stuff to do and watch now.




Explain how the NFL keeps experiencing record setting ratings every year for the past decade+


NFL is an anomaly that gets a ratings boost from gambling. It's helped by it's 16 game schedule and 1 and done playoffs. They don't play extended series. What's so hard to comprehend about that?

[Hoopz2332]

The NFL is basically the ONLY thing that has increased ratings wise. Take a look at Network TV ratings now days compared to what they were a decade ago, or even 5 years ago. If you think the Internet and better TV shows on cable networks have nothing to do with declining ratings you are a fool.


:applause:

[knicksman]

Because it has become WWEish. And it became worse when a beta becomes the face of the league. People want heroes not borderline fakkits.

[Hoopz2332]

Because it has become WWEish. And it became worse when a beta becomes the face of the league. People want heroes not borderline fakkits.


*looks at handle*


*Knicksman*

** :oldlol: **

[Real14]

*looks at handle*


*Knicksman*

** :oldlol: **
Another hater we have in tha building folkz:coleman:

[DonDadda59]

NFL is an anomaly that gets a ratings boost from gambling. It's helped by it's 16 game schedule and 1 and done playoffs. They don't play extended series. What's so hard to comprehend about that?

Ok, and the NFL has always had all of those factors going for it since time immemorial. This isn't some new phenomena (betting, scheduling, playoff structure, etc) and all this 'more stuff to do' and the internet should effect its ratings, right?

So why doesn't it?

And it's not exactly an anomaly either. The 2014 NCAA basketball tournament set the record for most viewed college bball telecast in cable History. The year before, the tournament recorded its highest ratings in 15 years. That's more people watching basketball than ever before... just not NBA basketball. Guess the internet and 'more stuff to do' only affects the pro ranks :oldlol:

Soccer viewership is also skyrocketing right now with the US-Portugal and final between Argentina and Germany setting a U.S. television record with 26.5 million viewers.

The NBA product is weak and there are no Jordan like transcendent stars to drive ratings. It really doesn't go much farther than that. Same reason why baseball ratings are doing so well (lack of storylines/stars, people being turned off by the steroid era, etc).

Do you honestly think that if there was no internet, people would hold themselves at gunpoint basically to watch LeBron play? :oldlol:

[BigMacAttack]

Weak ass stars that team up and run to a stronger team any chance they get. Weak refs giving out ridiculous star calls. Basic rules not even being enforced anymore, guys like Wade, Anthony and James can take 4 or 5 steps and not get called a travel. No rivalries at all.

Oh and you better not show any emotion after a big play, cause that shits a tech.

[russwest0]

While people bitch about NFL officiating nearly every NFL fan I know doesn't believe it to be a serious problem.

Whereas nearly every NBA fan I know sees the officiating as one of the serious problems of the sport. Yet year after year it goes without revision.

[Hoopz2332]

Ok, and the NFL has always had all of those factors going for it since time immemorial. This isn't some new phenomena (betting, scheduling, playoff structure, etc) and all this 'more stuff to do' and the internet should effect its ratings, right?

So why doesn't it?

American Football is the biggest sport in America even at the pee wee level.




And it's not exactly an anomaly either. The 2014 NCAA basketball tournament set the record for most viewed college bball telecast in cable History. The year before, the tournament recorded its highest ratings in 15 years. That's more people watching basketball than ever before... just not NBA basketball. Guess the internet and 'more stuff to do' only affects the pro ranks :oldlol:

College tort is also 1 and done thing. You can compare tournaments to games with 7 game series.


Soccer viewership is also skyrocketing right now with the US-Portugal and final between Argentina and Germany setting a U.S. television record with 26.5 million viewers.

1 and done with national pride involved. Noone cares about soccer outside of that. Trust me.


The NBA product is weak and there are no Jordan like transcendent stars to drive ratings.


Noone is going to be big as Jordan was then but the NBA could do it with the right players and markets involved.



It really doesn't go much farther than that. Same reason why baseball ratings are doing so well (lack of storylines/stars, people being turned off by the steroid era, etc).

Not really. MLB is done because only old white guys are still supporting it. The younger generation find MLB boring.


Do you honestly think that if there was no internet, people would hold themselves at gunpoint basically to watch LeBron play? :oldlol:

You actually think people would do this for anyone?:coleman:


Having more to watch/to do plays a role. You'll never get soap operas/sitcoms with these kind of ratings again because of it

http://i.imgur.com/GQWTxmq.png

[LongLiveTheKing]

What shows that it's declining popularity.

[DonDadda59]

American Football is the biggest sport in America even at the pee wee level.

Your point being...

The NFL has been around since 1920. By your dumb ass 'logic' it should've been relegated to niche level by now as there is far 'more stuff to do' now then there was then, including many new sports leagues being formed (the NBA being one of them).

Yet the NFL has been experiencing record setting ratings recently. So again... why is the NFL, which was formed decades before the NBA, experiencing a boom (along with soccer, and college ball)?

And why do you keep bringing up sitcoms in a discussion about sports? :confusedshrug:

The NFL predates all of those programs by many decades, aka there was even less 'stuff to do' when the league was formed. :oldlol:

[Hoopz2332]

Your point being...

The NFL has been around since 1920. By your dumb ass 'logic' it should've been relegated to niche level by now as there is far 'more stuff to do' now then there was then, including many new sports leagues being formed (the NBA being one of them).

What?


Yet the NFL has been experiencing record setting ratings recently. So again... why is the NFL, which was formed decades before the NBA, experiencing a boom (along with soccer, and college ball)?

I already explained it. NBA, NFl, and NHl have all had a boom in the past 4-5 years. MLB is the one that's dying.


And why do you keep bringing up sitcoms in a discussion about sports? :confusedshrug:

because it's all tied in. TV ratings are down across the board in almost everything


The NFL predates all of those programs by many decades, aka there was even less 'stuff to do' when the league was formed. :oldlol:

Some related NFL popularity articles

Popularity In North America! How Did The NFL Become So Popular And When Did It Over Take Baseball? An Examination In the Growing Popularity Of The NFL

http://iwantmorerants.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/popularity-in-north-america-how-did-the-nfl-become-so-popular-and-when-did-it-over-take-baseball-an-examination-in-the-growing-popularity-of-the-nfl/

The Relationship of Fantasy Football Participation with NFL Television Ratings

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jsas/6776111.0003.114/--relationship-of-fantasy-football-participation-with-nfl?rgn=main;view=fulltext


My Two Words for the NFL


[quote]I

[Hoopz2332]

[b]NFL

[Hoopz2332]

[b]Goodell says fantasy football isn

[DonDadda59]

Bruh- you're doing a whole lot of work for absolutely nothing. I already know the NFL is at its peak of popularity, don't really need articles to reaffirm this.

Just trying to figure out why a league that was formed in 1920 AKA about 80 years before the internet and 'more stuff' caused NBA ratings to plummet... is gaining popularity despite these factors being attributed (by you) to the fall in popularity of the NBA (but not college ball for some reason).

And it looks like you posted a link about fantasy football helping NFL popularity... so now the internet is HELPING a sports league's ratings/popularity?

You do know there is fantasy basketball too right? :oldlol:

[JT123]

What?



I already explained it. NBA, NFl, and NHl have all had a boom in the past 4-5 years. MLB is the one that's dying.



because it's all tied in. TV ratings are down across the board in almost everything



Some related NFL popularity articles

Popularity In North America! How Did The NFL Become So Popular And When Did It Over Take Baseball? An Examination In the Growing Popularity Of The NFL

http://iwantmorerants.wordpress.com/2010/08/12/popularity-in-north-america-how-did-the-nfl-become-so-popular-and-when-did-it-over-take-baseball-an-examination-in-the-growing-popularity-of-the-nfl/

The Relationship of Fantasy Football Participation with NFL Television Ratings

http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jsas/6776111.0003.114/--relationship-of-fantasy-football-participation-with-nfl?rgn=main;view=fulltext


My Two Words for the NFL




http://www.nolandalla.com/words-nfl-youre-welcome/
:applause: Ethered. Does anyone really believe the NBA playoffs wouldn't have much higher ratings if they also had a one and done playoff format? :hammerhead:

[DonDadda59]

:applause: Ethered.

How? He just contradicted himself. Claimed the internet was one of the causes of the NBA's ratings dropping... then posted a link about how internet fantasy leagues are responsible for the popularity spike of the NFL. You can't make this shit up :oldlol:


Does anyone really believe the NBA playoffs wouldn't have much higher ratings if they also had a one and done playoff format? :hammerhead:

You act like the single game elimination format is something that was invented recently. It's been around forever... but now it's the reason the NFL, NCAA football, soccer are experiencing massive growth in popularity and setting all time ratings records?

How does that even begin to make any sense? :coleman:

[plowking]

There aren't really that many people who watching basketball on an internet stream, lol, if they do they probably are hardcore fanatics who also watch on TV.

Watching games at bars has existed since like the 50s/60s dude :lol

Among the general population, yeah definitely I get the sense the NBA has a fairly negative perception actually. Especially from white people, lol.

Actually there are. Now you have internet capable of allowing people to watch full HD streams, better than there TV resolution at times.

Basketball is as popular as ever worldwide now.

[Hoopz2332]

Bruh- you're doing a whole lot of work for absolutely nothing. I already know the NFL is at its peak of popularity, don't really need articles to reaffirm this.

Just trying to figure out why a league that was formed in 1920 AKA about 80 years before the internet and 'more stuff' caused NBA ratings to plummet... is gaining popularity despite these factors being attributed (by you) to the fall in popularity of the NBA (but not college ball for some reason).

Did you not read anything I posted? College basketball tourny is all 1 and done/win or go home compared to the 7 game NBA playoffs. The 1 and done thing/tournament is better for 1 day/game ratings because it creates more suspense. What don't you understand about this?


And it looks like you posted a link about fantasy football helping NFL popularity... so now the internet is HELPING a sports league's ratings/popularity?

It helps the NFL the most


You do know there is fantasy basketball too right? :oldlol:

I've heard many people say that betting on NBA games isn't a good look because too many random things happen like dudes heaving 1/2court shots and having them go in:oldlol:


WHY GAMBLING ON THE NBA IS NO FREE THROW

http://www.casinocenter.com/why-gambling-on-the-nba-is-no-free-throw/

[DonDadda59]

Did you not read anything I posted? College basketball tourny is all 1 and done/win or go home compared to the 7 game NBA playoffs. The 1 and done thing/tournament is better for 1 day/game ratings because it creates more suspense. What don't you understand about this?

The part where a tournament system that has been around since time immemorial is now the reason for rising/falling ratings/popularity. Again... the NFL/NCAA has always been played in a single elimination system, the NBA has always been played in a multiple game series format.

When did this start being a factor in ratings going up or down, exactly?


It helps the NFL the most

Ok... why.

People in this thread have been going on about how the internet is responsible for declining ratings... then you go ahead and post an article about how the internet is responsible for the NFL's ratings boom :oldlol:


I've heard many people say that betting on NBA games isn't a good look because too many random things happen like dudes heaving 1/2court shots and having them go in:oldlol:


WHY GAMBLING ON THE NBA IS NO FREE THROW

http://www.casinocenter.com/why-gambling-on-the-nba-is-no-free-throw/

And every town in America in the last century had a bookie taking action on NFL games. The mafia made a bulk of its multi billion dollar fortune on sports gambling, with the NFL being the primary money source. Sports gambling has been around as long as sports have.

Why is it NOW that it's in your mind leading to booming ratings and popularity for one league and not another?

[Hoopz2332]

Dog, the NFL is an anomaly like I said before.

[Soundwave]

Honest question I heard someone ask the other day ... if the majority of the quarterback's (generally the most visible position in football) were black, would the NFL have the same TV ratings?

[DonDadda59]

Dog, the NFL is an anomaly like I said before.

Yeah, I know... and then I showed you it wasn't with the NCAA and soccer experiencing record ratings/rising popularity in the U.S.

So yeah... you gonna answer my questions or...

[Hoopz2332]

Yeah, I know... and then I showed you it wasn't with the NCAA and soccer experiencing record ratings/rising popularity in the U.S.

NCAA, NHL and NBA have all had a boom on the last 4-5 years. You still can't compare to the monster that is the NFl. Soccer isn't going to get any bigger. MLB is the only one "dying" and people only watch soccer when national pride is on the line. Outside of that, noone gives 2 ***** in the USA about that sport. You can't compare the boom any of those are having to the monster that is the NFL.


So yeah... you gonna answer my questions or...


I did already:facepalm

[DonDadda59]

NCAA, NHL and NBA have all had a boom on the last 4-5 years. You still can't compare to the monster that is the NFl. Soccer isn't going to get any bigger. MLB is the only one "dying" and people only watch soccer when national pride is on the line. Outside of that, noone gives 2 ***** in the USA about that sport. You can't compare the boom any of those are having to the monster that is the NFL.

Thank Yahweh for the internet otherwise football would've gone the way of the soap opera :applause:



I did already:facepalm

Clearly, you did not, sir. But whatever though. I really don't care.

You have a wonderful evening now :cheers:

[Hoopz2332]

Honest question I heard someone ask the other day ... if the majority of the quarterback's (generally the most visible position in football) were black, would the NFL have the same TV ratings?


Nope.

[Rameek]

How are people determining an increase or decline? Based on what numbers or statistics?

[MavsSuperFan]

Honest question I heard someone ask the other day ... if the majority of the quarterback's (generally the most visible position in football) were black, would the NFL have the same TV ratings?
I believe it would be just as popular

1 the nfl has quite a few black QBs today, the ratings keep improving.
Eg. russell wilson, cam newton, RG3, Mike Vick, Kapernick, etc. there is no evidence to show that their marketability is less than equivalent white players
2. the most marketable NBA players are the black ones. Its not like america is rushing to praise love or dirk at any points in their careers..
3. for all the talk about black players hurting nba popularity. Golf's popularity is almost entirely dependant on a single black player. Golf's rating with woods>>>>>>>>>> golfs rating without woods.
4. The most popular sport in america is the NFL, it is 70-80% black about the same as the nba.
5. the second most popular sport in america is currently MLB. Although not a lot of black players, there are tons of non-white players. Latinos, Asians, etc.
6. An all white basketball league was recently tried. it was not financially viable, indicating a lack of a fanbase.
7. Hockey, which is almost completely white players, is far and away the least profitable/popular of the 4 major american pro leagues.
8. profession soccer, in the elite european leagues has quite a bit of white players. it is not at all popular in america.


From talking to non basketball fans I here these reasons for not being basketball fans.

my cousin a diehard cowboy fan who worships emmitt smith, michael irvin, Larry allen, etc

told me that he found basketball unwatchable, because he didnt really see the defense. To him it was just guys missing from time to time. He said: "I can get all of the interesting parts of a basketball game just by watching the highlights on sportscenter or inside the nba. All I really want to see is dunks, blocks, steals, and flashy passing."

Defense in basketball is harder to see than in football or baseball. Lots of non- fans dont appreciate that making teams take tough shots is good defense. they just see it as the shooter missing. "in a whole game you get like 5 blocks at most, the rest of the time its just the offensive team missing and getting the rebound".

In football defense is obvious. Crushing hits, interceptions, striping the ball, pushing the pocket, sacking the QB, preventing the first down, etc.
In baseball defense is also obvious, double plays, diving catches, robbing homeruns, etc. also pitching is the most important aspect.

Edit: another point, the part of basketball non-fans generally enjoy, is the dunks, and blocks.

Aspects black players excel at.

Edit #2, the NFL has several advantages.
1. violence. Americans love violence. MMA's recent surge in popularity.
Boxing only stopped being america's biggest sport after they made the mistake of going to pay per view exclusively for big fights. Its hard for a poor kid, or even a rich kid (whos parents arent fans) to get into the sport. Also 50% of the time a fight isnt finished the less deserving fighter wins.

2. it has only 16 games and they come on at extremely convenient and predictable times.. Every single cowboy game for the last 20 years or so have been watched by me. I am able to watch every single major game with league wide ramifications as well, eg. peyton vs brady. I cant say that i watch more than 30 or so mavs regular season games.

3. parity. bad teams get good real fast in the NFL, because of the hard cap. eg. 5 years ago the seahawks and 49ers were jokes.

[LBJFTW]

I'm sorry but with all of the technology we have now that we didn't have during the Jordan years, the NBA should be much much more popular. If it's not, it's because it's #1 star isn't up to the task.

Jordan didn't have:

Youtube
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
NBA apps on phones
Internet on the phones
...
...
...the list goes on.

With all those outlets you would think that LeBron could bring the ratings up much higher than Jordan ever could. It's quite laughable that this so called "chosen one" can't even bring the ratings higher with all that technology to help him. What a joke.

[MavsSuperFan]

I'm sorry but with all of the technology we have now that we didn't have during the Jordan years, the NBA should be much much more popular. If it's not, it's because it's #1 star isn't up to the task.

Jordan didn't have:

Youtube
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
NBA apps on phones
Internet on the phones
...
...
...the list goes on.

With all those outlets you would think that LeBron could bring the ratings up much higher than Jordan ever could. It's quite laughable that this so called "chosen one" can't even bring the ratings higher with all that technology to help him. What a joke.
Why would that help basketball alone?

In the past shows like MASH had 20 million+ viewers a night. Now a show like modern family that gets 3-5 million a night is consider great.

Stuff like youtube, facebook, twitter, etc gives people a wider range of choice for their entertainment needs. they make it harder to get high viewership because viewers have more content available and thus disperse the potential audience.

Eg. in the past people watched nightly news, because that was how they got their info. very few people watch nightly news today.

The NBA today competes with so many forms of entertainment that it didnt just 10 years ago.

[JT123]

I'm sorry but with all of the technology we have now that we didn't have during the Jordan years, the NBA should be much much more popular. If it's not, it's because it's #1 star isn't up to the task.

Jordan didn't have:

Youtube
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
NBA apps on phones
Internet on the phones
...
...
...the list goes on.

With all those outlets you would think that LeBron could bring the ratings up much higher than Jordan ever could. It's quite laughable that this so called "chosen one" can't even bring the ratings higher with all that technology to help him. What a joke.
:facepalm Do you even know what ratings are? They don't have anything to do with any of the technology you listed. If anything Internet on phones and NBA apps take away from people watching on TV, which is what ratings are based on. :sleeping

[JT123]

Why would that help basketball alone?

In the past shows like MASH had 20 million+ viewers a night. Now a show like modern family that gets 3-5 million a night is consider great.

Stuff like youtube, facebook, twitter, etc gives people a wider range of choice for their entertainment needs. they make it harder to get high viewership because viewers have more content available and thus disperse the potential audience.

Eg. in the past people watched nightly news, because that was how they got their info. very few people watch nightly news today.

The NBA today competes with so many forms of entertainment that it didnt just 10 years ago.
:applause: Well said. I really hope that dude was trolling, cause if not...:facepalm

[MavsSuperFan]

While people bitch about NFL officiating nearly every NFL fan I know doesn't believe it to be a serious problem.

Whereas nearly every NBA fan I know sees the officiating as one of the serious problems of the sport. Yet year after year it goes without revision.
ya i agree with this.
you would think a sport where scoring is rarer, and each possession much more important, the NFL would have a bigger ref problem, but the NBA's refs are ridiculous.

Why are you complaining though? your team gets the benefit of the refs bias. You're an OKC fan right?

[LBJFTW]

Why would that help basketball alone?

In the past shows like MASH had 20 million+ viewers a night. Now a show like modern family that gets 3-5 million a night is consider great.

Stuff like youtube, facebook, twitter, etc gives people a wider range of choice for their entertainment needs. they make it harder to get high viewership because viewers have more content available and thus disperse the potential audience.

Eg. in the past people watched nightly news, because that was how they got their info. very few people watch nightly news today.

The NBA today competes with so many forms of entertainment that it didnt just 10 years ago.

Why would they help? Obvious answer is obvious. There's more outlets for communication about the NBA. This generates MORE interest, not less, and makes people actually want to view the games.

Do you understand how marketing works? When a business wants to promote it's product, it advertises in as many outlets as possible. The NBA does exactly this, but the problem is the main feature just isn't that interesting.

Don't try to push LBJ's failure under the rug. If this technology was available during the Jordan era, the ratings would be 1.5 - 2.0x what they were in the 90's and it's not even debatable.

[JT123]

Why would they help? Obvious answer is obvious. There's more outlets for communication about the NBA. This generates MORE interest, not less, and makes people actually want to view the games.

Do you understand how marketing works? When a business wants to promote it's product, it advertises in as many outlets as possible. The NBA does exactly this, but the problem is the main feature just isn't that interesting.

Don't try to push LBJ's failure under the rug. If this technology was available during the Jordan era, the ratings would be 1.5 - 2.0x what they were in the 90's and it's not even debatable.
Good lord you're a moron. Going by this logic Network TV shows should be pulling in triple the amount of viewers they did in the 80's, since they advertise on Facebook and Twitter as well. :cletus:

[MavsSuperFan]

Why would they help? Obvious answer is obvious. There's more outlets for communication about the NBA. This generates MORE interest, not less, and makes people actually want to view the games.

Do you understand how marketing works? When a business wants to promote it's product, it advertises in as many outlets as possible. The NBA does exactly this, but the problem is the main feature just isn't that interesting.

Don't try to push LBJ's failure under the rug. If this technology was available during the Jordan era, the ratings would be 1.5 - 2.0x what they were in the 90's and it's not even debatable.
Everything gets smaller viewership than what it used to.

There is just more things to watch.

NBA competes with so many things today.

[LBJFTW]

Everything gets smaller viewership than what it used to.

There is just more things to watch.

NBA competes with so many things today.

More things to watch but that is offset by the fact that there are more people to watch.

Just in the states alone, population:
In 1990 it was 250,000,000+
In 2010 it was 300,000,000+

[jlip]

"Why soccer should fear the NBA"

Whilst soccer's ubiquity as the global game has long been taken for granted, basketball, through the NBA, has slowly begun to take over the world....

By ripping up the rule book, basketball is outmaneuvering football in key markets like China, Africa and the Middle East. Football's position as the world's most popular sport is under threat...

...the NBA, in China. It has overtaken football as the most watched sport in the country -- the NBA estimates 450 million people now tune in -- and more than 300 million play the game.

October 8, 2010 (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/10/07/football.nba.fear.world/)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________


"The Surge of the NBA's International Viewership and Popularity"

Nearly six months after the NBA lockout ended, NBA fans across the world and the league’s executives have much to celebrate... Although the 2012 NBA season was shortened as a result of the lockout, fans have not turned their back on the league. In fact, fans in 215 countries from Iceland to Madagascar and Afghanistan to Sri Lanka, will watch as The Finals are streamed in 47 different languages. Additionally, the NBA expects that 278 million fans will follow The Finals through social media networks...

The large surge in international viewership of The Finals is driven in part by the vast number of networks and online outlets that are televising the event...

Social media networks have also increased the NBA’s worldwide fan base. According to the NBA, the league has built one of the largest social communities in the world, with more than 278 million likes and followers.

June 14, 2012 (http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciajessop/2012/06/14/the-surge-of-the-nbas-international-viewership-and-popularity/)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________


"NBA Finals more global than ever this year"

Here's proof that this year's Finals are the most global yet:

France's beINSport will provide live commentary for the first time; three Spurs players are from France

China's CCTV will produce a customized feel for all games with commentary and graphics in Mandarin and also capture footage for its new weekly lifestyle show NBA Primetime.

In India, Sony SIX will provide live coverage of the Finals for the first time.

The NBA will provide more digital coverage than ever to Latin America on enebea.com in Spanish and NBA.com.br in Portuguese, plus social media pages in different languages on Facebook, Twitter, My Space Latino, Que Pasa and Mi Pagina.

June 9, 2013 (http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-06-09/business/fl-nba-global-20130608_1_nba-finals-miami-heat-fans-heat-facebook)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________


Domestically, the N.B.A.’s ratings dropped in the years after Michael Jordan’s retirement; stateside, the game seemed less exciting and less important. That situation has improved in recent years...

October 7, 2013 (http://www.newyorker.com/currency-tag/basketball-and-globalization)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________



"The NBA Becoming The Global Powerhouse of Sports"

While the National Football League is by far the most popular sports league in America, the National Basketball League is continuously growing in global popularity.

As the league global popularity increases, the NBA is receiving more and more requests for purchases in the leagues stock. It has been reported that the majority of the stock purchase requests have come from China, which has shown the most increase in popularity over the past few years...

The league continues to grow...

October 27, 2013 (http://globalbasketball.com/gbsl-las-vegas-recaps/the-nba-becoming-the-global-powerhouse-of-sports/)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________



"The Factors Behind the Growing Popularity of Basketball Globally"

...The sport is emerging in popularity alongside the expansion of its competitive and internationally accepted cousin, football (“soccer”), across different parts of the world. In terms of growth and popularity, basketball is definitely growing at a remarkable pace. You will be surprised to know that countries such as China, which comprise one-third of the world’s population, have wholeheartedly embraced basketball. As you can understand, growth in such a situation is an understatement.

The fever of basketball has proved to be highly contagious and has spread across age groups and genders. Statistics shows that the craze for this sport has increased amongst young girls and boys over the last decade. According to Patrick Baumann, “If you look around the world and see the statistics of the world’s most popular sport in the age group 14-18, its basketball across all gender.” But the question remains: what has moved the sport to the supreme level of popularity?

Feb. 12, 2014 (http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/02/12/the-factors-behind-the-growing-popularity-of-basketball-globally/)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________



"NBA to Become More Popular Internationally Than Domestically"

Last year’s NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs was seen in 215 countries and broadcast in 47 different languages. Basketball and soccer are the two most popular sports in the world and it seems that the league continues to grow exponentially every year.

March 18, 2014 (http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/nba-to-become-more-popular-internationally-than-domestically/)

[plowking]

[QUOTE=jlip]
"Why soccer should fear the NBA"

Whilst soccer's ubiquity as the global game has long been taken for granted, basketball, through the NBA, has slowly begun to take over the world....

By ripping up the rule book, basketball is outmaneuvering football in key markets like China, Africa and the Middle East. Football's position as the world's most popular sport is under threat...

...the NBA, in China. It has overtaken football as the most watched sport in the country -- the NBA estimates 450 million people now tune in -- and more than 300 million play the game.

October 8, 2010 (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/10/07/football.nba.fear.world/)
__________________________________________________ _________________________________________________


"The Surge of the NBA's International Viewership and Popularity"

[I]Nearly six months after the NBA lockout ended, NBA fans across the world and the league

[Hoopz2332]

:facepalm Do you even know what ratings are? They don't have anything to do with any of the technology you listed. If anything Internet on phones and NBA apps take away from people watching on TV, which is what ratings are based on. :sleeping


:oldlol: :applause:

[Hoopz2332]

[QUOTE=jlip]
"Why soccer should fear the NBA"

Whilst soccer's ubiquity as the global game has long been taken for granted, basketball, through the NBA, has slowly begun to take over the world....

By ripping up the rule book, basketball is outmaneuvering football in key markets like China, Africa and the Middle East. Football's position as the world's most popular sport is under threat...

...the NBA, in China. It has overtaken football as the most watched sport in the country -- the NBA estimates 450 million people now tune in -- and more than 300 million play the game.

October 8, 2010 (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/10/07/football.nba.fear.world/)
__________________________________________________ ______________________________


"The Surge of the NBA's International Viewership and Popularity"

[I]Nearly six months after the NBA lockout ended, NBA fans across the world and the league

[Hoopz2332]

I believe it would be just as popular

I would say no because..


1 the nfl has quite a few black QBs today, the ratings keep improving.
Eg. russell wilson, cam newton, RG3, Mike Vick, Kapernick, etc. there is no evidence to show that their marketability is less than equivalent white players

The top marketed QB in the NFL are white..this isn't to say that the black qb's you mentioned above aren't popular but they aren't considered "traditional" so it somewhat hurts them. If the topqb's in the NFL weren't white, I think the viewership would drop.





2. the most marketable NBA players are the black ones. Its not like america is rushing to praise love or dirk at any points in their careers..


True but the NBA would be even bigger if it had a true white american superstar like Larry Bird in the 80's.




3. for all the talk about black players hurting nba popularity.

It's the lack of white american nba stars that hurts the NBA in the USA



Golf's popularity is almost entirely dependant on a single black player. Golf's rating with woods>>>>>>>>>> golfs rating without woods.

true and this is because Tiger provides crossover appeal to non-whites




4. The most popular sport in america is the NFL, it is 70-80% black about the same as the nba.

true but the the top stars in the NFl are white QB's whereas the NBA has no real white american stars. It's easier to root for people that look like you which is why the Bird vs Magic dynamic was so huge.



5. the second most popular sport in america is currently MLB. Although not a lot of black players, there are tons of non-white players. Latinos, Asians, etc.

MLB is still pred white but it has diversity for cross over appeal


6. An all white basketball league was recently tried. it was not financially viable, indicating a lack of a fanbase.
7. Hockey, which is almost completely white players, is far and away the least profitable/popular of the 4 major american pro leagues.

Hockey will always be the last of the big 4 sports leagues because it's too white. It has no chance at crossover appeal to non-whites because of this. An all black bball league wouldn't work for the same reason an all white baskteball league doesn't work. The keys is to have racial diversity on somewhat large scale to draw in all possible audiences.



8. profession soccer, in the elite european leagues has quite a bit of white players. it is not at all popular in america.

USA doesn't care about soccer outside of things related to national pride:lol

[Jailblazers7]

The OP's not actually incorrect.

Ratings for the NBA Finals last year for example weren't that great.

Even in the "Heatles" era, where I suspect a lot of people were watching to see LeBron lose, the ratings of the 2004 NBA Finals ten years ago (LA/Detroit) are higher than any of the recent NBA Finals.

The NBA may be overtaking MLB though just because MLB is declining even more than the NBA. MLB is becoming a sport only followed by old men.

The 5 games of this year's finals had more viewers than the first 5 games last year.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/11093667/nba-finals-2014-television-ratings-finals-last-season

[Hoopz2332]

The 5 games of this year's finals had more viewers than the first 5 games last year.

http://espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2014/story/_/id/11093667/nba-finals-2014-television-ratings-finals-last-season


many people don't understand "on pace viewership". For example a post I once made


You don't know anything about context. NBA's overall ratings have been their highest since the Jordan era. As far as the NBA finals go, it's a matter of market and length of the series. All of he big 3 era finals were on pace for monster ratings especially the Thunder/Heat one but it ended in 5. The Spurs went 7 but everyone knows the Spurs bring the ratings down.

From the heat/Thunder finals

NBA Finals TV Ratings On Pace to Set Records After Game 4




The NBA Finals remain on track to be the highest-rated Finals since 2004 after posting huge numbers for Tuesday night's Game 4.

Game 4 between the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder registered a 12.4 overnight TV ratings, which is up 12 percent from last year's Game 4 of Dallas-Miami.

The matchup of LeBron James's Miami Heat versus Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder has generated a lot of interest around the world, but especially in the teams' home markets. Tuesday night's game drew 49.1 percent of local households, the most-ever for an NBA game, according to Nielsen ratings.

The terrific ratings are certainly appreciated by ABC, the Finals rights holder since 2003, though the Heat winning Game 4 didn't help the network's cause. Miami's 104-98 victory gives it a 3-1 series lead and the opportunity to close out the NBA Finals on Thursday in Game 5.

Typically after the initial ratings bonanza in Games 1 and 2, ratings start climbing the longer a series goes, which is why ABC executives are likely hoping the series goes to seven games. A Game 7 game between the Thunder and Heat could set NBA television ratings records, but it currently looks unlikely that the series will last that long.


http://www.ibtimes.com/nba-finals-tv-ratings-pace-set-records-after-game-4-703645

Obviously a quick series is a ratings killer but it's even bigger when you include smaller markets/Spurs. The "on pace viewership"is the best way to measure would could have been had the series went 6 or 7 games.

[jlip]

So basically the conclusion we are drawing here is the OP has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. Let's be real...The OP is nothing but an anti-Lebron troll, and the sole purpose of the thread was to say something negative about him by falsely claiming he's the bane of the NBA.

[Hoopz2332]

So basically the conclusion we are drawing here is the OP has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. Let's be real...The OP is nothing but an anti-Lebron troll, and the sole purpose of the thread was to say something negative about him by falsely claiming he's the bane of the NBA.


:applause:

[Hoopz2332]

Listening to this recent Bill Simmons podcast with Collin Cowherd.

@ 5:12...to paraphrase

"NBA free agency is more relevant than the current MLB season...NBA is an 11 month sport now and it started with Lebron's 2010 decision. The only other sport that's an 11 month watch is the NFL but the difference between the two is that the NBA is more popular on a global scale. Noone cares about the NFL outside the USA".

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=11253262&ex_cid=espnapi_public

[ralph_i_el]

I would say no because..



The top marketed QB in the NFL are white..this isn't to say that the black qb's you mentioned above aren't popular but they aren't considered "traditional" so it somewhat hurts them. If the topqb's in the NFL weren't white, I think the viewership would drop.







True but the NBA would be even bigger if it had a true white american superstar like Larry Bird in the 80's.





It's the lack of white american nba stars that hurts the NBA in the USA




true and this is because Tiger provides crossover appeal to non-whites





true but the the top stars in the NFl are white QB's whereas the NBA has no real white american stars. It's easier to root for people that look like you which is why the Bird vs Magic dynamic was so huge.




MLB is still pred white but it has diversity for cross over appeal



Hockey will always be the last of the big 4 sports leagues because it's too white. It has no chance at crossover appeal to non-whites because of this. An all black bball league wouldn't work for the same reason an all white baskteball league doesn't work. The keys is to have racial diversity on somewhat large scale to draw in all possible audiences.




USA doesn't care about soccer outside of things related to national pride:lol

dude not everything is about race

[Hoopz2332]

dude not everything is about race


race has alot to do with marketing:biggums: