Why are the ratings so poor?

[Heavincent]

Literally the lowest ever. Don’t people want to watch Lebron?

Can’t help but think his woke politics have contributed to the ratings collapse.

[SATAN]

Casuals and alt right incels aren't watching it. There could have been no basketball at all had other players gotten there way. Terrible thread.

[Spurs m8]

Goes to show how manufactured he is.

He's no Jordan - in terms of talent or entertainment.

He's no splash bros in terms of entertainment either.

The average person does not care about him and smart fans don't really care either.

He has this niche little brainwashed group going, weird nerds that live their life through him...

But thats about it.

[Im so nba'd out]

NFL





Streaming the game for free
Politics/race relations in america
People having other shit to do and not invested in sports right now during a pandemic
people not taking this playoffs serious cause of the bubble/no fans
Some people only watch for the social aspect (bars,work conversations,ect) and they dont have that right now so they aren't watching


these 6 in order....notice the gap between nfl and every other reason...but keep pushing your agenda op

if the ratings stay down like this for 2 more years then the NBA will take it serious.

[TheGoatest]

I wonder how many people on this forum are watching the games on platforms that actually contribute to the ratings, and how many are watching them on ever increasingly popular and easily accessible illegal streams that contribute nothing whatsoever to the official, listed ratings?

[90sgoat]

A lot of people are boycotting the NBA because of the politics.

I watched the game last night though and it is just so boring and shit quality. Without the crowds, it becomes readily apparant what a strange and boring game the NBA has turned into, these weird sets they run to get a corner 3 always beginning with the high moving screen.

The game is not fun at all.

[Lebron23]

A lot of people are boycotting the NBA because of the politics.

I watched the game last night though and it is just so boring and shit quality. Without the crowds, it becomes readily apparant what a strange and boring game the NBA has turned into, these weird sets they run to get a corner 3 always beginning with the high moving screen.

The game is not fun at all.

Blame the zone defense. Jordan would be chucking 3 pointers like Harden if he was born in 1993.

[Phoenix]

NFL





Streaming the game for free
Politics/race relations in america
People having other shit to do and not invested in sports right now during a pandemic
people not taking this playoffs serious cause of the bubble/no fans
Some people only watch for the social aspect (bars,work conversations,ect) and they dont have that right now so they aren't watching


these 6 in order....notice the gap between nfl and every other reason...but keep pushing your agenda op

if the ratings stay down like this for 2 more years then the NBA will take it serious.

Lot of truth in the bolded, I'm not sure how much the whole 'woke' thing is contributing because other sports leagues who don't push politics are experiencing dips. You're right though, there is definitely a social aspect to watching sports and with so many bars closed right now, it's just not happening. And watching sports without a live crowd does suck, there's no way around that. You can't simulate the energy and intensity of a playoff game with digital fans. Most of the games I've watched this playoffs feel like a preseason game at times, I've had to remind myself that these are do or die situations.

[Smook A.]

- Politics
- A lot of fans stream
- Basketball, and sports in general aren't as fun to watch without the fans

[CelticBaller]

The bubble isn't as visually appealing as a regular basketball stadium

Also the NBA is directly competing against the NFL. They will always lose

[Phenith]

How about this angle...

Was an unexpected finals match-up that was perceived as lopsided right from the word go, then the underdog lost it's rising star and primary ball handler in the first game.

It's essentially one of the least interesting finals match-ups that could have happened which has been exacerbated by injuries.
Either a weaker team from the west needed to make the finals or a stronger team from the east needed to get through.

[Phoenix]

The league also hyped the shit out of Lakers/Clippers and hedged their bets on the Bucks breaking through. Lebron vs Kawhi WCFs and Giannis vs Lebron/Kawhi finals would have drawn interest. By the time the conference finals rolled around I think most assumed the Lakers got this in the bag.

[KennyPowers]

Most people don't support black supremacy and racism against white people. Just like they don't support white supremacy and racism against black people.

Lebron and much of the league is unfortunately racist and also chosen to be political.

Emmy's had lowest ratings in history also. People don't want to watch actors and athletes for politics, they watch them for entertainment. They can politic on their own time, I don't want it in movies and games I watch.

[imdaman99]

Everything has lower ratings. Pretty sure nfl has less too. It's not an nba thing.

[ralph_i_el]

Every sport is experiencing a similar drop in ratings.

If it was politics, why would it be effecting Golf, Car Racing, Horse Racing, Hockey, MLB, and NFL in a similar way?

Unless you are saying that people are also not tuning in to those sports because they DON'T do the political stuff.

Otherwise, it just sounds like you're mad, and letting it cloud your perception.

[HylianNightmare]

Cause l4/10n

[ralph_i_el]

There is no significant amount of people "boycotting" the NBA over BLM. Full stop.

There's a bunch of old racists who are used to getting whatever they want, because big corporations cater to whoever has the money to spend. The NBA makes too much money off young folks and the foreign market to bend to these people, so they throw a hissy fit, even if they were never fans to begin with. A bunch of 70 year old Republican senators said they would never watch again lol. Do you REALLY think they were watching in the first place?

[Phoenix]

I'm a casual NFL viewer and haven't even tuned in yet. Have their ratings suffered alot? Because if so that's the biggest argument against this idea that people are boycotting because of the politics. Everything and everyone this year is worse off than last, unless you're Jeff Bezo.

And to double down on what I said earlier, while the bubble is a gallant effort on the part of the NBA, the product is inferior without fans. I don't even know how the players maintain the energy in the absence of crowds.

[ImKobe]

Because the Finals are in October in the middle of an NFL season and it's bubble basketball & the Lakers are heavy favorites. If it was Lakers - Bucks, the ratings would be a lot better.

[Phoenix]

Because the Finals are in October in the middle of an NFL season and it's bubble basketball & the Lakers are heavy favorites. If it was Lakers - Bucks, the ratings would be a lot better.

Most of the games don't clash directly with the NFL schedule though. I just think once the Clips and Bucks bowed out early, whatever energy was left of the season got sucked out.

[ImKobe]

Most of the games don't clash directly with the NFL schedule though. I just think once the Clips and Bucks bowed out early, whatever energy was left of the season got sucked out.

They games don't have to clash directly though, the NFL storyline takes away from the NBA coverage, which I do think affects the ratings as well. Lakers won the title when the Clippers blew their series. Only way the ratings come around is if the Heat tie this series up.

[Patrick Chewing]

Get rid of that BLM bullshit and watch the ratings skyrocket again.

[Wally450]

You're watching an NBA Finals in October that's why.

This isn't June.

[Mr. Woke]

Get rid of that BLM bullshit and watch the ratings skyrocket again.

Why does BLM trigger you that much?

Let me guess, the kneeling during the anthem also triggers you.

[Lil-Shrimp]

Go woke, go broke

[JohnnySic]

Its not really NFL pulling fans away. NFL ratings are in the toilet too.

[kabacho]

Are bars open in most states?
I think most people watch sports casually @ bars and gatherings.

[Jimi23]

no Curry in the finals, ratings instantly drop:(

[Wardell Curry]

no Curry in the finals, ratings instantly drop:(

https://media1.giphy.com/media/xULW8D8Mc58RapxkK4/giphy.gif


























https://media3.giphy.com/media/Ef0TRTKRVGGQw/giphy.gif

[FKAri]

People are slowly coming to the realization that basketball sucks ass.

[Mr. Woke]

People are slowly coming to the realization that basketball sucks ass.

How come you post here Fakri?

If basketball sucks ass, why do you still post on InsideHoops?

[90sgoat]

People are slowly coming to the realization that basketball sucks ass.

I think it's a fun game, but it's a game for young people, not a lot of 40+ dudes out there playing in the parks or rec centers.

A lot of games age better, tennis, even soccer, martial arts, whatever.

Particularly with how much the game is focused on athleticism now and less on tactics and teamwork.

[jayfan]

I mean, when the heavy underdog to begin with, loses 2 of its 3 best players in the middle of Game 1, the ratings are obviously going to plummet.

It's that simple.


.

[Doranku]

I think it's a fun game, but it's a game for young people, not a lot of 40+ dudes out there playing in the parks or rec centers.

A lot of games age better, tennis, even soccer, martial arts, whatever.

Particularly with how much the game is focused on athleticism now and less on tactics and teamwork.

This argument makes no sense. How many 40+ dudes do you see in the parks playing football? Football is the least accessible sport for all ages yet it's the most popular.

[Overdrive]

I think it's a fun game, but it's a game for young people, not a lot of 40+ dudes out there playing in the parks or rec centers.

A lot of games age better, tennis, even soccer, martial arts, whatever.

Particularly with how much the game is focused on athleticism now and less on tactics and teamwork.

That suddenly changed this year?

There are two events that changed in the NBA:

The bubble
BLM support

If it was BLM support all the other sports wouldn't suffer. They do. Hence it's bubble ball.

[90sgoat]

This argument makes no sense. How many 40+ dudes do you see in the parks playing football? Football is the least accessible sport for all ages yet it's the most popular.

Football has a lot of tactics and strategy though.

That's what happens when you get older, you stay relevant with paying attention to the strategy and the tactics. In basketball, these are teams like Pop spurs or Bird Celtics or even Phil Jackson triangle. All those teams play a system, that you can follow, pretend to be the coach.

When the sport becomes about just athleticism, you feel disconnected.

[brownmamba00]

Its down for everything sports related not just basketball tho

Sports is boring without the fans in general

[ErhnamDjinn]

The UFC is averaging very good numbers considering they also have no crowd. And they are for non-ppv events with usually no name fighters. I really think alot of people got turned of with the politics. I was glad the NBA returned but all my teams are gone now ( Dallas and the bucks) So I have not interest anymore except maybe check highlights or box score.

[Patrick Chewing]

Why does BLM trigger you that much?

Let me guess, the kneeling during the anthem also triggers you.

We're not the ones who are triggered. It's the NBA and the athletes who are triggered about social issues that they alienate an entire fan base by forcing certain issues and groups such as BLM down our throats. Neutrality is what sells. You can be an activist outside of the court, but mixing the two never works. It's like a commercial that comes on during a music video. You hate when it happens. It disrupts the flow. It disrupts your enjoyment. BLM garbage all over the court and BLM conversations pre and post game are like those commercials. They're annoying. Opinions are annoying. Sports is a unifier because it unites people from many backgrounds and political affiliations who come together for one reason and one reason alone.....the sport itself. But when Sports aligns itself with only one affiliation or opinion, and then proceeds to shove it down our throats as if they're promoting a new product, then it alienates a huge demographic and destroys that unity and bond that sports formed in the first place. A unity that is formed by being neutral and by being about the game itself.

So no, we're not the ones who are triggered. It's you who are triggered. We just changed the channel on you people.

[rawimpact]

because there are no cheerleaders... duh

[bullettooth]

Same old tired storyline with LeBron being shoehorned into the finals. It's fukking boring. Add in the whole weird political stuff all over the broadcast, take out the fans, half time shows, cheerleaders, etc. and you've got a recipe for shitty ratings. It's not surprising. Game 4 will probably have even less viewers.

[STATUTORY]

people don't want to hear stuff like this while trying to watch sports:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCbHDNyaXD8

"get woke, go broke"

[The Iron Fist]

We're not the ones who are triggered. It's the NBA and the athletes who are triggered about social issues that they alienate an entire fan base by forcing certain issues and groups such as BLM down our throats. Neutrality is what sells. You can be an activist outside of the court, but mixing the two never works. It's like a commercial that comes on during a music video. You hate when it happens. It disrupts the flow. It disrupts your enjoyment. BLM garbage all over the court and BLM conversations pre and post game are like those commercials. They're annoying. Opinions are annoying. Sports is a unifier because it unites people from many backgrounds and political affiliations who come together for one reason and one reason alone.....the sport itself. But when Sports aligns itself with only one affiliation or opinion, and then proceeds to shove it down our throats as if they're promoting a new product, then it alienates a huge demographic and destroys that unity and bond that sports formed in the first place. A unity that is formed by being neutral and by being about the game itself.

So no, we're not the ones who are triggered. It's you who are triggered. We just changed the channel on you people.
You just proved how triggered you are.

[FKAri]

How come you post here Fakri?

If basketball sucks ass, why do you still post on InsideHoops?

I only watch cuz of Lebron.

[nineiron]

I only watch cuz of Lebron.

ghey

[Mr. Woke]

We're not the ones who are triggered. It's the NBA and the athletes who are triggered about social issues that they alienate an entire fan base by forcing certain issues and groups such as BLM down our throats. Neutrality is what sells. You can be an activist outside of the court, but mixing the two never works. It's like a commercial that comes on during a music video. You hate when it happens. It disrupts the flow. It disrupts your enjoyment. BLM garbage all over the court and BLM conversations pre and post game are like those commercials. They're annoying. Opinions are annoying. Sports is a unifier because it unites people from many backgrounds and political affiliations who come together for one reason and one reason alone.....the sport itself. But when Sports aligns itself with only one affiliation or opinion, and then proceeds to shove it down our throats as if they're promoting a new product, then it alienates a huge demographic and destroys that unity and bond that sports formed in the first place. A unity that is formed by being neutral and by being about the game itself.

So no, we're not the ones who are triggered. It's you who are triggered. We just changed the channel on you people.

IMO you sound triggered as hell. You are letting some writing on a court disrupt your enjoyment of the game.

I also don't feel like anyone is shoving anything down my throat. The vast majority of the commentary is centered around the game itself.

[Mr. Woke]

people don't want to hear stuff like this while trying to watch sports:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCbHDNyaXD8

"get woke, go broke"

Why does that bother you so much?

[Long Duck Dong]

That suddenly changed this year?

There are two events that changed in the NBA:

The bubble
BLM support

If it was BLM support all the other sports wouldn't suffer. They do. Hence it's bubble ball.

Adam Silver's job and player salaries are depending on this to be true. Because if ratings don't pick up next year, look for a return to an apolitical format and Adam Silver in the unemployment line or sent off to a job in China

[Patrick Chewing]

IMO you sound triggered as hell. You are letting some writing on a court disrupt your enjoyment of the game.

I also don't feel like anyone is shoving anything down my throat. The vast majority of the commentary is centered around the game itself.

IMO you are triggered because you responded to what you perceived as me being triggered. Booya sucka!


#AllLivesMatter

[AirTupac]

As someone who doesn't involve himself with much of the BS going on in the world. Patrick is 100% right. The 5000 billion BLM commercials are just simply annoying. It could be any message and I would find it just as annoying. Literally post game, pre game, sometimes they are talking about BLM during the game and ignoring the actual fvcking game itself. Thank god I have a streamer who plays song requests so it hasnt been that bad but I still cant get away with pregame, post game and in game annoyances. Just play the ****ing game.

[coin24]

I’m sick of this vote bs also. No ones watching so not sure who you’re convincing to vote there chris small :oldlol:

The game has become a snooze fest and you can easily get the jist of it from the highlites..

[Mr. Woke]

IMO you are triggered because you responded to what you perceived as me being triggered. Booya sucka!


#AllLivesMatter

IMO you are the one who is triggered and mentally weak.

#BlackLivesMatter.

[Mr. Woke]

As someone who doesn't involve himself with much of the BS going on in the world. Patrick is 100% right. The 5000 billion BLM commercials are just simply annoying. It could be any message and I would find it just as annoying. Literally post game, pre game, sometimes they are talking about BLM during the game and ignoring the actual fvcking game itself. Thank god I have a streamer who plays song requests so it hasnt been that bad but I still cant get away with pregame, post game and in game annoyances. Just play the ****ing game.

You are exaggerating. The games are still going on, and no one is talking about BLM that much.

[YoungDripKing]

They literally wouldn't shut up in game 1 or 2 of the FINALS while the game was going on. No surprise the ratings are down.

[talkingconch]

BLM and politics

We live in a society where facts are just not important anymore and logic is out the window. It's an election year, the lives of people lost are being used to drive politicians. Its disgusting.

Think about it, the death of George Floyd, where the bodycam footage was purposely cut out. It was then realized that it was not racially motivated and a case of police brutality rather. Someone had the power to withhold the bodycam footage, and they did it on purpose.

I honestly hope Trump wins. I remember 4 years ago I was so against him but things have turned so much now. Billions of dollars in property damage to minority and white owned-businesses\, all thanks to democratic run governors and mayors doing nothing over an incident that was not racially charged in the first place.

[Mask the Embiid]

The Mayweather effect. People only watch to see him lose.So rating are at an all time high when he's playing vs the golden st's big 4, with george hill as his second best player.But when ole goat james is finally a favorite in the playoffs, his haters stick their heads in the sand to avoid watching the Finals all of a sudden.


It aint fun when lebron is on the powerhouse is it? :oldlol:

[IllegalD]

The Mayweather effect. People only watch to see him lose.So rating are at an all time high when he's playing vs the golden st's big 4, with george hill as his second best player.But when ole goat james is finally a favorite in the playoffs, his haters stick their heads in the sand to avoid watching the Finals all of a sudden.


It aint fun when lebron is on the powerhouse is it? :oldlol:

LOL hardcore denial.

Just accept it that nobody gives a flying f*ck about your Fraud "GOAT" LeQueen B*tch James and him winning what amounts to a Summer League championship in this cannibalized fraudulent playoffs against some of the weakest competition IN NBA HISTORY. :lol

[realdeal40]

Whenever there are massive dips, there are usually multiple reasons:

-Election year sports- Ratings are usually down 10% in election years. Prime time cable news (Fox/MSNBC) are getting 2-3M viewers.

-Cord cutting- The NBA is a cable league. There was an aincrease a few years ago due to the strategic relationship with ESPN/Disney/ABC due to the last round of contracts. Well now with people leaving cable in masses, that is going to have a significant impact on the NBA

-The NBA finals is going up against the NFL this year. Casual fans can maybe watch 1-2 games a week and in the US, the NFL trumps all.

-Competition matters (less for the finals since marquee teams usually get ratings, but still it is a bad precedent). I'm from Minnesota. The love of the NBA has been dying. The reality for tier 2 market teams is to be good, you need a home run draft in back to back years, and hope they put something together by the end of contract 2 before they leave on to greener pastures.

-BLM/Lebron/China fatigue has turned off middle America

-Habit changing pandemics.... a few months without sports changes people

[bison]

I love how these fake basketball fans out themselves: “I need corportate Crowds, big screens, electronics, cheerleaders and music for me to remotely enjoy this sport”


A lot of people are boycotting the NBA because of the politics.

I watched the game last night though and it is just so boring and shit quality. Without the crowds, it becomes readily apparant what a strange and boring game the NBA has turned into, these weird sets they run to get a corner 3 always beginning with the high moving screen.

The game is not fun at all.

[bison]

Imagine being this ****ing stupid you can’t enjoy sports anymore because PragerU told you not to


BLM and politics

We live in a society where facts are just not important anymore and logic is out the window. It's an election year, the lives of people lost are being used to drive politicians. Its disgusting.

Think about it, the death of George Floyd, where the bodycam footage was purposely cut out. It was then realized that it was not racially motivated and a case of police brutality rather. Someone had the power to withhold the bodycam footage, and they did it on purpose.

I honestly hope Trump wins. I remember 4 years ago I was so against him but things have turned so much now. Billions of dollars in property damage to minority and white owned-businesses\, all thanks to democratic run governors and mayors doing nothing over an incident that was not racially charged in the first place.

[Stephonit]

Haven't been watching because Stephen Curry isn't playing.

[Axe]

Haven't been watching because Stephen Curry isn't playing.
:lol

[oldtimer28]

BLM and politics

We live in a society where facts are just not important anymore and logic is out the window. It's an election year, the lives of people lost are being used to drive politicians. Its disgusting.

Think about it, the death of George Floyd, where the bodycam footage was purposely cut out. It was then realized that it was not racially motivated and a case of police brutality rather. Someone had the power to withhold the bodycam footage, and they did it on purpose.

I honestly hope Trump wins. I remember 4 years ago I was so against him but things have turned so much now. Billions of dollars in property damage to minority and white owned-businesses\, all thanks to democratic run governors and mayors doing nothing over an incident that was not racially charged in the first place.

Yes, nba pushing propaganda.

[Jay-B]

LOL Are you really serious about this question? Your acting like this is a normal finals being played in June on a normal year.:facepalm:facepalm:facepalm

[Patrick Chewing]

I love the logic that because there aren’t fans in the stands, that that’s the reason that ratings are down. Wouldn’t it be the opposite though? If those fans can’t watch the game in person, then wouldn’t they be watching it on TV instead?? I mean, I don’t watch a game just to look at the fans :lol

Some of you kids need to man up and realize the poison pill was politics and social justice being infused into sports.

[Phoenix]

I love the logic that because there aren’t fans in the stands, that that’s the reason that ratings are down. Wouldn’t it be the opposite though? If those fans can’t watch the game in person, then wouldn’t they be watching it on TV instead?? I mean, I don’t watch a game just to look at the fans :lol

Some of you kids need to man up and realize the poison pill was politics and social justice being infused into sports.

But again, how do you account for the decline in ratings in other sports not pushing a social agenda? You could easier place it on 'wokeness' if the NBA alone was in decline. But I recall the decline in ratings to be a conversation going back prior to this year, and centred around how meaningless the regular season was beginning to feel with players sitting out to load manage.

I don't think lack of fans in the stands would turn people away. I think there are more practical reasons, like a 7 month long pandemic/lockdown and people having more important shit on their mind than sports. Other things like the decline in cable adoption and people streaming more is probably also a larger contributor. It's hard to assign a number to just how many people are boycotting specifically due to BLM. I think it's more of a thousand cuts situation that's led to reduced ratings across sports, not just the NBA.

[Shogon]

I love the logic that because there aren’t fans in the stands, that that’s the reason that ratings are down. Wouldn’t it be the opposite though? If those fans can’t watch the game in person, then wouldn’t they be watching it on TV instead?? I mean, I don’t watch a game just to look at the fans :lol

Some of you kids need to man up and realize the poison pill was politics and social justice being infused into sports.

It's multifaceted but if you think it's just because of or almost exclusively because of BLM you're crazy.

Fan engagement across all sports is way down for multiple reasons and the biggest reasons all stem from COVID-19. You're very anti BLM as am I, and yet... here we are.

[EllEffEll]

Not necessarily BLM, but politics in general. Mixing politics with sports used to be relatively taboo. Viewership is down for sports and entertainment in general because so many athletes/actors/celebrities have chosen to inject politics into places that used to be where people went to escape those things. Since those entities have chosen to become political, people have chosen other things to get away from politics.

Outdoor activities such as cycling, fishing, boating, and camping have seen a massive increase in participation. Try to buy a bicycle that costs between $500 and $4,000 right now. They are very difficult to find with long backorder times. The bike shops, tackle stores, RV sellers, boat shops are doing record breaking business. The math is not difficult to do. America is voting with their feet and with their dollars and it will tell you the story, but it's up to you to understand it.

[ralph_i_el]

Holy shit I feel like I'm taking crazy pills. The NBA is the only league that has made BLM a big deal, and they're seeing the same drop in ratings as ALL THE OTHER SPORTS. EVEN SPORTS WHERE THE ATHLETES ARE ANIMALS WITH NO POLITICAL OPINIONS AT ALL.

The only possible explanation that makes this true is that people have stopped watching those other sports because the leagues DON'T support BLM, but I haven't seen anyone seriously suggest that. I demand BLM horses!

[Shogon]

Not necessarily BLM, but politics in general. Mixing politics with sports used to be relatively taboo. Viewership is down for sports and entertainment in general because so many athletes/actors/celebrities have chosen to inject politics into places that used to be where people went to escape those things. Since those entities have chosen to become political, people have chosen other things to get away from politics.

Outdoor activities such as cycling, fishing, boating, and camping have seen a massive increase in participation. Try to buy a bicycle that costs between $500 and $4,000 right now. They are very difficult to find with long backorder times. The bike shops, tackle stores, RV sellers, boat shops are doing record breaking business. The math is not difficult to do. America is voting with their feet and with their dollars and it will tell you the story, but it's up to you to understand it.

It's because the ability for people to connect via sports has been severely hampered. Politics is off putting, but I'm telling you that's not the biggest reason.

-Fans at home don't connect with the product as much because there are no crowds.
-Fans can't go to the games to see the players in person, thus less connection to the players and other fans.
-Fans haven't gathered as much with friends and family either at homes or at bars this year to watch sporting events because of COVID.

It's really quite easy to see that the politics are having an impact but not as much as you want to represent.

The ratings drop is predominantly because of COVID-19 related impact.

I would wager that most people's best sporting experiences, from a spectator perspective, revolve around being with other people and watching the games/contests. COVID has severely dampened the frequency that people are connecting. I mean, what the ****? You say that bicycles are exploding with demand and you don't think that's a result of COVID? Lol. People didn't all just say... oh shit well sports are political now so LET ME GO BUY A BICYCLE. No, it's because people have been cooped up for too long and they're trying to actually, you know, go outside.

[bullettooth]

Outdoor activities such as cycling, fishing, boating, and camping have seen a massive increase in participation. Try to buy a bicycle that costs between $500 and $4,000 right now. They are very difficult to find with long backorder times.

This. It's been shitshow this year has been for biking. I wanted to get a new Trek bike for myself (entry level MTB, no point in spending top dollar if you don't know how far into the sport you'll get). But every store is completely sold out... only bikes that are available yet still in low numbers are ones around 2k. Even if you're looking for used, people are selling 500 dollar bikes for over 1k; https://www.ebay.com/itm/2019-TREK-Marlin-5-Volt-Green-26-034-/264798494897

It's crazy.

[ZenMaster]

Every sport is experiencing a similar drop in ratings.

If it was politics, why would it be effecting Golf, Car Racing, Horse Racing, Hockey, MLB, and NFL in a similar way?

Unless you are saying that people are also not tuning in to those sports because they DON'T do the political stuff.

Otherwise, it just sounds like you're mad, and letting it cloud your perception.

Most of those you mentioned there has been infused with politics, not all of them heavily, but they even spoke about BLM and asked about the hardship of their black hosts on the Golf Channel when the tour restarted.
I don't know about horse racing, but I believe that all the others you mention gave loud messages in support of BLM.

Sure there are more people streaming now, but there are also more people in the US than in the past.

Something I haven't seen mentioned is that all sports is also happening at the same time right now, meaning that many people who'd watch multiple sports previously, now has to tune some out.

Nonetheless, the UFC has seen their viewership increase to record levels for them.

https://sports.yahoo.com/ufc-tv-ratings-amid-covid-19-pandemic-a-sign-of-growing-fan-interest-170931619.html

[n00bie]

I really cant stand watching LeBron play. I don't know how people like him.

[starface]

I wonder if one reason people often feel motivated to "watch the game" is if they know it's going to be a subject of discussion at work the next day. Fewer people going to an actual work place means less time spent making small talk in general. I think a lot of people keep an arsenal of mainstream interests specifically for the purpose of being able to participate in social discussion. There are probably a ton of casuals who just dont really care who wins the basketball game, if they know it isn't going to come up the next day in their conversations.

I suspect a huge portion of the drop-off across the board comes from casuals who no longer have a reason to watch. I also do think a segment of dedicated fans is tuning out due to politics, and I also suspect that people are assuming all mainstream sports leagues are going to push this nonsense the way the NBA is, and don't even want to bother.

It's many different factors, obviously. However, the desire to escape any subjection to BLM propaganda is very strong among a significant number of sports fans. I think it's fair to assume many are opting to do/watch other things than to sit and wait to be inevitably sermonized by a mainstream sports organization.

I know I am.

[sdot_thadon]

It's kinda funny to see so many comments citing the BLM movement as the culprit whenever other sports are experiencing the same sort of drop off. These are strange times and honestly the covid life has made alot of us adopt different habits. Not to mention I'd guess this is the 1st time basketball, football, baseball, and hockey were ever running concurrently. Not to mention all the niche sports.

[ZenMaster]

It's kinda funny to see so many comments citing the BLM movement as the culprit whenever other sports are experiencing the same sort of drop off. These are strange times and honestly the covid life has made alot of us adopt different habits. Not to mention I'd guess this is the 1st time basketball, football, baseball, and hockey were ever running concurrently. Not to mention all the niche sports.

But basically all sports leagues have endorsed BLM?

Except the UFC which has had a major increase in viewers.

[starface]

But basically all sports leagues have endorsed BLM?

Except the UFC which has had a major increase in viewers.

Yup.

It's undoubtedly a combination of factors, including some that have been trending this way for the last decade or so.

Still, every major sports league (besides UFC apparently) is running some degree of BLM shtick in their broadcasts, even if it isn't as extreme as the NBA. I think people underestimate how quickly the silent majority is changing the channel as soon as they get even a whiff of this agenda.

[sdot_thadon]

I get it, anyone is free to watch whatever they please, but on the other hand.....I dunno. if the reinforcement of a long overdue positive message causes you to recoil and not enjoy entertainment maybe its time to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're part of the problem.....

[fsvr54]

I get it, anyone is free to watch whatever they please, but on the other hand.....I dunno. if the reinforcement of a long overdue positive message causes you to recoil and not enjoy entertainment maybe its time to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're part of the problem.....

There is no positive message with BLM

Braindead people like you are the problem

[PoutinPippin]

BLM and politics

We live in a society where facts are just not important anymore and logic is out the window. It's an election year, the lives of people lost are being used to drive politicians. Its disgusting.

Think about it, the death of George Floyd, where the bodycam footage was purposely cut out. It was then realized that it was not racially motivated and a case of police brutality rather. Someone had the power to withhold the bodycam footage, and they did it on purpose.

I honestly hope Trump wins. I remember 4 years ago I was so against him but things have turned so much now. Billions of dollars in property damage to minority and white owned-businesses\, all thanks to democratic run governors and mayors doing nothing over an incident that was not racially charged in the first place.
Facts. Plain and simple.

[sdot_thadon]

There is no positive message with BLM

Braindead people like you are the problem

Oh there isn't? With that. I'd be better off not even engaging but I'll humor you. Which one is it for you? Injustice against black people is ok? Or perhaps actively seeking equality equates to a supremacist movement in your eyes? Oh lemme guess, black on black crime, etc so its ok?

[NBASTATMAN]

Overpaid crybabies .. Tired of hearing there shit.. I have no problem with them being involved in racial situations or even political .. But these guys are getting paid 20-40 million dollars a year.. And all I hear is how hard it is for them.. LOL ..

[L8krH8tr]

this is why
https://i.postimg.cc/x1WbMrxJ/spacejam2.png (https://postimg.cc/QFJtZzrh)

[Meticode]

I'm pretty sure all sports are down in ratings? Am I wrong? Oh shit, that must mean LeBron is the reason. It's mostly because of two reasons. There's no fans so the games aren't as entertaining and many sports are choosing to make political statements. There's going to be people who don't want to hear or see that so they're not going to watch.

[starface]

I get it, anyone is free to watch whatever they please, but on the other hand.....I dunno. if the reinforcement of a long overdue positive message causes you to recoil and not enjoy entertainment maybe its time to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're part of the problem.....


This is the one strawman in your arsenal.

BLM is a movement that wants to CONTROL the discussion, the ideas, and the policies, and not allowing challenging or dissenting views. They package every radical or unconstitutional aspect of the movement behind the idea that it’s about keeping black people from being murdered. And if someone challenges one of their beliefs or policies, they shout “you support killing innocent black people!” It’s not about black lives, we all know black people are the biggest threat to black lives. It’s a play for power and status and being the bearers of a new movement where they call the shots. People wanna install their own political brand, in which they carry the most clout. Period.

This is low IQ propaganda shit that works in piss poor feudal era fiefdoms. Too many Americans have the brains and the freedom now not to see thru youre weak ass faux-woke power play. Your transparent emotional ploys and guilt trip tactics can FVCK OFF, little boy...

[DoctorP]

why? Bars are all closed. Most of em you have to pay for a dish to stay in the restaurant so you cant drink n watch.... Also dudes are letting the girlfriend choose netflix so sex can happen...its complicated

[sdot_thadon]

This is the one strawman in your arsenal.

BLM is a movement that wants to CONTROL the discussion, the ideas, and the policies, and not allowing challenging or dissenting views. They package every radical or unconstitutional aspect of the movement behind the idea that it’s about keeping black people from being murdered. And if someone challenges one of their beliefs or policies, they shout “you support killing innocent black people!” It’s not about black lives, we all know black people are the biggest threat to black lives. It’s a play for power and status and being the bearers of a new movement where they call the shots. People wanna install their own political brand, in which they carry the most clout. Period.

This is low IQ propaganda shit that works in piss poor feudal era fiefdoms. Too many Americans have the brains and the freedom now not to see thru youre weak ass faux-woke power play. Your transparent emotional ploys and guilt trip tactics can FVCK OFF, little boy...

I find this hilarious, because people want to attack the concept because they dont agree with the proprietors. All the political hub bub that has been attached to the conversation is in hopes of delegitimizing the root concept. There's no guilt trip tactics, wrong is wrong. And yeah the attention to civil rights on this sort of level is long overdue, if you disagree that says more about you than I or anyone else. People are upset because what should be normal is making baby steps toward that. I'll make an assumption based on your posts and I can't even be mad at you. Because you'll never understand, unless you're blessed with empathy which is a gift lost on this generation of kids. You don't experience life the way some of the people who support this thing do. And that's ok, it's counterproductive though to throw sticks at things you dont understand....

[starface]

I find this hilarious, because people want to attack the concept because they dont agree with the proprietors. All the political hub bub that has been attached to the conversation is in hopes of delegitimizing the root concept. There's no guilt trip tactics, wrong is wrong. And yeah the attention to civil rights on this sort of level is long overdue, if you disagree that says more about you than I or anyone else. People are upset because what should be normal is making baby steps toward that. I'll make an assumption based on your posts and I can't even be mad at you. Because you'll never understand, unless you're blessed with empathy which is a gift lost on this generation of kids. You don't experience life the way some of the people who support this thing do. And that's ok, it's counterproductive though to throw sticks at things you dont understand....


YOUR political message doesnt belong in a basketball game. If you believe it does, youre proving my point. You dont care about seeking cooperative solutions, because that would require respecting other people, who may feel a different time and place is appropriate for political issues.

You want to obnoxiously interrupt everyone else so you can cram your views down their throats. That isnt the best way to engage others to work toward preventing the future “loss of black lives.” But you dont care about black lives. You care about bullying others politically. And guess what? WE ALL DO. Thats humanity’s favorite past time. We’re all guilty of it.

But dont act surprised, and dont play innocent, when people tune you out and walk away from your particular dumbshit ideology. If you want a group of athletes who are collectively VERY poorly educated on such issues, to focus on politics when theyre being paid to play sports, dont point the finger at others who find that extremely unappealing. It’s your fault and BLM athletes’ fault for poorly choosing a time and place to stump this issue.

You wanna make excuses by pointing the finger and saying “thats the bad guy!”

Nah.

Point it at yourself.

Youre a child.

[oldtimer28]

There is no positive message with BLM

Braindead people like you are the problem

Correct, but I replace braindead with manipulated.

We all are to some extent but BLM is outrageous.

[DoctorP]

Nobody cares about the political message. This is more insecurity to pour on tothe black community. The blacks have always mattered. They never didnt matter. We all saw freah prince, martin, etc. We all bought the snoop and the chapelle.

The insecurity is in the black community and then they hate the whites more than vice versa. Its sad

[DoctorP]

Black people are hunting whites every day

:lol

[starface]

Nobody cares about the political message. This is more insecurity to pour on tothe black community. The blacks have always mattered. They never didnt matter. We all saw freah prince, martin, etc.

The insecurity is in the black community and then they hate the whites more than vice versa. Its sad


The whole thing is about insecurity, I agree.

Thats what is really at the root of the white “privilege” concept.

Its not about having money and connections and legal favoritism, which most whites DONT.

It’s about the idea that whites dont have to feel self conscious, while many black people do. That isnt something anyone can control. But many black people resent it, and many high strung, neurotic white PC pansies resent it even more than black peoppe, because they are projecting insecurity onto black people. These cringey, pink haired, wannabe woke “allies” hate themselves, bc thats their nature, but as a result they assume someone whose black must REALLY hate themselves. And they have a burning hatred for normal, adjusted white people who really dont give a **** about their personal issues. That is the MAIN subtext behind 90% of this stuff.

This whole thing is about shaming normal, traditional whites. Not ‘justice’ or finding ways to save black lives. None of these people spend any time volunteering for those causes.

They go around shouting slogans and waiving signs with the main objective of “winning” some kind of debate and forcing the other side to lose, and seeing them take a hit to their pride. They want to make the people they perceive as on top of society, feel hurt. Even better if they can project some kind of personal aura of importance and leadership by shouting cliches or acting over the top emotional.

None of this is about protecting anyone. It’s about vindictiveness and trying to shift social strata so that the last can be first for a change.

[sdot_thadon]

YOUR political message doesnt belong in a basketball game. If you believe it does, youre proving my point. You dont care about seeking cooperative solutions, because that would require respecting other people, who may feel a different time and place is appropriate for political issues.

You want to obnoxiously interrupt everyone else so you can cram your views down their throats. That isnt the best way to engage others to work toward preventing the future “loss of black lives.” But you dont care about black lives. You care about bullying others politically. And guess what? WE ALL DO. Thats humanity’s favorite past time. We’re all guilty of it.

But dont act surprised, and dont play innocent, when people tune you out and walk away from your particular dumbshit ideology. If you want a group of athletes who are collectively VERY poorly educated on such issues, to focus on politics when theyre being paid to play sports, dont point the finger at others who find that extremely unappealing. It’s your fault and BLM athletes’ fault for poorly choosing a time and place to stump this issue.

You wanna make excuses by pointing the finger and saying “thats the bad guy!”

Nah.

Point it at yourself.

Youre a child.

One question, not just for you but for any non black guy here opposed to civil rights: How would black people getting the same treatment your demographic has enjoyed for decades if not centuries impact you negatively? How would someone like myself no longer being profiled affect you? How would laws that target certain groups no longer existing hurt you? I want to understand the mind of someone so emotionally opposed to another group being uplifted. Because at the end of the day this is what its about for me. I dont identify with a BLM organization, and as a black man I could give a **** about the political goals of the org. What's important to me and others like me is progress.

[starface]

One question, not just for you but for any non black guy here opposed to civil rights: How would black people getting the same treatment your demographic has enjoyed for decades if not centuries impact you negatively? How would someone like myself no longer being profiled affect you? How would laws that target certain groups no longer existing hurt you? I want to understand the mind of someone so emotionally opposed to another group being uplifted. Because at the end of the day this is what its about for me. I dont identify with a BLM organization, and as a black man I could give a **** about the political goals of the org. What's important to me and others like me is progress.

1. You have the same legal rights. There is no legal double standard. The same laws that apply to me apply to you. You cannot “target” a specific race with a law. A law applies to everyone and it is either constitutional or it isnt. If a law against murder means “blacks will be disproportionately put in jail” well... thats too bad. We need laws against murder. If there was a law against listening to hip hop, that would apply to everyone as well, however it would be UNconstitutional, and therefore overturned. Not liking certain laws simply because a particular race breaks them more than others isnt racism or injustice.

2. Every single thing about you creates a profile and that is an impossible fact to change. What you wear, how you speak, you height, your weight, your car, your walk, and yes your skin color. People take the totality of what they observe, and make judgements based on past experiences or perceptions. This is basic human nature. You do it. Your mom does it. Jeff Lenchiner does it. Ghandi did it. Everyone does it. There is no way a police can NOT psychologically profile a black guy with his hood up and his pants around his knees who is walking away from an area a crime was just reported. That is literally, psychologically IMPOSSIBLE. What we CAN do is expect police to follow proper protocol and engage people in an appropriate manner. However if someone doesnt like being engaged and chooses to be difficult, the odds of things going awry increase exponentially. And at the end of the day, the amount of people in this country and the amount of crime and amount of calls the police get... tragedies will occasionally happen. TRUE tragedies, where someone did NOTHING wrong, are extremely rare, and obviously cause for concern, but sometimes are genuinely unavoidable. MOST of the incidents BLM are in a stir about, are self inflicted.

People have their own lives and dont have the same interest as you in jumping on all the latest trends in politics and wokeness. That doesnt make them worse than you IN ANY WAY. It means you see this complicated issue with a very simplistic, narrow perspective, thinking it’s as simple as “everyone agree with me or they racists!!!!”

[Mr. Woke]

Black people are hunting whites every day

:lol

Good one lol.

[Mr. Woke]

The whole thing is about insecurity, I agree.

Thats what is really at the root of the white “privilege” concept.

Its not about having money and connections and legal favoritism, which most whites DONT.

It’s about the idea that whites dont have to feel self conscious, while many black people do. That isnt something anyone can control. But many black people resent it, and many high strung, neurotic white PC pansies resent it even more than black peoppe, because they are projecting insecurity onto black people. These cringey, pink haired, wannabe woke “allies” hate themselves, bc thats their nature, but as a result they assume someone whose black must REALLY hate themselves. And they have a burning hatred for normal, adjusted white people who really dont give a **** about their personal issues. That is the MAIN subtext behind 90% of this stuff.

This whole thing is about shaming normal, traditional whites. Not ‘justice’ or finding ways to save black lives. None of these people spend any time volunteering for those causes.

They go around shouting slogans and waiving signs with the main objective of “winning” some kind of debate and forcing the other side to lose, and seeing them take a hit to their pride. They want to make the people they perceive as on top of society, feel hurt. Even better if they can project some kind of personal aura of importance and leadership by shouting cliches or acting over the top emotional.

None of this is about protecting anyone. It’s about vindictiveness and trying to shift social strata so that the last can be first for a change.

I am glad that I am not offend about BLM like you are (for the record I am a white dude).

However, if that is how you wanna live your life, more power to you.

[DoctorP]

Good one lol.

Its true. Ask Tyler Herro

[ralph_i_el]

Starass is in his feelings again :roll: sounds like my alcoholic granddad.

How can one man run his mouth so much, but say so little?

[PoutinPippin]

Starass is in his feelings again :roll: sounds like my alcoholic granddad.

How can one man run his mouth so much, but say so little?
Everything he’s saying is dead ass accurate.

[starface]

Starass is in his feelings again :roll: sounds like my alcoholic granddad.

How can one man run his mouth so much, but say so little?


^ Looks like we got us a pink-hair, fellas

[Mr. Woke]

Its true. Ask Tyler Herro

Good one lol.

[Mr. Woke]

Everything he’s saying is dead ass accurate.

IMO not at all. To me he seems like a sensitive snowflake with a victim complex.

[Lakers Legend#32]

No fans is not conducive to sustaining drama.

[Patrick Chewing]

Adam Silver knows what's up: https://www.waynedupree.com/2020/10/nba-sjw-blm-cave/


"Those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor. And, I understand those people who are saying, ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game.'"

No more BLM bullshit next season.

[~primetime~]

https://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OG-EH877_CORDCU_4U_20200509153718.png


^^^ the main culprit


Another facet to this that I don't think has been brought up in here...The NBA was cut mid-season...(unlike the NFL which is only down 5% year over year)

For the average fan (which are more casual fans than most in here)...it is difficult as fck to try and track back to what happened earlier in the season and then REINVEST yourself into it months later following covid/race riots/etc. The splitting of the season is huge here IMO...once the season was cut off many casual fans mentally cut it off as though it was already over.

In the NFL it was a fresh start, a new beginning, etc...nothing to track back to. Thus they aren't seeing as big of a decrease and I would bet the Super Bowl will still have a huge viewing audience.

[Mr. Woke]

Adam Silver knows what's up: https://www.waynedupree.com/2020/10/nba-sjw-blm-cave/



No more BLM bullshit next season.

You seem mentally weak. Lol at letting BLM live in your mind rent free!

[Patrick Chewing]

You seem mentally weak. Lol at letting BLM live in your mind rent free!

Go cry into your pillow you little snowflake.

ALL LIVES MATTER. BLUE LIVES MATTER.

[Mr. Woke]

Go cry into your pillow you little snowflake.

ALL LIVES MATTER. BLUE LIVES MATTER.

You seem like you are about to have a mental breakdown.

Black Lives Matter.

[light]

Literally the lowest ever. Don’t people want to watch Lebron?

Can’t help but think his woke politics have contributed to the ratings collapse.

The Heat are a really low seed and they have no superstar player. It's been 21 years since such a low seed has advanced to the Finals.

So in other words people thought the finals would be lopsided and contain little drama. That's the reason.

[ralph_i_el]

Go cry into your pillow you little snowflake.

ALL LIVES MATTER. BLUE LIVES MATTER.

Uh nurse, looks like this one filled his bedpan.:facepalm

[Patrick Chewing]

Black Lives Matter.

If that were true, they'd stop killing each other in record numbers and these NBA players you worship would actually speak out against Black on Black violence. But this is all a scam. Black lives really don't matter to these people.


Makes you people look like clowns cause you were bamboozled into buying into a fraudulent movement. Educate yourself.

[L8krH8tr]

Brutal... NFL remains supreme.

[Mr. Woke]

If that were true, they'd stop killing each other in record numbers and these NBA players you worship would actually speak out against Black on Black violence. But this is all a scam. Black lives really don't matter to these people.


Makes you people look like clowns cause you were bamboozled into buying into a fraudulent movement. Educate yourself.

Black Lives Matter.

Go cry some more boy.

[kawhileonard2]

Because Lebron joined forces with the most dominant big man in the league in AD and then got Dwight and Rondo two guys who beat him without HCA when Lebron had HCA.

[light]

Literally the lowest ever. Don’t people want to watch Lebron?

Can’t help but think his woke politics have contributed to the ratings collapse.

a bubble scheduling issue. we're in october in the nba finals. never happens. they're playing games on sundays, head to head with the nfl. they played a game on friday night, which they never do in a regular nba finals because no one watches tv on friday nights.

if we were still in june the ratings would've been normal.

[k 96]

Ratings are poor because the smart fans caught on early. This whole season has been rigged from the start. Everyone and there grandmother knew the Lakers would win this year. ESPN/NBA got rid of the problem, to make sure Bron is the ONLY face of L.A. It was written in stone, as soon as L.A. got him from Cleveland. The Lakers would win the 2020 NBA Championship. So rigged.

[nineiron]

Ratings are poor because the smart fans caught on early. This whole season has been rigged from the start. Everyone and there grandmother knew the Lakers would win this year. ESPN/NBA got rid of the problem, to make sure Bron is the ONLY face of L.A. It was written in stone, as soon as L.A. got him from Cleveland. The Lakers would win the 2020 NBA Championship. So rigged.

this

[bullettooth]

Anyone that has an issue with the BLM narrative in the NBA is a Trump supporting racist.

[Patrick Chewing]

I suck Big Black C*cks

Yikes

[8Ball]

No fans in the arenas.

That's the reason why.

Hockey had crap ratings too for a finals.

[nineiron]

ratings are down because ppl don't wanna watch LeFraud playing bush league ball:

https://media.giphy.com/media/RGRVGX98WsV9SNCBUn/giphy.gif

[Patrick Chewing]

You feel that way because you're either a moron or black

Read the standing principles of the BLM movement and you'll quickly realize how it furthers systematic racism and privilege.

BLM literally says that Black families shouldn't exist. The biggest problems in Black America is that they lack the structure of a happy and healthy family, and yet these Marxists are preaching for more of that instead of less. Truly diabolical and dare I say it...demonic.

But yeah.....Black Lives Matter :rolleyes:

[Mr. Woke]

Ratings are poor because the smart fans caught on early. This whole season has been rigged from the start. Everyone and there grandmother knew the Lakers would win this year. ESPN/NBA got rid of the problem, to make sure Bron is the ONLY face of L.A. It was written in stone, as soon as L.A. got him from Cleveland. The Lakers would win the 2020 NBA Championship. So rigged.

What's up Alex Jones?

[nineiron]

https://media.giphy.com/media/RGRVGX98WsV9SNCBUn/giphy.gif

[kawhileonard2]

Because Lebron doesn't bring good ratings in the finals like Kawhi does.

[starface]

Because Lebron doesn't bring good ratings in the finals like Kawhi does.


Man, STFU. Lebron brings great ratings. It’s just... it’s just complicated this year. That’s all.

You dont know what the **** youre talking about anyway, get the **** outta here. Get the FVCK outta here. Talkin bout “omg its LeHungs fault, bc blah blah blah BLAH” :ohwell:

Dont let me see your ****ing face in this thread again.

[kawhileonard2]

Man, STFU. Lebron brings great ratings. It’s just... it’s just complicated this year. That’s all.

You dont know what the **** youre talking about anyway, get the **** outta here. Get the FVCK outta here. Talkin bout “omg its LeHungs fault, bc blah blah blah BLAH” :ohwell:

Dont let me see your ****ing face in this thread again.

2019 finals much better than 2020 finals ratings because Kawhi was in the 2019 finals.

[bullettooth]

Man, STFU. Lebron brings great ratings. It’s just... it’s just complicated this year. That’s all.

You dont know what the **** youre talking about anyway, get the **** outta here. Get the FVCK outta here. Talkin bout “omg its LeHungs fault, bc blah blah blah BLAH” :ohwell:

Dont let me see your ****ing face in this thread again.

Wow. Are you angry?

[bobopenguin]

ppl saying black live matters like it's a noble thing, but when i say white live matters, automatically i am tagged with kkk label.

[baudkarma]

Sports burnout. Too much sports on TV at the same time. NBA playoffs, MLB playoffs, NHL playoffs, NFL regular season, NCAA football, pro tennis, PGA, and lord knows what else. Most people have only so much time they can devote to watching sports per week, and there are just too many events on at the same time. Normally the NBA playoffs have the TV schedule pretty much to themselves. Their only competition is MLB, which is just getting it's marathon season started, and pro tennis/pro golf, which generally have lackluster ratings unless it's a major. This year there's a ton of competition for viewer eyeballs, and every sport has seen it's TV ratings drop.

[hold this L]

2019 finals much better than 2020 finals ratings because Kawhi was in the 2019 finals.

Ahh yes, the most boring superstar in the history of the NBA bringing in the ratings :lol

[Stephonit]

Ahh yes, the most boring superstar in the history of the NBA bringing in the ratings :lol

2019 Finals was far more consequential. In the beginning at least it was a fairly even match-up between leading players.

[red1]

Ahh yes, the most boring superstar in the history of the NBA bringing in the ratings :lol

the only reason people even rooted for kawhi was because everyone hated the warriors. watch all of these so called "clippers fans" jump on the warriors bandwagon next year when they are back and are good :oldlol:

[red1]

Wow. Are you angry?

get trolled fakkit. :oldlol:



Man, STFU. Lebron brings great ratings. It’s just... it’s just complicated this year. That’s all.

You dont know what the **** youre talking about anyway, get the **** outta here. Get the FVCK outta here. Talkin bout “omg its LeHungs fault, bc blah blah blah BLAH” :ohwell:

Dont let me see your ****ing face in this thread again.

:oldlol:

[8Ball]

Because Jordan stans are having a meltdown. They can't watch.

[~primetime~]

Ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals were down 61% from last year, averaging 2.1 million viewers.

The final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament had 3.2 million viewers, by far the fewest going back more than 30 years.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament viewership fell sharply on ESPN, down 45% from the year before. The French Open is down 57% so far on NBC.

The Kentucky Derby, which normally gets around 15 million viewers, only had 9.3 million at its rescheduled slot in September.

[nineiron]

Ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals were down 61% from last year, averaging 2.1 million viewers.

The final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament had 3.2 million viewers, by far the fewest going back more than 30 years.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament viewership fell sharply on ESPN, down 45% from the year before. The French Open is down 57% so far on NBC.

The Kentucky Derby, which normally gets around 15 million viewers, only had 9.3 million at its rescheduled slot in September.

all the above sports were already on a downward trend. basketball is supposed to be rising in popularity. ratings are down because LeFraud.

https://media.giphy.com/media/RGRVGX98WsV9SNCBUn/giphy.gif

[sdot_thadon]

Ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals were down 61% from last year, averaging 2.1 million viewers.

The final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament had 3.2 million viewers, by far the fewest going back more than 30 years.

The U.S. Open tennis tournament viewership fell sharply on ESPN, down 45% from the year before. The French Open is down 57% so far on NBC.

The Kentucky Derby, which normally gets around 15 million viewers, only had 9.3 million at its rescheduled slot in September.

On top of that

US Open (golf) final round: down 56%
US Open (tennis) was down 45% and the French open is down 57% so far
Kentucky Derby: down 43%
Indy 500: down 32%
Through four weeks, NFL viewership is down approximately 10%
NHL Playoffs were down 39% (Pre Stanley Cup playoffs was down 28% while the Stanley Cup was down 61%).
NBA finals are down 45% (so far). Conference finals were down 35%, while the first round was 27% down. To match the viewership, activity on the NBA reddit fan community is also down 50% from the NBA finals last year.


But the MLB playoffs (down 39 percent)

Kinda seems like people that wanna make it about race/politics will do just that....all while tuning in to every second amirite ish?

[ZenMaster]

On top of that




Kinda seems like people that wanna make it about race/politics will do just that....all while tuning in to every second amirite ish?

There's been a focus on BLM support in all those sports though.

Look at UFC, they're way up without BLM support.

[BarberSchool]

The whole thing is about insecurity, I agree.

Thats what is really at the root of the white “privilege” concept.

Its not about having money and connections and legal favoritism, which most whites DONT.

It’s about the idea that whites dont have to feel self conscious, while many black people do. That isnt something anyone can control. But many black people resent it, and many high strung, neurotic white PC pansies resent it even more than black peoppe, because they are projecting insecurity onto black people. These cringey, pink haired, wannabe woke “allies” hate themselves, bc thats their nature, but as a result they assume someone whose black must REALLY hate themselves. And they have a burning hatred for normal, adjusted white people who really dont give a **** about their personal issues. That is the MAIN subtext behind 90% of this stuff.

This whole thing is about shaming normal, traditional whites. Not ‘justice’ or finding ways to save black lives. None of these people spend any time volunteering for those causes.

They go around shouting slogans and waiving signs with the main objective of “winning” some kind of debate and forcing the other side to lose, and seeing them take a hit to their pride. They want to make the people they perceive as on top of society, feel hurt. Even better if they can project some kind of personal aura of importance and leadership by shouting cliches or acting over the top emotional.

None of this is about protecting anyone. It’s about vindictiveness and trying to shift social strata so that the last can be first for a change.Very high effort post, and spot on.
Many people would like to deny this analysis, and they would be WRONG.

[sdot_thadon]

There's been a focus on BLM support in all those sports though.

Look at UFC, they're way up without BLM support.

Pro Wrestling has even seen a ratings dip. The got BLM stuff on their ring too? Just convenient to put it on something you're (general not you particularly, because I dont know your stance) opposed to.

[ZenMaster]

Pro Wrestling has even seen a ratings dip. The got BLM stuff on their ring too? Just convenient to put it on something you're (general not you particularly, because I dont know your stance) opposed to.

That's ridiculous. Pro wrestling is not a sports competition, but a show that is all about crowd engagement and reaction to the fantasy world that appears as soon as wrestler comes out from the back.

Like I said, all of those sports you mentioned has been infested with BLM support/drama, even at the Kentucky Derby.

The UFC is up by a lot though, they do not support BLM as an organization and they're the only ones with someone positive towards Trump being one of the most popular athletes. The owner himself, even though not trying to shape his product into something political for the viewers, did give a speech at the RNC, take that for what you will.

[Mr. Jabbar]

netflix/hbo/amazon video/roku/video games/esports/disney +

streaming.

traditional sports no longer have the entertainment monopoly

[Bernkastel]

That's ridiculous. Pro wrestling is not a sports competition, but a show that is all about crowd engagement and reaction to the fantasy world that appears as soon as wrestler comes out from the back.

Like I said, all of those sports you mentioned has been infested with BLM support/drama, even at the Kentucky Derby.

The UFC is up by a lot though, they do not support BLM as an organization and they're the only ones with someone positive towards Trump being one of the most popular athletes. The owner himself, even though not trying to shape his product into something political for the viewers, did give a speech at the RNC, take that for what you will.
This seems a bit skewed. While pro wrestling isn't a sport, it's clear that ratings across most of television has been going down, regardless of the type of product that they produce. Everything besides news (where ratings are at an all-time high) and some outliers such as UFC are bucking the trend with upward trends in ratings percentage.

It's important to note that some of the NBA's highest-rated games have come after political actions (Kenosha shooting strike) this season, and if the declining ratings were simply about BLM, then the ratings should've tanked further rather than spike back up. It seems clear to me that while some socio-political commentary may be turning away some viewers, it isn't strong enough to explain the decline.

Furthermore, the NBA's ratings were trending downward since the beginning of the season and every earlier:

2019: https://www.axios.com/nba-television-ratings-down-espn-tnt-c7891750-d3fe-4b25-ab38-01b8f5b8ed51.html
2019: Down 23%-30%: https://fadeawayworld.net/2019/12/03/data-shows-double-digit-drop-in-nba-ratings/
2019: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/04/nba-playoff-ratings-down-first-round/
Some online analysis for 2019: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/should-the-nba-be-worried-about-tv-ratings-reddit-activity-says-so/

Another thing is that total number of viewers doesn't reveal the entire story. While the total number of people watching the NBA (and most of the rest of television is down), it still retains the highest percentage of viewers of those who are still watching television (i.e. demo battle):

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-tuesday-oct-6-2020
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ratings-nbc-transplant-debut-lands-153947326.html
See here for more: https://programminginsider.com/?s=nba

As you can see though, when the NBA loses the ratings and demo battle, it's usually to the NFL.

Simply looking at declining absolute numbers isn't looking at the entire picture. It's down for nearly every show across the board. But, when judging by the viewers who are still watching television, the NBA is still dominating that audience.

[TheMan]

A sizable portion of Bran's base have purple hair, nose rings, believe in gender fluidity and need their safe spaces...that's all you really need to know about his star power. If he was the GOAT as they claim, people would tune in but he's not and they don't.

[ZenMaster]

This seems a bit skewed. While pro wrestling isn't a sport, it's clear that ratings across most of television has been going down, regardless of the type of product that they produce. Everything besides news (where ratings are at an all-time high) and some outliers such as UFC are bucking the trend with upward trends in ratings percentage.

It's important to note that some of the NBA's highest-rated games have come after political actions (Kenosha shooting strike) this season, and if the declining ratings were simply about BLM, then the ratings should've tanked further rather than spike back up. It seems clear to me that while some socio-political commentary may be turning away some viewers, it isn't strong enough to explain the decline.

Furthermore, the NBA's ratings were trending downward since the beginning of the season and every earlier:

2019: https://www.axios.com/nba-television-ratings-down-espn-tnt-c7891750-d3fe-4b25-ab38-01b8f5b8ed51.html
2019: Down 23%-30%: https://fadeawayworld.net/2019/12/03/data-shows-double-digit-drop-in-nba-ratings/
2019: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2019/04/nba-playoff-ratings-down-first-round/
Some online analysis for 2019: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/should-the-nba-be-worried-about-tv-ratings-reddit-activity-says-so/

Another thing is that total number of viewers doesn't reveal the entire story. While the total number of people watching the NBA (and most of the rest of television is down), it still retains the highest percentage of viewers of those who are still watching television (i.e. demo battle):

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-tuesday-oct-6-2020
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ratings-nbc-transplant-debut-lands-153947326.html
See here for more: https://programminginsider.com/?s=nba

As you can see though, when the NBA loses the ratings and demo battle, it's usually to the NFL.

Simply looking at declining absolute numbers isn't looking at the entire picture. It's down for nearly every show across the board. But, when judging by the viewers who are still watching television, the NBA is still dominating that audience.

Some of that had already been mentioned in the thread, there's also the element that all sports are happening at the same time.

I think you have it the other way around when it comes to political actions creating the highest rated games. That happened because people tuned in who usually wouldn't, to see the reaction from the players.

Politics and divisive statements about it started coming to the NBA before this year. Lebron, the biggest star of the league, has publicly feuded with the President for a few years now and stood on the stage with his political opponent in 2016. He made significant comments about Trump in 2018.
There was also the China propaganda fiasco before this season, which turned some people off as well.

As for UFC being an odd outlier in the stats, in the same way they're also an odd outlier in the fact that their CEO spoke at the RNC convention in favor of the President, something no other sports league leader has done.

[coin24]

Maybe watching bran lose in the finals over and over is boring to people?:oldlol:

[bullettooth]

Maybe watching bran lose in the finals over and over is boring to people?:oldlol:
Naw, that never gets old. Luckily LeBron has blessed us with many losses. What a guy!

[sdot_thadon]

Guess another detail of note is cable tv lost millions of customers this year during the pandemic 3.45 million by Q2 of 2020, estimated to end up around 6 million by the end of this year. The keep America connected program which deferred payments and disconnects during the pandemic ended in june, which no doubt led to even more subs being canceled. Bars and restaurants and other businesses not having usual occupancy also is a blow to ratings. Not to mention China basically not airing our games until game 5 of the finals, though I'm not exactly sure how that figures into ratings but theres way more at play than the simple BLM explanation.

[Real14]

Literally the lowest ever. Don’t people want to watch Lebron?

Can’t help but think his woke politics have contributed to the ratings collapse.

It's because we are tired seeing the queen cry about every call and non call every game.