Hmmm…what’s happening with the National Basketball Association? NBA ratings are in the tank and it’s looking like the trend’s gonna continue. It’s pretty easy to figure out why.
In a recent piece at Breitbart, Colin Cowherd compares the NBA to the Democrat Party saying they lost connection with the people:
“I’m sorry. Go ask the Democrats. Be warned. Once you detach from regular people in America, you will pay a price. And it is not easy to run these leagues,” Cowherd warned.
You can read the full article here
Of all the professional sports leagues, the NBA has seen a steady 12 year decline in viewership. Ratings are down 48 percent since 2012 and this season shows no signs of improving.
As we near the end of 2024, ESPN ratings are down nearly 30 percent from last year , while TNT games are averaging just 1.8 viewers per game. Consider also, that in the past 30 seasons, four of the lowest rated finals have been in the last four years.
Why is this happening to the league of Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Dr J, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird?
Is it too many games? Perhaps it is resting and saving star players for the playoffs through the practice of load-management? Maybe it’s the dominance of the three- point shot and less reliance on fundamentals, such as defense. Heck , even the refs are making less traveling calls.
These are certainly impactful factors, but one can easily make the case wokeness is causing NBA’s freefall. Embracing social justice is a turnoff, man.
From players replacing the names on their jerseys with “Black Lives Matter” and “I can’t breathe” to coaches like Steve Kerr criticizing the Second Amendment, fans are out. No one wants a lecture by entitled, out-of-touch and overpaid athletes.
LeBron James being the face of the NBA certainly doesn’t help the league’s image. Can you think of a star player more divisive than James? Obviously, James never absorbed the wisdom of Michael Jordan staying out of politics because “Republicans buy sneakers, too.”
As a certain president once famously said, “Everything woke turns to s**t.”
With NBA ratings in the tank , the decline of Hollywood, and the legacy media’s loss of credibility, I’d say Trump was right on the mark.
