ABC bosses NOT happy with Milwaukee and Phoenix.

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For somebody who remembers the profile the NBA got in the nineties, aughts and even the first half of the last decade it seems almost inconceivable that the NBA could lose to soccer in ratings. Not just soccer, soccer that wasn't the World Cup and soccer that didn't feature the USMNT.

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"Yes, I would just like to say I'm sailing with the rock, and I'll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I'll be back, I'll be back."

I can see Silver and the owners pushing hard for the additional in-season "tournament" they've been talking about, to lessen the impact of a Finals with two small-market teams.

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In all seriousness, who gives a shit? The NBA is not chasing a purely domestic market, ratings are weird to begin with, and networks will stay pay out the ass for broadcasting rights for the foreseeable future.

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Do streaming services show up in any way in ratings?
You know I just realized I know the answer to that. I fixed a water heater at a guys house who works for Nielsen and I asked him that.

Short answer was "kiiiiiinda?"

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Pretty much all of this.

It's a fun distraction to talk about, but it will have no impact on revenue.

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Its why you compare it to other sports. Generally speaking people are streaming all of them at about equal numbers.

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"Yes, I would just like to say I'm sailing with the rock, and I'll be back, like Independence Day, with Jesus. June 6, like the movie. Big mother ship and all, I'll be back, I'll be back."

I'm a huge NBA fan and will watch the games regardless but I have always had a problem with the way they market the sport. They market individuals and rarely ever market the teams or the actual game.

Thus when a LeBron misses the playoffs or Finals it always feels like a letdown for some.

I also dislike the whole "big market" "small market" thing too. They're always trying to steer megastar players to big market teams for some reason. Often i think it's the league almost as much as the players themselves.

Football to its credit never has that problem. The game and the teams sells itself. . Brady can bounce to Tampa and no one bats an eye.

If this were the NBA they'd wouod've tried to steer him out of New England before he was 27. NBA is already trying to see where they are going to plant Zion who may not be all that great or good when it is all said and done.

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That probably started in the MJ era. However, MJ was a bright guy who understood the value of stability to the overall marketing of his brand. I would replace brand with legacy because I think MJ cares just as much about being considered GOAT as he does being a billionaire, but I'll say brand for more jaundiced analysts.

Franchise rivalries are good for the league. People love to hate watch as much as cheer for their own team. How do you hate the other team when their guys may be your guys the next season?

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

This is spot on.
As someone who is not a huge fan of the NBA, this is one of the largest reasons why. I would like to enjoy the game more, but it's hard. I care about my team winning or at least being competitive. If you don't draft one of the very few elite stars....your team has zero chance of competing.

I've watched some of the playoffs with the Bucks and the game itself is less enjoyable. Maybe I'm wrong or missing something, but it's all about 3-pt and perimeter shooting. I see less action in the paint, fewer dunks, less defense. It's great that guys that can shoot accurately and the ball moves around fast, but for viewing.....I lose interest. It's just not something I can get into.....and I've tried.

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Yeah the constant emphasis on 3 point shooting and analytics does take away from the game somewhat. That's why I like watching Phoenix play. They have a traditional basketball team.

And the NBA has always been star driven but now guys are going out of their way to legislate competition out of the game with all of their ring chasing antics.

That will be a major part of LeBron legacy whenever he decides to hang it up. Not for the good either.

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I like to tease about the NBA ratings, but I can't believe soccer outdrew a Finals game. Could it be because its almost August and the Finals are still ongoing?

IMO, no reason for Stanley Cup or NBA Finals to be played past the first weekend of June.

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LeBron has done more to empower athletes than anyone else that I can think of has in my lifetime. I don't like the ring chasing, but that's probably influenced by the era I came of age in. LeBron's combined legacy -on and off the court- will be 2nd to none.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Tiger Woods would like a word.

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Basketball going the baseball route isn't helping things. Watching players shoot 70 3s per game can be about as fun as watching MLB players hit home runs or strike out.

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He may have but he has made it a worse game to watch. And I say this as a fan. His impact will be a net negative when all this is over.

And I'm not for all of the politicking either. I don't see that as a positive.

And his impact will never exceed that of Jordan's in terms of growing the sport.

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Tiger Woods is like Jordan, their greatness brought in more money for athletes, but they weren't guys who would say a lot or challenge the system. LeBron challenged the way "things are supposed to be done" on and off the court while he was at the top of his game. Other athletes followed his lead. Owners are no longer iron fisted wardens. Hell, they can't even be called owners now.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

I'm a lot closer to your view on this than LeBron's. The younger generation isn't.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

That's why I tend to avoid that stuff on here. He has a right to his opinion but I don't view entertainers as social activists unless they are actively participating in social activism.

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The younger generation does not watch the games. They watch highlights on social media.

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They follow their favorite players. They have no loyalty to teams. We had our favorite teams and guys we rooted for.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

Yep. No one in junior high or high school has teams they hate.

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I think that has more to do with free agency and all of the player movement than anything else however.

You see the same thing in all of the other sports as well.

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That’s a shame. Hate is a good thing, maybe the best of things.

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MJ legacy will always be greater in every aspect

Think of what the game would look like had MJ not overcome the Piston and Knick style of basketball.

Jordan was the first to create a sufficiently big side business that basketball income became ancillary to outside streams. Jordan knew how to use this power discreetly for the betterment of the league. Lebron is a bad actor for the league

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

It would look the same way it always did. The style of play didn't dramatically change until Curry became a superstar.

Jordan was the first. LeBron has pushed those boundaries out a little further. He'll be a billionaire before his playing days are over. He's essentially a sports agent as well. In addition to that, he has political clout that Jordan was afraid to touch. Presidents and presidential candidates call him. He uses his platform and influence in ways that athletes have been afraid of. For better and worse, that has empowered athletes in ways we didn't think was possible.

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Be well

GO BEARS!!!

You are incorrect, at least on the second sentence

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

He will never be able to generate the type of revenue post career that Jordan has. Jordan is still the most recognizable athlete in the world 20 years after he retired.

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the NFL doesnt really care about markets. every one is valuable to them. players dont even care much, as long as their team is winning.

the NBA really shot themselves in the foot when Lebron left cleaveland, and all the others stars followed suit.

Like said above, the NFL markets its teams. It's product. The NBA markets the stars as the product. And then they bitch when the stars have weird demands. well, you allowed them to ask in the first place. The NFL would just shadow ban you from every team.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

The only way to stop the super team era is to hard cap the NBA like football and hockey. But they do not want to do that.

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