Basketball is one of the most popular sports people watch, and the sport is known globally. Many NBA players are household names, like Lebron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Steph Curry. But is it time for the NBA to worry about their popularity? With basketball, the game has changed so much since the NBA gained traction, and watching a game now vs 30 years ago looks very different. The issue is despite the evolution of the game and its popularity, NBA ratings have been declining. There are many reasons why this is happening, too.
One of the major reasons ratings are down is the injuries of many NBA stars stick out. Many NBA all-stars like Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, and Steph Curry have been sitting out. Usually, this strategy is to save their body and rest to prevent injuries and be ready for the playoffs. But all this does is make regular season games less competitive and bring less traction towards games. When the stars of teams sit out, all it does is attract fewer viewers and even reduce the costs of ticket sales for the teams. Having players healthy for the playoffs is important, but star players are sitting out too often, causing less traction in general. NBA fan Cade Bachman said, “Another thing is that the regular season feels kind of meaningless to some people because so many teams make the playoffs, and, let’s be real, some people think the load management stuff turns fans off, too—like when star players sit out games even if they’re healthy.” These are very valid points. To combat this, the NBA has something where a player has to play 65/82 regular season games to be eligible for awards. This helps players chase success and keep playing in the regular season.
The other major issue with NBA ratings is the general ability to watch these games. To watch NBA games, there are way too many streaming services needed to watch your favorite team. The NBA has made it harder for their fans to watch games. NBA media is so focused on many other things besides just games and court performance. NBA fan Dhilan Howard says, “There’s just so much out there now—streaming services, video games, TikTok, you name it—that people might not have the same time or focus for watching a full game as they used to.” The truth is the NBA is making basketball so complicated with its dramatic storylines and off-court team rumors, taking the attraction away from simply watching the game.
The NBA has two main issues with its viewership: star players not caring about the regular season and the media taking away the ability to watch a game simply. If these two issues can be fixed, the NBA can easily see ratings increase again. Basketball is a popular sport loved by fans globally, and seeing the main entertainment source for it not succeeding is truly upsetting. With simple changes like using limited streaming services for the games, focusing on regular-season game performances, and fewer off-court issues, the NBA can see success again shortly.
