Solving the NBA's Problems
Piggy backing off of Henry Abbott’s Who’s Afraid of the NBA post, I’d like to give everyone a run down of what I think is truly ailing the NBA these days. I’d probably say that I am on the high end in regards to average amount of league games watched and attended per season, so I have a pretty good feel for what’s going on.
The Television Contract:
As documented here and here, the NBA’s current TV contract with ABC/ESPN is completely deficient to that of their previous deal with NBC. The NBA was NBC’s main sporting event for twelve full seasons, and because of it NBC worked with the NBA to package the sport in a way that it would be palatable to its fans and thus attract the most viewers for NBC. Fans appreciated everything NBC telecasts provided from the theme music, to the announcers, on down to the way that they set up a game. NBC marketed the NBA with a level of class that fans today can only reminisce about.
With ABC/ESPN, the NBA is just one of many sports that the network has in its broadcast stable. It’s obvious that ESPN does not hold the NBA in the same regard as NFL football, college football, college basketball, or major league baseball, because they don’t market or package the games with the same care they do with those sports. They sell the theme music rights to NBA games off every year to some bubble gum pop band (this year it’s the Pussy Cat Dolls) and have exploding talking heads such as Stephen A. Smith covering their games and the NBA draft. As well, ESPN/ABC isn’t consistent with when and where they broadcast NBA games. I guarantee half of the NBA fans don’t know when and on what station games are being broadcasted. When the games were on NBC you always knew that there was going to be a double header on Saturday’s and a triple header on Sunday. At least with TNT around you know that you can always catch a game there on Thursday, but beyond that, finding a game at a consistent day and time gets kind of murky.
The NBA obviously has an image problem these days. But what network is the catalyst for blowing up the off the court issues that plague the NBA more than anything today? That’s right, ESPN. Although the NBA probably thought there was some sort of synergy there between ESPN and their product, there really isn't. Think about it, ESPN is the first to jump on suspension and off the court issues and blow them out of proportion. They're in bed with the network that's the catalyst for blowing up a lot of their bad PR. ESPN makes things so much worse by covering every single off the court issue. NBC never had one drop of fluff or any sort of tabloid aspect in their coverage, yet ESPN is full of it. In fact the ABC/ESPN conglomerate probably puts more effort into covering the off the court tabloid non-sense than they do marketing the games they're broadcasting. If they were to change that strategy and stick to marketing the games and the players, maybe people will again focus on those things again instead of the tabloid stuff the main stream media loves to shove down our throats. It's not just ESPN but a lot of other sources of sports media that are creating and recycling these negative images. But in the case of ESPN, as a broadcast partner of the NBA, they have a responsibility to aid the NBA with the marketing of the league. NBC surely understood this, why doesn’t ESPN?
The NBA made the mistake of ending a relationship with a broadcast partner that they had great success with (NBC) in order to gain a few extra dollars from a new partner (ESPN/ABC). But it’s obvious that the few extra bucks they made with the ESPN/ABC deal is worthless in comparison to the marketing and branding value they received from their broadcasting partnership with the peacock. When the NBA is negotiating their next television contract with ESPN/ABC they should be sure to let them know that they are NOT happy with the way their television package has been put together and figure out a way to make to make it better. As proven by Dallas and Phoenix this past week and the playoffs last year, the actual on the court product is fine. It’s more the way the game has been packaged that hurts the league. The league needs to make sure ESPN is committed to providing better overall production of NBA games (from theme song, to segments, to announcers), a consistent schedule with good games where NBA fans are aware of when and where the games are going to be broadcasted, and a policy of not knocking the NBA as much as they do on Sportscenter and on ESPN.com.
Marketing and Branding:
Beyond the NBA cares program, can you really put your finger on the NBA’s current marketing campaign? These day’s there’s no “I love this game” or “NBA Action is fantastic” type campaign to speak of. The NBA used to poor a lot of dollars into promoting the game and its players. I really don’t see the same things going on these days. And if they are on going, they aren’t very effective, because one of their main target consumers (that would be me) is not aware of them.
As well, the NBA over the last few years has focused on grabbing the casual fan (you can see this in the fact that a Pussy Cat Dolls song is theme for the NBA on ABC). In the past the game was marketed to basketball diehards. The game spread because diehards spread the word around. People from my generation are the ones that used to sit at home watching NBC’s triple headers and were the ones going out and telling their friends how awesome the sport is. We loved the sport for the sport, and not for any other reason outside of it. The NBA was a religion that we all bought into and felt a need to spread to others. I don’t think you see the same thing amongst teenagers these days. Most likely because the league is not marketed to them properly or because they don’t know what time or what channel they can find a good NBA game on.
If you want to see a great example of how focusing on the target consumer can have positive affects on a sport, take a look at NASCAR. NASCAR has been able to spread the popularity of stock car racing without compromising its core fan base. The reason NASCAR does so well is because they've marketed it to their core demographic and stuck to the merits of the sport. If the sport is good and actually palatable to the general population, then it will pick up. But there's not any point in trying to grab the casual fan. The casual fan will watch when all of his friends are watching the game. The friends that get the casual fan to watch are the diehards.
The NBA was at its peak when it appealed to its core demographic (i.e. basketball diehards). But now, because they’ve decided to focus on capturing the casual fan, they’ve alienated their core fan base. Casual fans are casual fans for a reason. Stop focusing on them and start focusing on your core demographic. Everyone else will follow...and if they don't there really isn't going to be anything to get them to do this in the first place.
The Television Contract:
As documented here and here, the NBA’s current TV contract with ABC/ESPN is completely deficient to that of their previous deal with NBC. The NBA was NBC’s main sporting event for twelve full seasons, and because of it NBC worked with the NBA to package the sport in a way that it would be palatable to its fans and thus attract the most viewers for NBC. Fans appreciated everything NBC telecasts provided from the theme music, to the announcers, on down to the way that they set up a game. NBC marketed the NBA with a level of class that fans today can only reminisce about.
With ABC/ESPN, the NBA is just one of many sports that the network has in its broadcast stable. It’s obvious that ESPN does not hold the NBA in the same regard as NFL football, college football, college basketball, or major league baseball, because they don’t market or package the games with the same care they do with those sports. They sell the theme music rights to NBA games off every year to some bubble gum pop band (this year it’s the Pussy Cat Dolls) and have exploding talking heads such as Stephen A. Smith covering their games and the NBA draft. As well, ESPN/ABC isn’t consistent with when and where they broadcast NBA games. I guarantee half of the NBA fans don’t know when and on what station games are being broadcasted. When the games were on NBC you always knew that there was going to be a double header on Saturday’s and a triple header on Sunday. At least with TNT around you know that you can always catch a game there on Thursday, but beyond that, finding a game at a consistent day and time gets kind of murky.
The NBA obviously has an image problem these days. But what network is the catalyst for blowing up the off the court issues that plague the NBA more than anything today? That’s right, ESPN. Although the NBA probably thought there was some sort of synergy there between ESPN and their product, there really isn't. Think about it, ESPN is the first to jump on suspension and off the court issues and blow them out of proportion. They're in bed with the network that's the catalyst for blowing up a lot of their bad PR. ESPN makes things so much worse by covering every single off the court issue. NBC never had one drop of fluff or any sort of tabloid aspect in their coverage, yet ESPN is full of it. In fact the ABC/ESPN conglomerate probably puts more effort into covering the off the court tabloid non-sense than they do marketing the games they're broadcasting. If they were to change that strategy and stick to marketing the games and the players, maybe people will again focus on those things again instead of the tabloid stuff the main stream media loves to shove down our throats. It's not just ESPN but a lot of other sources of sports media that are creating and recycling these negative images. But in the case of ESPN, as a broadcast partner of the NBA, they have a responsibility to aid the NBA with the marketing of the league. NBC surely understood this, why doesn’t ESPN?
The NBA made the mistake of ending a relationship with a broadcast partner that they had great success with (NBC) in order to gain a few extra dollars from a new partner (ESPN/ABC). But it’s obvious that the few extra bucks they made with the ESPN/ABC deal is worthless in comparison to the marketing and branding value they received from their broadcasting partnership with the peacock. When the NBA is negotiating their next television contract with ESPN/ABC they should be sure to let them know that they are NOT happy with the way their television package has been put together and figure out a way to make to make it better. As proven by Dallas and Phoenix this past week and the playoffs last year, the actual on the court product is fine. It’s more the way the game has been packaged that hurts the league. The league needs to make sure ESPN is committed to providing better overall production of NBA games (from theme song, to segments, to announcers), a consistent schedule with good games where NBA fans are aware of when and where the games are going to be broadcasted, and a policy of not knocking the NBA as much as they do on Sportscenter and on ESPN.com.
Marketing and Branding:
Beyond the NBA cares program, can you really put your finger on the NBA’s current marketing campaign? These day’s there’s no “I love this game” or “NBA Action is fantastic” type campaign to speak of. The NBA used to poor a lot of dollars into promoting the game and its players. I really don’t see the same things going on these days. And if they are on going, they aren’t very effective, because one of their main target consumers (that would be me) is not aware of them.
As well, the NBA over the last few years has focused on grabbing the casual fan (you can see this in the fact that a Pussy Cat Dolls song is theme for the NBA on ABC). In the past the game was marketed to basketball diehards. The game spread because diehards spread the word around. People from my generation are the ones that used to sit at home watching NBC’s triple headers and were the ones going out and telling their friends how awesome the sport is. We loved the sport for the sport, and not for any other reason outside of it. The NBA was a religion that we all bought into and felt a need to spread to others. I don’t think you see the same thing amongst teenagers these days. Most likely because the league is not marketed to them properly or because they don’t know what time or what channel they can find a good NBA game on.
If you want to see a great example of how focusing on the target consumer can have positive affects on a sport, take a look at NASCAR. NASCAR has been able to spread the popularity of stock car racing without compromising its core fan base. The reason NASCAR does so well is because they've marketed it to their core demographic and stuck to the merits of the sport. If the sport is good and actually palatable to the general population, then it will pick up. But there's not any point in trying to grab the casual fan. The casual fan will watch when all of his friends are watching the game. The friends that get the casual fan to watch are the diehards.
The NBA was at its peak when it appealed to its core demographic (i.e. basketball diehards). But now, because they’ve decided to focus on capturing the casual fan, they’ve alienated their core fan base. Casual fans are casual fans for a reason. Stop focusing on them and start focusing on your core demographic. Everyone else will follow...and if they don't there really isn't going to be anything to get them to do this in the first place.
Although I'm not as familiar with these products as I used to be, I've read on blogs and heard from friends that the NBA's Interactive Media is not on the level it is for football and baseball. According to commenters on True Hoop, fantasy basketball and NBA Video games are lacking in comparison to their NFL and MLB counterparts. If true, that might be an area the NBA should work with their partners to improve upon.
Fines and Suspensions:
Another issue for the NBA might be figuring out who their target consumer actually is. As far as getting people to watch the games and purchase licensed products (such as jerseys and balls), their target consumer obviously should be basketball diehards. But not all diehards attend games (mostly because they can’t always afford them). The guys attending games and spending the real money at live events are mostly professionals from the upper middle class to upper class that have the money to afford a discretionary expenditure such as NBA season tickets. As well, corporations are the main targets for the sale of profitable luxury boxes at NBA stadiums. Beyond entertainers, the overall culture of most individuals from the upper class and corporate world is probably very conservative. A lot of times, these conservative fans don't follow the sport day in and day out the way some of the die hards that refresh True Hoop throughout the day and then stare at league pass all night might. So obviously they are probably more susceptible to the negative images that come through the mainstream media about the NBA. If you weren't really watching a ton of games and just followed what ESPN and the NY Post had to say about the league, you'd probably think the league had a serious behavior problem too. Especially if you were a conservative upper middle class white male without much contact or understanding of urban black males beyond that of stereotypes. Thus you find the reason the NBA has taken the conservative tone it has over the years.
Since the introduction of the luxury suite to the NBA stadium structure, it’s become a priority for the NBA to appeal to this conservative consumer. From the NBA dress code to upping fines and suspensions, the NBA league office has sent out very conservative images over the last few years. Obviously this is hypocritical given that they also love to market the NBA through various pop culture mediums such as hip-hop that contradict their current conservative stance in order to capture another type of casual fan (see: the theme music used on their broadcasts these days, the headbands and throwback jerseys they currently market, and music that is played at the arena during games).
After the brawl in Detroit in 2004 the NBA found itself taking a hit within one of its many target demographics. The conservatives that purchased the most expensive NBA tickets were put off by the current perceived violent air and attitude that surrounded the mostly black inner city born and raised players of the league. In order to preserve its conservative customer base, the NBA felt it had to improve its conservative standing by coming down on its players with public fines and suspensions. But what the NBA has failed to realize is that the only reason certain issues about the league have harmed the overall brand is because their current broadcast partner, ESPN has felt it appropriate to replay every single on the court fight and off the court issues ahead of on the court achievements on almost all of their programming. If the NBA had better control over what images their broadcast partners were throwing out, then maybe this wouldn’t be such an issue. The NBA doesn’t help itself by overreacting to every problem it has with its players. Since the Palace brawl, the NBA has been fining and suspending players at a record pace for fighting and for making derogatory comments about the league. By handing out these fines and suspensions at a record pace, the league invites media entities such as their broadcast partners over in Bristol to drum up millions of stories about the league running a muck that simply aren’t true or are just very overplayed. Every time the league suspends a player it makes news ahead of whatever game they’ve got going on that night. By focusing on playing big brother, they are actually harming their brand equity by saying “yes we do have the perceived problem the media is talking about, and that’s why we’re handing out fines and suspensions” for acts that wouldn’t garner so much as a review in the 80s and 90s.
An example of how the league has hurt the public perception of itself and the league is through the way they have handled Kobe Bryant this season. Kobe Bryant was having a bounce back year in the public relations department until the league decided to step in and suspend him for hitting players in the face on an “unnatural” follow through of his shot. Although the NBA was upset with the plays, they should not have suspended Kobe Bryant. The first game they suspended Bryant for was in Madison Square Garden. You don’t suspend the league’s premiere player for his only game in the media capital of the world. Not only does it deprive the player and the league from receiving all of the positive press he was bound to receive while playing the game, but it also gives the New York media even more reason to feed on the recycled NBA is a thug theme, since Kobe and the Lakers were actually in town for the game.
It is public relations no-no number one to do this to a player who’s image is very valuable to the league. We’re talking about a guy who’s 81 point performance knocked the NFL conference championship highlights off as the lead story on Sportscenter. If anything, the NBA should have called Kobe into the league office (since he was in New York anyway) and internally reprimanded him. They could have internally fined him and reviewed the play with him in person. Instead the league refused to meet with him, reprimanded him in a public forum, and got the wheels spinning on the negative Kobe media attention that seemed like it was on its way out the door. So now, because of this suspension, the bar is set. Every time Kobe connects with any sort of in game unintentional elbow or contact, the media is going to be waiting to over analyze the event and thus force the NBA’s hand to the point that they have to again publicly reprimand Bryant.
When the first elbow against Ginobili occurred there was no foul and no mention by the broadcasters of the game that they could see a fine or suspension coming. The next day on ESPN there weren't any whispers of a possible Bryant suspension. Then out of nowhere this suspension comes down. Because the NBA went out of their way to publicly recognize and reprimand a play that wasn’t even called a foul in the game and certainly wouldn’t have been an act worthy of a suspension in the 80s or the 90s, the media was ready to attack on the next similar play that Kobe made.
Although, the move by Kobe was a cheap and dangerous one, it’s one that he has been making for years. Obviously, I don’t have a video library at my disposal, but players have been flailing and making other dangerous moves in order to draw contact for years. It’s just that now the NBA feels a need to publicly reprimand and address players for such acts. But instead of solving the NBA’s image and public relations problems, these suspensions are doing nothing but feeding into the unfounded notion that the NBA has a behavior problem. The NBA needs to cut down their fines and suspensions or not announce them in the public manner that they currently do. The last thing the NBA needs is for there to be a big media circus every time they fine or suspend someone. All that does is confirm the ill-conceived notion that the league does have a behavior problem. If the NBA could cut down on the amount of public fines and suspensions and replace them with a more private manner of punishment as well as work with their broadcast partners to ensure that media coverage of negative events and stories aren’t played into the ground, then maybe the NBA wouldn’t have the perceived problem with their conservative fan base that they currently do.
Grass Roots Basketball:
Speaking of perceived images, the league could probably assist itself better by gaining control of basketball grass roots programs. These days it’s pretty obvious which players have the talent to play division 1 basketball. Since most of these individuals are coming from impoverished inner city backgrounds and the NBA is very image conscious, wouldn’t it make sense for the league to set up league sponsored and run basketball prep academies where they could have all of the top basketball players come and be taught correct fundamentals of the game as well as be taught on how to conduct themselves professionally. At the grass roots level, many point to shoe company and agent sponsored AAU programs as the main problem for youth basketball development in this country. The NBA has the power to rid the country of these programs by setting up their own academies across the country. Obviously not all of these guys are going to become NBA caliber players, but the league does also need to hire trainers, coaches, front office staff, etc. The kids that attend these academies could be given training on how to prepare themselves for obtaining jobs within the league, just in case they didn’t have the talent to make it. It’s been announced that the shoe companies might end up creating their own academies, but all that will do is perpetuate the problem we currently have and give shoe companies even more control of the development of our players.
Fines and Suspensions:
Another issue for the NBA might be figuring out who their target consumer actually is. As far as getting people to watch the games and purchase licensed products (such as jerseys and balls), their target consumer obviously should be basketball diehards. But not all diehards attend games (mostly because they can’t always afford them). The guys attending games and spending the real money at live events are mostly professionals from the upper middle class to upper class that have the money to afford a discretionary expenditure such as NBA season tickets. As well, corporations are the main targets for the sale of profitable luxury boxes at NBA stadiums. Beyond entertainers, the overall culture of most individuals from the upper class and corporate world is probably very conservative. A lot of times, these conservative fans don't follow the sport day in and day out the way some of the die hards that refresh True Hoop throughout the day and then stare at league pass all night might. So obviously they are probably more susceptible to the negative images that come through the mainstream media about the NBA. If you weren't really watching a ton of games and just followed what ESPN and the NY Post had to say about the league, you'd probably think the league had a serious behavior problem too. Especially if you were a conservative upper middle class white male without much contact or understanding of urban black males beyond that of stereotypes. Thus you find the reason the NBA has taken the conservative tone it has over the years.
Since the introduction of the luxury suite to the NBA stadium structure, it’s become a priority for the NBA to appeal to this conservative consumer. From the NBA dress code to upping fines and suspensions, the NBA league office has sent out very conservative images over the last few years. Obviously this is hypocritical given that they also love to market the NBA through various pop culture mediums such as hip-hop that contradict their current conservative stance in order to capture another type of casual fan (see: the theme music used on their broadcasts these days, the headbands and throwback jerseys they currently market, and music that is played at the arena during games).
After the brawl in Detroit in 2004 the NBA found itself taking a hit within one of its many target demographics. The conservatives that purchased the most expensive NBA tickets were put off by the current perceived violent air and attitude that surrounded the mostly black inner city born and raised players of the league. In order to preserve its conservative customer base, the NBA felt it had to improve its conservative standing by coming down on its players with public fines and suspensions. But what the NBA has failed to realize is that the only reason certain issues about the league have harmed the overall brand is because their current broadcast partner, ESPN has felt it appropriate to replay every single on the court fight and off the court issues ahead of on the court achievements on almost all of their programming. If the NBA had better control over what images their broadcast partners were throwing out, then maybe this wouldn’t be such an issue. The NBA doesn’t help itself by overreacting to every problem it has with its players. Since the Palace brawl, the NBA has been fining and suspending players at a record pace for fighting and for making derogatory comments about the league. By handing out these fines and suspensions at a record pace, the league invites media entities such as their broadcast partners over in Bristol to drum up millions of stories about the league running a muck that simply aren’t true or are just very overplayed. Every time the league suspends a player it makes news ahead of whatever game they’ve got going on that night. By focusing on playing big brother, they are actually harming their brand equity by saying “yes we do have the perceived problem the media is talking about, and that’s why we’re handing out fines and suspensions” for acts that wouldn’t garner so much as a review in the 80s and 90s.
An example of how the league has hurt the public perception of itself and the league is through the way they have handled Kobe Bryant this season. Kobe Bryant was having a bounce back year in the public relations department until the league decided to step in and suspend him for hitting players in the face on an “unnatural” follow through of his shot. Although the NBA was upset with the plays, they should not have suspended Kobe Bryant. The first game they suspended Bryant for was in Madison Square Garden. You don’t suspend the league’s premiere player for his only game in the media capital of the world. Not only does it deprive the player and the league from receiving all of the positive press he was bound to receive while playing the game, but it also gives the New York media even more reason to feed on the recycled NBA is a thug theme, since Kobe and the Lakers were actually in town for the game.
It is public relations no-no number one to do this to a player who’s image is very valuable to the league. We’re talking about a guy who’s 81 point performance knocked the NFL conference championship highlights off as the lead story on Sportscenter. If anything, the NBA should have called Kobe into the league office (since he was in New York anyway) and internally reprimanded him. They could have internally fined him and reviewed the play with him in person. Instead the league refused to meet with him, reprimanded him in a public forum, and got the wheels spinning on the negative Kobe media attention that seemed like it was on its way out the door. So now, because of this suspension, the bar is set. Every time Kobe connects with any sort of in game unintentional elbow or contact, the media is going to be waiting to over analyze the event and thus force the NBA’s hand to the point that they have to again publicly reprimand Bryant.
When the first elbow against Ginobili occurred there was no foul and no mention by the broadcasters of the game that they could see a fine or suspension coming. The next day on ESPN there weren't any whispers of a possible Bryant suspension. Then out of nowhere this suspension comes down. Because the NBA went out of their way to publicly recognize and reprimand a play that wasn’t even called a foul in the game and certainly wouldn’t have been an act worthy of a suspension in the 80s or the 90s, the media was ready to attack on the next similar play that Kobe made.
Although, the move by Kobe was a cheap and dangerous one, it’s one that he has been making for years. Obviously, I don’t have a video library at my disposal, but players have been flailing and making other dangerous moves in order to draw contact for years. It’s just that now the NBA feels a need to publicly reprimand and address players for such acts. But instead of solving the NBA’s image and public relations problems, these suspensions are doing nothing but feeding into the unfounded notion that the NBA has a behavior problem. The NBA needs to cut down their fines and suspensions or not announce them in the public manner that they currently do. The last thing the NBA needs is for there to be a big media circus every time they fine or suspend someone. All that does is confirm the ill-conceived notion that the league does have a behavior problem. If the NBA could cut down on the amount of public fines and suspensions and replace them with a more private manner of punishment as well as work with their broadcast partners to ensure that media coverage of negative events and stories aren’t played into the ground, then maybe the NBA wouldn’t have the perceived problem with their conservative fan base that they currently do.
Grass Roots Basketball:
Speaking of perceived images, the league could probably assist itself better by gaining control of basketball grass roots programs. These days it’s pretty obvious which players have the talent to play division 1 basketball. Since most of these individuals are coming from impoverished inner city backgrounds and the NBA is very image conscious, wouldn’t it make sense for the league to set up league sponsored and run basketball prep academies where they could have all of the top basketball players come and be taught correct fundamentals of the game as well as be taught on how to conduct themselves professionally. At the grass roots level, many point to shoe company and agent sponsored AAU programs as the main problem for youth basketball development in this country. The NBA has the power to rid the country of these programs by setting up their own academies across the country. Obviously not all of these guys are going to become NBA caliber players, but the league does also need to hire trainers, coaches, front office staff, etc. The kids that attend these academies could be given training on how to prepare themselves for obtaining jobs within the league, just in case they didn’t have the talent to make it. It’s been announced that the shoe companies might end up creating their own academies, but all that will do is perpetuate the problem we currently have and give shoe companies even more control of the development of our players.
18 comments:
Are you slow or stupid? It shouldn't matter if Kidd slaps his wife, Artest beats his woman, or the Pacers have more weapons than our soliders. Are you serious? Theme songs don't sell the game the game does. When Anthony sucker punches another player after he acts like he is some hard guy, you expect no one to play it. He acted like a bitch and he got treated like one. Your mad because the media covers everythng and NBC sucked the NBA's nuts and made it seem everything was okay. The same way your are getting on ESPN on the way they cover the other leagues. Hyprocrite?
Anonymous: Do me a favor...I don't mind you commenting here, but please don't name call on my blog. I respect everyone's opinion but won't stand for name calling. I'm going to law school in the fall and already graduated from USC's business program, so I'm neither slow or stupid.
The problems you listed above are problems that every professional sport has. But for some reason they are highlighted in a different fashion for the NBA. Because of this, the NBA needs to work to make sure that their off the court issues aren't played in the media the way they are now. I wasn't saying that the off court issues are okay. What I was saying is that these issues happen in EVERY PROFESSIONAL SPORT and that it is obvious that the NBA needs to work harder to make sure that these issues are played through the media in a different light and that the game and its brand are packaged in a more appealing fashion. If you don't get that, I don't know what to do for you.
Mark Cuban had a great blog post a couple of years back about the behavior of nba players.
I can't vouch for the accuracy of what he said (Cuban can get a little, uh, over-enthusiastic at times), but he claimed that nba players are every bit as well behaved as most people who work for corporate America. In both cases you have drug addicts, folks who get in bar fights on the weekends, people who show up to work with bad attitudes––and lots of other folks who work hard and generally behave as well as a humans can be expected to behave.
Cuban is always one to champion the cause of his players, and the Mavericks are a great example of a team of professionals. People screw up from time to time, but on the whole they work hard and put an excellent product on the court. Ditto for any other number of teams.
I think Cuban's best point, though (assuming he's accurate), is how absurd it is to act as if people in other industries don't have these same problems. The only difference is, people with normal jobs aren't getting interviewed all the time (so we don't get to hear their stupid opinions and whatever cheap shots they take at one another), plus when they get arrested for, say, cocaine possession, it doesn't make the news.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If the NBA had the NFL's marketing, PR department, and respect from ESPN, it would be much bigger than the NFL and the NFL would be currently seen as the sport with all the problems instead of the teflon entity it is now. I find it hilarious that barely a day goes by without an NFL player getting into some sort of trouble and yet on and off field misbehaviour is "the NBA's problem". Admittedly most of the problems are minor misdemeanors (pot, DUI's etc) you wouldn't care about if your neighbours did (although it's the same as the NBA), but still. Don't even get me started on the heads in the sand "we don't have a steroid problem despite piles of evidence to the contrary" attitude. The NFL's PR and spin control puts that of most governments to shame.
Also, I can't believe you made it through a whole post ripping ESPN's treatment of the NBA without mentioning Bill Walton. I'm a long time fan so I've grown accustomed to him and treat him as a parody of announcers who overreact to everything and/or the NBA's connection to stoner culture. If you listen to him like I do he can be funny, but most people just hate the guy and become infuriated at all the ridiculously stupid stuff he says. I used to be one of these people. Another problem is having an announcer (Al Michaels) everyone sees as a football guy who doesn't give a shit about basketball announcing the NBA playoffs. Just makes the NBA look like a small potato compared to the NFL.
I agree with mosts all of what you're saying.
I think one of the big reasons the off-the-court stuff is so higlighted lies in one of the really positive things about the game itself - unlike football, we really see these guys and know who they are.
The fans are close, there are only ten guys on the court at a time, we know all their faces and many of their mannerisms, etc.
There's an (sorry - son't know what other word to use) intimacy between the fans and players, and I think it gives that feeling where we feel like we know them better.
So when Carmelo gets in a fight, it's more of a highlight than Pac-Man Jones, who I wouldn't know if he was sitting right next to me, doing something.
Obviously this is only a small part of the equation, but it's the only original thought I have that you didn't cover.
Hi,
I really like your site, and the quality writing you do on it. I myself have a blog, called The Hardcourt. I was wondering if you would be willing to exchange links with me, in order to give both our sites a little more publicity. My site can be found at www.thehardcourt.wordpress.com. Thank you for your time and I hope to hear back soon.
Sincerely,
Thelowblock
Jones, loved your comment on the big lead OJ Mayo post and tracked you back to your site to say so. I was going to blog about that myself; what, the kid should just give out his cell phone # so Tim Floyd can harass him all day?! College recruitment is so messed up.
Nate, A very comprehensive post.
First, kudos on giving a shout out to the Nba on NBC theme music. The world would be a better place if everyone got even thrity-seconds of John Tesh on the weekend!
I think Cavalier got it right when he said there's more intimacy with the NBA. I think that this can be more constructive in developing more deep rooted fans, but of course harmful with the "casual" pussy-cat doll themed music fans who catch a bit of action here and there and some clips on Sportscenter after news such as brawls, suspensions, etc.
As regards to the quality of the game, arguments can always be made for or against, but how the game is marketed will most certainly affect the outcome. Perhaps someone in will be so kind as to forward this post annonymously to the folks in the NBA's marketing office!
Great post, I wholeheartedly agree, and it's nice to see an intelligent commentary on basketball rather than the NBA media who, along with the league office, is ruining the game on a daily basis.
I watched nearly every Laker game in the 80's and 90's despite the team being nearly unwatchable post-Magic. I now find myself rarely tuning into Lakers games despite still caring how they play because the refereeing of them and the media-bashing of Kobe and team is just painful.
I used to watch any game on NBA on NBC, truly looking forward to games that had no bearing on the Lakers. I can't think of one such game I've even watched half of this season.
Silver lining (I guess): between school, work, married life, moving, job hunting, and other major life commitments being unable to watch the NBA frees up a bit of my spare time.
interesting post. but you missed perhaps the biggest current problem in the NBA: the playoffs. The NBA sports the worst playoffs in all professional sports.
Amen brother! I sure miss the NBC days. That was quality broadcasting. What we have now with ESPN is inferior and doesn't generate the same excitement. TNT is far better than ESPN coverage in my opinion.
Great topics on this post :)
No doubt there was fluff in the NBC days...Ahmad Rashad, anyone?
And regarding Bill Walton, the man is a parody and a buffoon, where's the respect for the game?
Nice work, Nate. I hadn't really perceived the connection between the NBAs move to ESPN and the change in how the game is perceived to the average fan. Very thoughtful post.
I do not, however, agree with your comment about NBA sponsored academies-- I think that responsibility should be presented under the auspices of USA basketball co-branded and financed with Corporate dollars. (Certainly, shoe and apparel companies--but not limited to them)
The NBA struggles to be able to manage the league--to turn over the development work of what is ostensibly 18/under players would be, I feel unwise.
There is a post at my site:http://higherrock.blogs.com entitled, "NBA: Code Blue" that you might be interested in.
I concur that the infractions and transgressions of NBA players will be consistently reported on ESPN because they're in the 24/7/365 sports news business...the items of marginal interest on another station is elevated and and repeated on ESPN. Which, of course, can't help but have a deleterious affect. And, the league's nearly irrational assault on Kobe Bryant was a true blunder.
Nice work on this post, sir.
L.
Good post and I do think you hit on some of the most major issues but I will say this is my list of why the NBA went from my favorite sport to watch on TV to perhaps 2nd or 3rd:
1. Announcers are terrible. I don't like the mummy Hubie even though he may be a basketball genius and none of the rest are much better these days. Why do we have these ancient ruins announcing our games?
2. Not enough Phoenix Suns or five years ago Sac Kings style basketball. Pat Riley's vision of what a basketball game is sucks the life out of the sport.
3. I got married and she doesn't like basketball.
4. Jordan is gone and no one else is even close to as compelling as he was. He was it.
That is pretty much my list. On a completely unrelated point: I cannot wait for the day that Garnett wins a title. He is the man.
nathanbutnet.blogspot.com
great blog
im gonna guess that you are close to my age, as a preteen and through my early 20s, NBC covered basketball....very well... alotta people say is was Jordan but i disagree i think that the league has 100 times more star power now than then.
Look at the All Star rosters from the mid 90s, there are just as good now as then...
Look at the NFL, people say the claim to fame in the NFL is parity, HOW ABOUT THE NBA.
Who really thought that the Heat would win a title this time last year? How many NBA teams can say they have a shot at the title, without playing favorites.... Pheonix, Dallas, S. Antonio, Denver, Houston, Utah, Miami, Detroit, Toronto....Im a Magic fan and believe it or not i still have hope.
Can a Toronto or Baltimore fan hope for a W.S. title?
How about Buffalo or Atlanta winning a Super Bowl?
The NBA is healthier than it has been in a decade, its finally getting over the whole high school to millionaire problem, despite that and because of that it has the best atheletes of any sport. Something needs to be done so that the most entertaining sport is promoted as such.
Football is slow, Baseball is slow, Golf is slow, NASCAR goes left...ONLY..., Hockey has been ruined by the NHL and there owners.
I would love nothing more than the NBA to market itself like it did during the Jordan era....and treat it like the sport it was when I was growing up.
There is no question that the new product on ESPN stinks. So does having Mark Jackson who absolutely sucks at commentary. He has NOTHING original to ever say and I swear I can predict every word that'll come out of his mouth before he says it. It's monotonous and predictable and it sucks ass.
I think most everyone has done a good job hitting all the key points, but one thing that should be addressed is David Stern's reactionary management tendencies; both good and bad. In what other sport has there been so many alterations to the actual product? Over the last two or three years he's changed the hand-check rule, encacted the 19 year old age minimum rule, introduced the no-charge zone underneath the hoop, allowed zone defense, the list goes on and on. There's also the fairly credible debate that swirls about the referees' tactics in trying to extend a lopsided playoff series. I believe this is a result of Stern's paranoia in the post Jordan area and how to thwart the problems the league has. Intervening with the product this much might leave the game in a worse place by conveying the image that something is drastically wrong to the fans when in fact, it might just be a perception.
I'm a bit late (looking at when you posted the post and when I'm posting), but still, had to say something.
First of all, I agree with you on most of the things.
With the TV contracts... NBC used to give 3 or 4 games a weekend. ABC gives 1 (maybe 2, I'm not sure... I don't watch) a week. And, I'm not sure if it was around then, but the fact that no other NBA game can be televised at the same time becomes annoying. It doesn't make me go watch the game on ABC. It makes me hate the NBA more.
I think that Cavalier posted above about knowing the players, making it a bigger deal. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that you know the players better. Yes, you want to know the players you are rooting for. But seriously, does the fact that he got a DUI or something make him a worse player? Everyone has their own way of living. If the NBA would advertise the teams and not individual players (bigger deal here with fewer players than in the NFL/MLB), I think it could help a lot. The increase in the "individual" and the lack of respect for the "team" game has lead to a decrease in the quality of the game. Yes, it might be more exciting to see Michael Redd go for 57 than the Jazz have 4 or 5 players with 15-20 points, but in the end... if you're winning, the fans will come. At least the casual fans... diehards will probably come, win or lose.
Very few teams are able to pull off constantly winning with just 1 superstar and a bunch of other mediocre players.
ESPN has also fallen in love with the individual (and the spectacular plays), as witnessed by almost everything on the channel. Fancy dunk here, fancy pass there... that's all they show. Maybe I'm a bit biased because I root for a team that's as likely to make ESPN's Top 10 as a NFL offensive line-man, but I think that focusing on the team (after all, basketball is a team game) would really help the NBA.
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