We’ve heard all about NBA television ratings. If not, just know they haven’t been good. No less than NBA commissioner Adam Silver admitted as much.
The league is trying things to change all that — namely, an in-season tournament. This year it was called the NBA Cup. It didn’t move the needle, at least not in terms of generating eyeballs.
What Silver hasn’t said is the Cup is a way to draw in fans during football season. That’s always been a tough time of the year for pro basketball.
Nowadays, the league isn’t just fighting with the NFL for attention. It’s battling college football, college basketball, TikTok, Instagram, Netflix and a world of ways for people not to watch.
Of course, so is everyone else. But the NBA has been suffering way more than all those other sports. How does it get fixed?
Well, that’s anyone’s guess. NBA legend Charles Barkley took a stab at it on The Dan Patrick Show.
“I think we have to do something,” Barkley said, adding that he thought it was a combination of both load management and too many 3-point attempts.
“The most important thing in the game is the fans. And if they’re not watching, you can’t keep your head in the sand and ask, ‘What we been doing wrong?’ … They can get made, but I don’t want to go see a 3-point shooting contest every night. That’s no fun.”
Barkley went on to say the league shouldn’t tip off the season until Christmas, either.
“We’re gonna have to do something,” he added. “I mean, ratings are down, down, down. We need the fans to be successful.”
You can watch the entire interview via Facebook directly below.
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