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The NBA, Now VS. Then

Safetydan

Safetydan

Well-Known Member
Is the NBA better now than it used to be? Don't hold back people; bring out the big guns.

As a note I want to emphasize the difference between the league's popularity and it's quality as a product. Although they're definitely related, please specify as to what you are arguing towards bitch.

Personally, I think that the popularity of the league has decreased. Anecdotally, the average person takes very little notice of what's going on in the NBA at any moment and his/her knowledge generally consists of the 90s NBA. Why is this? I think at the time the NBA contained more pure drama. It felt like it was a high-stakes game of life or death, almost to the point of bloodsport. Admittedly, I was just a kid as were many of us at the time but, I think the opposing teams were more antagonistic and each game felt like more than a game in a way. I've traveled outside of the country pretty extensively and I even think that the 90s were the nadir of NBA popularity even globally.

The quality of play and product these days, inversely, is much higher in my opinion. I look back at youtube videos of the 90s NBA and I just go "glehhh". It's ugly, unrefined, wasteful, and lacks sophistication comparatively. The NBA these days is pretty amazing and the quality of play is historically unparalleled. I would say that since about 2010 the talent available in the league has created nothing short of a golden age. Strangely enough though I feel like this has contributed to the relative unpopularity. The NBA is, I'd argue, too nuanced to really appeal to old school purists and casual sports following citizens of the world. It's a wet dream to basketball lovers but is limited, basically niche, in the overall interest level it produces.
 
The NBA is the fastest growing sport in the world.

It will eventually become the most popular sport in America, probably in the next 30 years.
 
Also, I feel like comparing NFL ratings to NBA ratings is kind of absurd. One primarily takes place on Sunday during the afternoon when most of America can watch on basic cable while the other happens on cable television on mostly week nights, the late game typically being too late to be watched by most on the East Coast.
 
Safetydan said:
The quality of play and product these days, inversely, is much higher in my opinion. I look back at youtube videos of the 90s NBA and I just go "glehhh". It's ugly, unrefined, wasteful, and lacks sophistication comparatively. The NBA these days is pretty amazing and the quality of play is historically unparalleled. I would say that since about 2010 the talent available in the league has created nothing short of a golden age. Strangely enough though I feel like this has contributed to the relative unpopularity. The NBA is, I'd argue, too nuanced to really appeal to old school purists and casual sports following citizens of the world. It's a wet dream to basketball lovers but is limited, basically niche, in the overall interest level it produces.
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You're assuming that "better product" means bigger, faster, better players. That the quality of play means the same thing as the quality of the product. You need look no further than college basketball to see this is not true. By any reasonable standard, quality of basketball is laughable compared to the NBA. I mean, I know that people will sometimes make the claim that an NCAA champion could beat a particularly bad NBA team, but that's just ludicrous. Still, Kentucky and Syracuse had higher average attendance last year than any NBA team. At least 5 other schools had attendance that would be in top half in the NBA. Hell, this being a Jazz forum, it's worth nothing that BYU games were better attended than the Nuggets games last year.

That seems crazy if you assume that people go to basketball games to see the best players possible. Surely, BYU fans know that by actual basketball standards, their players are utter garbage. Not one of those players will ever play in the NBA. I think one of the dudes from last year's team is currently scrubbing it up with some D-League team, but that's about the extent of the talent on that BYU team. Someone who's an actual fan correct me if I'm wrong, I don't really follow college basketball. Either way, the quality of basketball played last year by the lowly Denver Nuggets was still miles ahead of BYU. Why would people pay money to see players they know aren't that good? Because it's obviously not about that. Else we'd all be Golden State fans instead of Jazz fans. There's much more to it than simply which players are faster, bigger, or can hit shots more accurately.
 
JimLes said:
You're assuming that "better product" means bigger, faster, better players. That the quality of play means the same thing as the quality of the product. You need look no further than college basketball to see this is not true. By any reasonable standard, quality of basketball is laughable compared to the NBA. I mean, I know that people will sometimes make the claim that an NCAA champion could beat a particularly bad NBA team, but that's just ludicrous. Still, Kentucky and Syracuse had higher average attendance last year than any NBA team. At least 5 other schools had attendance that would be in top half in the NBA. Hell, this being a Jazz forum, it's worth nothing that BYU games were better attended than the Nuggets games last year.

That seems crazy if you assume that people go to basketball games to see the best players possible. Surely, BYU fans know that by actual basketball standards, their players are utter garbage. Not one of those players will ever play in the NBA. I think one of the dudes from last year's team is currently scrubbing it up with some D-League team, but that's about the extent of the talent on that BYU team. Someone who's an actual fan correct me if I'm wrong, I don't really follow college basketball. Either way, the quality of basketball played last year by the lowly Denver Nuggets was still miles ahead of BYU. Why would people pay money to see players they know aren't that good? Because it's obviously not about that. Else we'd all be Golden State fans instead of Jazz fans. There's much more to it than simply which players are faster, bigger, or can hit shots more accurately.
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I'm defining "quality of product" as the quality of basketball that the NBA produces and then presents in a broadcast or in person at the arena. The quality of play is a majority component of quality of product.

You clearly have popularity confused with the above. Im only speaking to the quality-level and this is not confined to merely "bigger, faster, better players" although having them is definitely a portion.

As far as college basketball goes, great. Having a student section and rabid alumni base helps, as do generally lower ticket prices. (The cheapest NBA tickets are occasionally less than the most expensive college games.)
I agree that NBA popularity is low compared to the 90s. I dont think that college basketball is more popular than the NBA.
 
JimLes said:
You're assuming that "better product" means bigger, faster, better players. That the quality of play means the same thing as the quality of the product. You need look no further than college basketball to see this is not true. By any reasonable standard, quality of basketball is laughable compared to the NBA. I mean, I know that people will sometimes make the claim that an NCAA champion could beat a particularly bad NBA team, but that's just ludicrous. Still, Kentucky and Syracuse had higher average attendance last year than any NBA team. At least 5 other schools had attendance that would be in top half in the NBA. Hell, this being a Jazz forum, it's worth nothing that BYU games were better attended than the Nuggets games last year.

That seems crazy if you assume that people go to basketball games to see the best players possible. Surely, BYU fans know that by actual basketball standards, their players are utter garbage. Not one of those players will ever play in the NBA. I think one of the dudes from last year's team is currently scrubbing it up with some D-League team, but that's about the extent of the talent on that BYU team. Someone who's an actual fan correct me if I'm wrong, I don't really follow college basketball. Either way, the quality of basketball played last year by the lowly Denver Nuggets was still miles ahead of BYU. Why would people pay money to see players they know aren't that good? Because it's obviously not about that. Else we'd all be Golden State fans instead of Jazz fans. There's much more to it than simply which players are faster, bigger, or can hit shots more accurately.
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There is clearly some racial factor in it. Some people also just have really deep connections to a certain college for some reason. I don't really understand it. I watch my alma mater play a basketball game and I usually turn it off 5 minutes in. I like watching college basketball, but only the good teams when they play other good teams or to watch a pro prospect.

Also there is clearly resentment among some fans about how much money players make which may affect viewership, that much is clear just among people who post on Jazzfanz as they are incensed at how much some players are looking to get on their next contract. I dont think that turns anyone on Jazzfanz off from watching the Jazz, but I imagine it might among more casual viewership.
 
People will always argue that their generation they grew up in is better than the current one. Never fails.


Sent from my iPhone using JazzFanz
 
One day soccer will become most popular sport in USA as well. It is inevitable.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Also, I feel like comparing NFL ratings to NBA ratings is kind of absurd. One primarily takes place on Sunday during the afternoon when most of America can watch on basic cable while the other happens on cable television on mostly week nights, the late game typically being too late to be watched by most on the East Coast.
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Okay now compare a game 7 of the NBA finals to any run of the mill NFL playoff game. The NFL game wins, I'm actually pretty sure most regular season NFL games draw better than a game 7 of the NBA finals.
 
MVP said:
One day soccer will become most popular sport in USA as well. It is inevitable.
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Doubtful, but it is gaining popularity. Hard to see it ever becoming most popular since the highest competition level is outside of America.
 
I think it was better in the 90's.

The players seemed to care more. The stars then and now obviously care, but the other players in the 90's seemed to care more.

The teams had real dislike between teams, the rivalry aspect of the NBA has vanished. It's not less it's simply gone. Having players play against each other that play like losing to "those guys" would be a disgrace makes the games more entertaining.

The NBA has changed the rules to make the games more offensive minded, they've done this to make the games more appealing to the masses. But IMO that has diminished the competitiveness of the league. You have guys that simply don't even care about defense in today's NBA and they get away with it because they have made it almost impossible to play real defense. It's turning the game into more and more of a shooting competition, instead of a basketball game. Pretty soon they'll just line guys up at the 3 point line and take turns shooting 3's to determine a winner (can't have any contact (gasp) our stars might get hurt).

The fact that super star calls is now accepted as a fact shows that the league just simply doesn't care about the image that they cheat to favor the more marketable teams and players.

All of these factors to me ruin the watch ability of the league. I used to enjoy watching NBA games, now they are boring unless it's the Jazz. I haven't watched an entire NBA game not involving the Jazz in at least 3 years, and that includes the playoffs. It's just not entertaining to watch anymore.
 
Didn't like my post Cy? Is that because is disproves your point? Shouldn't the final game of an NBA season draw more interest than an NFL game? If it's so popular that is.
 
gregbroncs said:
Didn't like my post Cy? Is that because is disproves your point? Shouldn't the final game of an NBA season draw more interest than an NFL game? If it's so popular that is.
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This.

Also, LULZ at Cy saying basketball will pass the NFL.
 
These post are so bad they arent even worth responding to. They reek of "all lives matter" and old man stench.
 
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