NBA OUT OF TOUCH WITH ITS FANS
December 9, 2008 by R.C. Cola
So it’s a Tuesday night and I’m on the couch ready for some NBA action. Only, I couldn’t find any.
You see, I just moved into my apartment, and with no cable access yet, all I had was what I could pick up from rabbit ears. When it comes to basketball, that meant precious little. Local teams the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets both play on cable channels. National games, once broadcast on network television, are shown only on ESPN and TNT. Games on ABC don’t start until Christmas.
In 2002, the NBA signed a lucrative deal to take a majority of its games to ESPN. The sports network and TNT share the conference finals. As part of the deal, fewer games are broadcast on network television, depriving people who don’t subscribe to cable service. Last year, the NBA signed a $7.4 billion contract extension through 2016, further depriving fans. From bloated multi-million dollar payrolls to cities tapping public funding for new facilities, it’s another example of how the league has lost touch with its fans.
In the era where a $20 million contract doesn’t warrant a double-take and franchises can pick up and abandon an existing loyal city, the NBA needs a serious attitude adjustment. And it’s not just the league. All sports have taken to soaking its local fanbase.
Take the New York Yankees and the Mets, who are asking for $450 million more in public funding. The Yankees are demanding another $259 million on top of the $940 million they’ve already received, while the Mets want $83 million, on top of the $615 million already approved. With Wall Street, the auto industry, and even overwhelmed homeowners potentially receiving financial bailouts, why don’t the local sports teams line up for a handout?
Really? How do they have the nerve to ask for more funds when home values are plummeting, jobs are getting cut at a record pace, and basic energy costs are rising?
New venues across the country, from the new Cowboys stadium in Dallas to Yankee Stadium, are charging for personal seat licenses, or several thousands of dollars just for the right to hold season tickets.
The Knicks and Madison Square Garden, meanwhile, receives tax breaks between $10 million and $12 million. The New Jersey Nets were poised to break the hearts of its fans with a move to Brooklyn. Fortunately, that deal appears to be quickly falling apart.
The less said about the Seattle Sonics, the better. Last year, new Sonics owner Clay Bennett forced the team to move out of Seattle, despite the long history and dedication of the city. I hope he’s happy with his Oklahoma City Thunder, currently sitting at the bottom of the standings. The theft from Seattle was one of the biggest travesties in the NBA last season.
NBA Commissioner David Stern has his eye on expanding the league’s popular in Europe and Asia. Maybe he should start looking closer to home.
Or maybe I just need to get cable.
Totally agree… bring back the NBA on NBC with that awesome theme song!
I loved that theme song. Nothing got me hyped up more for an NBA game. You don’t get that with ABC, ESPN or TNT.