NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed this week during an interview with ESPN that his association will largely abandon their “social justice messaging” next season and will focus on “returning to normalcy.”
The NBA plans to stop the social justice messages starting next season, and commissioner Adam Silver has admitted he understands why fans are so upset.
It only took the TV ratings to tank, but it looks like the NBA is learning a harsh lesson.https://t.co/OfjDNJ9wZ8
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) October 7, 2020
“I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and the jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer. My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor. And, I understand those people who are saying, ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game,” said Silver.
Watch his comments above.
ANOTHER NEW LOW: NBA Finals Game 3 ‘Least Watched in Recorded Ratings History’
The NBA continued to hemorrhage fans over the weekend when their final championship series was viewed by less than 5 million Americans each night; the lowest recorded since the association started keeping track back in 1994.
The TV Ratings For The NBA Finals Hit Another Record Low. The Numbers Are Atrocious https://t.co/6tV8kJYdF6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) October 6, 2020
The TV ratings for game three of the NBA Finals hit another record low Sunday night. The game averaged fewer than 4.4 million viewers.
The numbers are pathetic. This is what happens when you make sports political. People quit watching.
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) October 5, 2020
Well, there’s always the Chinese market
Game 1 of NBA Finals sees lowest viewership in recorded ratings history https://t.co/HAi3wKLICf
— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) October 2, 2020
Dead. Good.https://t.co/KHTLa2yjn2
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) October 2, 2020
“The number is down 45 percent from last year’s Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors, which had 13.51 million viewers. This is the fourth straight year Game 1 viewership has gone down compared to the previous season,” reports Yahoo Sports.
Read the full report here.
NBA IN TROUBLE: Play-Off Ratings DOWN 23% Compared to 2019, Lowest Watched in 5 Years
Ratings for the NBA’s post-season play-offs are down compared to 2019, with 23% of viewers tuning-out as athletes continue to protest the National Anthem and delayed games to promote “social justice” in America.
“Ratings for broadcasts of NBA games remained shaky over the weekend, per Sports Media Watch, continuing a season-long trend of the league struggling to attract television viewers,” reports Sports Illustrated.
Rough start for the NBA playoffs.
-Viewership on ABC is down 23% from last year
-Viewership down a huge 28% in 18-49 year olds
-The Lakers game was the lowest watched opener in 5 years
-Overall ratings are down 20% compared to last postseasonhttps://t.co/kil8YgtGWx— Damon A. Salvadore (@DamonSalvadore1) August 30, 2020
“The Lakers’ win ranks as ABC’s least-watched playoff opener in five years (2015 Pelicans-Warriors: 3.49M), with the caveat that this year marked the first time since 2004 that it did not air a game on the opening day of the postseason,” Sports Media Watch reported.
Read the full report here.