How would you market the NBA to the casual fan

[Jumi]

I believe in the post Stern NBA there's an opportunity to expand the sport to the masses of the casual fan who only watch during the post season or when the "star-studded" teams are involved. The NBA has a global reach and America is a diverse country, so with 30 teams in the league a good marketing strategy could prove very profitable as well as entertaing. I'd say, promote the team when that team doesn't have a marketable star or superstar and promote individual players when their talents warrant such merits.

Grizzles-Grit and Grind style of basketball

Spurs-Execellence of Execution, always a contender

Bobcats-MJ's greatest challenge

so on and so forth!

Kevin Love-The Great White Hope

Steph Curry-The Babyfaced Assassin

James Harden, JaVale McGee, Anthony Davis, and Demarcus Cousins could all be marketed one way or other because of the craziness and uniqueness of their personalities. What do you guys think? Try this out, say, "Tony Parker" to a woman who doesn't watch basketball regularly and she's gonna say, "Didn't he cheat on Eva Longoria!"

[spursfan09]

I know how I wouldn't market. Don't continue to say a team is boring throughout the whole season and then wonder why ratings are so low. If you're smart you'd build any team up especially if there is a high probability they will be the last team standing.

[silverblk mystix]

WWE !!!!!!

(*Black players in tank tops!!!!)

If you are a SUPERSTAR - you can hit people with impunity and - *no foul!!!!
If a non - SUPERSTAR - breathes in your vicinity - *foul!!!!!

[TheyCallMePro]

It would be extremely difficult. 60% of the teams in the NBA are total garbage, and there's usually only 2-3 real contenders for the title. Also the regular season is too long, and while the best of seven series in the playoffs allows the best teams to win, they don't provide the kind of excitement that a shorter series would bring. You can see what the NBA is trying to do though. They're trying to pump up the non-contenders stars (Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin, CP3, John Wall, Stephon Curry, etc) It sounds like good strategy, only a lot of those guys never make the playoffs or are quickly eliminated, and again, who care's about watching them in the regular season when they start out 10-30 and there's still 40 games left? I don't know if I could do it. Marketing the NBA is probably the toughest job in the world. If I wasn't a die-hard Spurs fan, who lives in San Antonio, I don't think I would have any respect for the NBA. There's just too many trash teams.

[dbestpro]

Do away with the fouls on the defense that are initiated by the offense. Allow teams the right to take the ball out of bounds instead of shooting foul shots. A rookie should get the same calls that an allstar gets. If you don't see it, don't call it. Allow coaches 3 challenges to reverse fouls that did not happen. The casual fan will cheer for the team more than the player when the team is treated by the NBA to be more important than the player.

[baseline bum]

I'd just have the cheerleaders go and finger themselves for the camera on the cuts to commercial.

[exstatic]

I would market the winners instead of the "personalities". I would also replace almost all of the NBA TV media for laziness, and failure to pay attention, particularly anyone who's still on the "Spurs are boring" train.

[benstanfield]

Get rid of the Bobcats, Kings, Hornets, Bucks, Magic.

Get rid of 41 regular season games.

Get rid of the All Star break.

Get rid of the draft lottery, just do it like the NFL does.

Revenue sharing + Hard cap.

Promotion/Relegation from the DLeague to the NBA, like Premier League soccer, so GMs can't just be shitty and cheap and perpetually ruin their teams.

Make every playoff series best of 5, more upsets.

.....

Profit.

[benstanfield]

Also completely dissociate from ESPN

[Jumi]

I agree that the media dictates the narrative instead of the actual play. Until I started watching more teams play on a regular basis, I had a total misconception about the actual teams strengths and weakness. Blake Griffin actually has a skill set! It needs to be developed more, but he can actually do more than dunk!

[DesignatedT]

The NBA should hire you as a consultant.

[Blue-Lightning]

What the NBA should do is make the season 24 three game series in which the best two out of three gets a win... if a team ends the season tied with other teams (say 12-12), then overall record from all 72 games would be the tie breaker. The NBA could also have lower end teams play for draft picks after the All-Star break, giving noncontenders a reason to keep following their teams. By switching to this format, every game continues to count, games have more importance, and luck factors less into the game. Also, add HORSE and 21 to the All_Star break, make winners of the competitons receive real monetary rewards, and remove the gimmicks from the dunk contest.

[HI-FI]

Do away with the fouls on the defense that are initiated by the offense. Allow teams the right to take the ball out of bounds instead of shooting foul shots. A rookie should get the same calls that an allstar gets. If you don't see it, don't call it. Allow coaches 3 challenges to reverse fouls that did not happen. The casual fan will cheer for the team more than the player when the team is treated by the NBA to be more important than the player.


good points. i'm not a serious gamer, i keep up with sports but i keep up with basketball the most because of the flow and energy. all these stupid offense-initiating fouls hurt the flow of the game.

and I agree that the Stern, or the owners, have screwed thigns up by making the game about players than teams, wanting to move teams away etc....Some owners, like Peter Holt, deserve a ton of credit for building a brand, a culture etc....But so many owners suck in this league and they have no one to blame but themselves if profits aren't as high as they wish.

I'd just have the cheerleaders go and finger themselves for the camera on the cuts to commercial.
:lmao
or this, pussy always sells.

[Lakers999]

i would go retro and show the last 2 minutes of game 5 from the 2004 western conference semi finals to the casual fan

[Anonymous Cowherd]

As a European whose first love/sport is football (actual football, as in the one where you use your foot to move the ball) I would the say the biggest obstacle is that there's ONLY ONE DAMN THING TO WIN; and compounded with this, the whole point of the huge (and compared to other sports it is HUGE - 82 games!) grind of the season, the huge effort, is rewarded by.... having 1 extra game at home and a slightly easier first-round opponent. The NBA should find a way of making a massive deal of being top of the league (because that does actually make you the best team), top of your division etc. There should be more stuff to play for - some concurrent trophy alongside the regular season.