NBA Finals: Next commish says Spurs not to blame for lower TV ratings

[ace3g]

“There is nothing that they should be doing differently,” Silver tells me about San Antonio’s lone major league franchise when it comes to attracting eyeballs. “By winning over a long period of time, the Spurs have done everything that could be asked of them to grow NBA basketball. If there is any blame to go around, it’s maybe that the league has not done a good enough job marketing the Spurs brand of basketball.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/2013/06/nba-finals-next-commish-says-spurs.html?ana=twt

[bklynspursfan]

Silver is about that Silver & Black :tu

[DesignatedT]

I guess that's kind of refreshing to hear. Interested to see where this guy takes the NBA.

[moisaenz]

Hopefully this guy has an eye on stern's antics before he leaves and keeps him in check..

[gameFACE]

Nothing anyone here didn't know. If Tim had been in a major market his "quiet" demeanor would have been marketed and the NBA would have loved it.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I blame his mispronunciation of Manu's last name on draft night for all the problems the Spurs have ever had, so he's not getting a free pass from me for paying a little lip service.

[TampaDude]

Nothing anyone here ever knew. If Tim had been in a major market his "quiet" demeanor would have been marketed and the NBA would have loved it.

WERD...if this team were in NYC, LA, or Chicago, they would be the talk of the NBA year after year.

[HI-FI]

That was a great quote. I know Simmons wrote that he has a lot of faith in Silver, that he thinks he will have a bigger picture of the game than Stern. I really hope he can improve upon Stern and leave behind the shady stuff.

[spurspokesman]

We are a market in itself. True and happy spurs fans supporting a worthwhile organization, to heck with the detractors and big market homers tbh. BUT it would be nice to see the spurs get a lil more league love lol.

[spurspokesman]

That was a great quote. I know Simmons wrote that he has a lot of faith in Silver, that he thinks he will have a bigger picture of the game than Stern. I really hope he can improve upon Stern and leave behind the shady stuff.This

[EVAY]

This guy is saying more than 'Spurs aren't at fault'. This guy is saying that the NBA is the one at fault for not correctly marketing the Spurs.


And yes, a lot of us have been saying that for some time. A lot of us have known that the Spurs play basketball that a basketball FAN loves.

And yes, had Stern marketed the GAME of basketball, everyone would be clamoring to see the Spurs. Those of us who follow them know how fun it is.

But it is not a bad thing for it to be said by the league offices, even if it won't make a difference in the marketing this year.

[tesseractive]

I don't know how much it means, really. Part of his job is to offer up platitudes to the local media in 30 different markets. And I certainly can't imagine him coming out and saying that the Spurs focus on playing really great basketball isn't enough and what they need to focus on is more nonsense like "The Decision" that will get them lots of headlines and more attention from talking heads.

[Richie]

Lets be honest, both sides are to blame. The Spurs shun media attention, so let's not solely blame the NBA for not marketing San Antonio well enough.

However, I think we can see how the NBA has learnt from the Spurs with their promotion of Oklahoma City. As a small market franchise who will likely be a major force for the next decade, they can't afford to marginalise them as they did the Spurs.

[SA210]

If someone ran the NBA with that mindset over the last 15 years, Spurs might just have at least 2-3 more championships and would have survived horribly rigged games. Let's hope he is being honest, I love the words. Too bad it's after Duncan and Manu are almost on their way out.

[Cane]

I don't watch the NFL but the Greenbay Packers seemed like a small market giant. Don't know if that helps anything.

[Humberto]

Red Rocket needs more TV time!

http://i.imgur.com/cj7g74K.jpg

[timvp]

His tune will change once he moves over a seat. I'm prepared for "Lakers vs. Lakers" by 2014.


I blame his mispronunciation of Manu's last name on draft night for all the problems the Spurs have ever had, so he's not getting a free pass from me for paying a little lip service.

:lol (though it was Russ Granik, tbh)

[TheGreatYacht]

@ 22:42 to about 25:00, there is some pretty honest discussion about how ESPN covers certain teams. Not that this is news to anyone, just enjoyed the honesty. ESPN is to blame as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iab4U5mhd2k&feature=player_embedded Here is a rant by some dude on youtube. Explicit language depicted so viewer discretion is advised:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_vupw7f62w

[rjv]

stern was always about promoting the perfunctory level of the game. maybe because he demeaned the IQ level of most basketball fans or assumed that the fan could never appreciate the deeper levels of the game. he did nothing to stem the direction of the media when it came to promoting the glitz and glamour. basketball may be the only major sport in america that is appreciated more for the superficial aspects of its game (although the NFL may soon follow suit).

[Kidd K]

It may just be lip service, but at least he's humble enough to say it. I don't remember Stern defending the Spurs regarding ratings even once.

Bill Simmons with the surprisingly ballsy stance against ESPN's coverage of Lakers vs their coverage of smaller markets teams too.

and lol@ the Bruce Blitz vid. That guy was always hilairous. I used to read/hear about him a lot years ago on the major NBA forum. Mostly by Kobefans being furious about his takes against Kobe being overrated. Even though he's really over the top and paranoid, he's actually pretty smart and uses a lot of facts and sound logic with his takes. Nice to see another Bruce Blitz vid.

[wut]

I love how we are now suppose to characterize "the Spurs brand of basketball" as something that is different, when it's just playing basketball as a TEAM. wtf.

[exstatic]

The league needs to put the Spurs on as many times as anyone and tell the broadcast partners "stop trashing them and you might get some ratings". I always saw Stern as a coward in this regard. There are multiple networks that bid on every contract. YOU set the terms.

[exstatic]

stern was always about promoting the perfunctory level of the game. maybe because he demeaned the IQ level of most basketball fans or assumed that the fan could never appreciate the deeper levels of the game. he did nothing to stem the direction of the media when it came to promoting the glitz and glamour. basketball may be the only major sport in america that is appreciated more for the superficial aspects of its game (although the NFL may soon follow suit).

They failed to see the point where they went from promoting winners who had personality to personalities who hadn't won shit. That is the colossal failure of the Stern administration.

[barbacoataco]

When 1-2 teams from major markets dominate a sport, like the NY Yankees in the 20-60's, or the Celtics and Lakers in the NBA, it is unhealthy for the league. The NFL has been successful in part because the small market teams still have a chance and there is more parity.

Most Americans can't think for themselves and simply believe whatever the media tells them. The media says the Spurs are boring and mediocre, needing "luck" to win all 4 of their championships. Who cares? I'm sure Duncan doesn't care.

[wut]

it's true, but it was Stern also that wanted to promote teams by their marquee stars. The whole "All-Star" game concept was created to promote "stars" from teams.

[barbacoataco]

it's true, but it was Stern also that wanted to promote teams by their marquee stars. The whole "All-Star" game concept was created to promote "stars" from teams.

But under that system a franchise that doesn't have a superstar is worthless. There's nothing to promote.

[wut]

They failed to see the point where they went from promoting winners who had personality to personalities who hadn't won shit. That is the colossal failure of the Stern administration.

this. It became more about money than sport. Lebron James is a huge example of this. How do guys like that get promoted before they even win a ring or prove they're even worthy of titles like King. It's a huge failure to promote people before they've proven their worth.

[wut]

But under that system a franchise that doesn't have a superstar is worthless. There's nothing to promote.
Yes agreed...which is the fallacy of the system. Teams should be promoted on how well they play together and the results they achieve....gee think of that. :D