spurschick
09-13-2006, 08:34 AM
NBA must tinker with its story line
Sports Business Journal
September 11, 2006 : Page 22
The 2006 NBA Finals will be best remembered for Dallas' meltdown, Miami's comeback and Mavericks owner Mark Cubanís alleged statement that the league is 'rigged.'
Cuban refutes the report from The Miami Herald that after a controversial loss in Game 5 he voiced the most blasphemous words a league commissioner can hear.
Before you dismiss the supposed tirade as another idiotic statement made by Cuban, take a closer look and you will find more than a nugget of truth in his alleged diatribe.
Clearly the NBA isn't rigged, but over the last decade, the league has evolved into a predictable product where even casual fans can forecast what will happen during the beginning, middle and end of a game.
If Cuban used the word ìformulaicî rather than rigged, his complaint would have been taken more seriously.
Instead of basking in the ratings boost and positive press about the playersí new dress code, David Stern & Co. should examine Cuban's supposed criticism.
Fan interest in the NBA continues to drop, this year's Nielsen numbers notwithstanding, because the games as a televised product have blended into the same type of predictable programming that populates broadcast television today. Little drama remains in a league that once made fans 'love this game.' Each individual 48-minute episode of the NBA looks exactly the same as the previous one.
No matter your impression of Cuban, who has the charm of the kid who takes his ball home if he doesnít get his way, the NBA is a formulaic version of what it once was.
The league in its previous incarnation from the early 1980s to late 1990s featured a style of play that revolved around fast-moving offenses and team play that provided fans with the three most essential ingredients for successful television: suspense, conflict and drama.
That is no longer the case. Although the NBA might market its product in a quick MTV-style, the game, from its style of play to officiating, has become too predictable and stagnant for many TV viewers.
It's now tough to differentiate an NBA game from a cliché-ridden prime-time family sitcom:
Male lead walks into room. Mom and Dad have a misunderstanding while the son and daughter sit by and add prepackaged zingers for comic relief. Dad makes self-deprecating comment. Mom counters with an ìAw, shucksî look. Cue laugh track, roll end credits, show over.
TV viewers have watched this scenario countless times. That is why they are tuning to alternative programming and networks such as HBO's "The Wire" or FX, doing so at the expense of the traditional broadcasters.
Home team takes lead in first quarter. Road team makes comeback in second as home team sits star player. Road team takes control in third. Game boils down to the drawn-out last five minutes of the fourth quarter, where four players stand aside and let star player go to the hoop and officials swallow their whistles. Final horn blows, game over.
TV viewers have watched this scenario, too, countless times. That is why they are turning to alternative sports at the expense of a traditional league such as the NBA.
NBA officials would counter this argument by promoting the fact that Nielsen numbers for this yearís finals jumped 12 percent from last year [comparing this year's six-game series with the first six games of the seven-game series last year]. However, just like any sitcom, having a guest star in the mold of Shaquille OíNeal can always provide an instant boost that momentarily takes the sting away from dropping viewer interest.
Until the league mandates that referees make calls against marquee players regardless their QScore and creates more rules to open up offensive play, and more team executives stress the acquisition of players interested in co-existing in a fan-friendly team environment, many people will find the league rigged.
Oops, I mean formulaic.
Aaron J. Moore is an assistant professor of public relations at Rider University.
Sports Business Journal
September 11, 2006 : Page 22
The 2006 NBA Finals will be best remembered for Dallas' meltdown, Miami's comeback and Mavericks owner Mark Cubanís alleged statement that the league is 'rigged.'
Cuban refutes the report from The Miami Herald that after a controversial loss in Game 5 he voiced the most blasphemous words a league commissioner can hear.
Before you dismiss the supposed tirade as another idiotic statement made by Cuban, take a closer look and you will find more than a nugget of truth in his alleged diatribe.
Clearly the NBA isn't rigged, but over the last decade, the league has evolved into a predictable product where even casual fans can forecast what will happen during the beginning, middle and end of a game.
If Cuban used the word ìformulaicî rather than rigged, his complaint would have been taken more seriously.
Instead of basking in the ratings boost and positive press about the playersí new dress code, David Stern & Co. should examine Cuban's supposed criticism.
Fan interest in the NBA continues to drop, this year's Nielsen numbers notwithstanding, because the games as a televised product have blended into the same type of predictable programming that populates broadcast television today. Little drama remains in a league that once made fans 'love this game.' Each individual 48-minute episode of the NBA looks exactly the same as the previous one.
No matter your impression of Cuban, who has the charm of the kid who takes his ball home if he doesnít get his way, the NBA is a formulaic version of what it once was.
The league in its previous incarnation from the early 1980s to late 1990s featured a style of play that revolved around fast-moving offenses and team play that provided fans with the three most essential ingredients for successful television: suspense, conflict and drama.
That is no longer the case. Although the NBA might market its product in a quick MTV-style, the game, from its style of play to officiating, has become too predictable and stagnant for many TV viewers.
It's now tough to differentiate an NBA game from a cliché-ridden prime-time family sitcom:
Male lead walks into room. Mom and Dad have a misunderstanding while the son and daughter sit by and add prepackaged zingers for comic relief. Dad makes self-deprecating comment. Mom counters with an ìAw, shucksî look. Cue laugh track, roll end credits, show over.
TV viewers have watched this scenario countless times. That is why they are tuning to alternative programming and networks such as HBO's "The Wire" or FX, doing so at the expense of the traditional broadcasters.
Home team takes lead in first quarter. Road team makes comeback in second as home team sits star player. Road team takes control in third. Game boils down to the drawn-out last five minutes of the fourth quarter, where four players stand aside and let star player go to the hoop and officials swallow their whistles. Final horn blows, game over.
TV viewers have watched this scenario, too, countless times. That is why they are turning to alternative sports at the expense of a traditional league such as the NBA.
NBA officials would counter this argument by promoting the fact that Nielsen numbers for this yearís finals jumped 12 percent from last year [comparing this year's six-game series with the first six games of the seven-game series last year]. However, just like any sitcom, having a guest star in the mold of Shaquille OíNeal can always provide an instant boost that momentarily takes the sting away from dropping viewer interest.
Until the league mandates that referees make calls against marquee players regardless their QScore and creates more rules to open up offensive play, and more team executives stress the acquisition of players interested in co-existing in a fan-friendly team environment, many people will find the league rigged.
Oops, I mean formulaic.
Aaron J. Moore is an assistant professor of public relations at Rider University.