SELLING THE STENCH
Negativity seems to thrive in NBA ratings game
An assortment of Gasbags said they didn’t watch “a second” of the NBA AllStar Game, then proceeded to spend at least 10 to 15 minutes talking about it. That’s not surprising. Valley of the Stupid bloviators are allergic to empowered players, especially ones who dare not play defense during a glorified scrimmage.
And it was not surprising hearing Kevin Durant say the machinations surrounding his exit from Brooklyn brought “more eyes to the league.” He added: “More people are excited. The tweets that I got from me being traded, Kyrie [Irving] being traded, it just brings more attention to the league and that’s really what makes you money when you get more attention.”
Durant is far from delusional. It’s hard to argue with him. He raises a good question: What kind of “attention” is good for the NBA and its TV ratings? When it comes to the NBA, controversy matters — on and off the court.
So, while the NBA All-Star Game, and its surrounding accoutrements (like the Slam Dunk contest) did not produce a scintilla of competition, and recorded a whopping 27% drop in TV ratings from last season’s All-Star Game, it did feed the NBA media’s need to consume, then deliver, scrumptious negativity.
Like Denver’s Michael Malone, who coached Team LeBron, describing the game as “the worst basketball game ever played.” Or G-Leaguer Mac McClung embarrassing the likes of Knicks center Jericho Sims in the Dunk contest.
And while average TV viewership from the 2022 edition did drop 27%, the ASG, blemishes and all, still attracted 4.5 million viewers, nothing to sneeze at it in this competitive content environment, especially for “the worst basketball game ever played.” NBA suits, and their TV partners, should exit-poll the viewers who stuck with the game.
A sanity check might be in order too.
Moving toward the playoffs, with the league eyeing a new collective bargaining agreement and new TV contract (the current one expires after the 2024-25 season), will NBA oddities and ends deliver ratings down the stretch of the season right into and through the playoffs?
At the All-Star break, average viewership for NBA national telecasts (TNT, ESPN, ABC) was 1.6 million viewers, up an anemic 1% from last season.
Locally, at the All-Star break, the Nets on YES averaged 68,000 viewers compared to 70,000 preAll-Star break last season. For the three games that have aired on YES since the Durant trade to Phoenix, YES averaged 92,000 total viewers. If you believe Durant’s theory, a portion of the 92,000 desperately tuned in to get more info on his departure.
The Knicks on MSG averaged 115,000 viewers at the All-Star break. NBA sources said Knicks viewership had been trending upwards leading into the break.
Now, with the resumption of NBA play, will the focus return to the game itself? That would be a unique occurrence. Or will the NBA media continue to preach about the NBA devaluing its own regular season? Let’s just say, don’t look for all the load management talk suddenly disappearing.
In other words, business as usual for the NBA.
BELTRAN BOUNCES BACK
After the raw deal he got from the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, it was nice seeing Carlos Beltran land with the Mets as special assistant to GM
Billy Eppler.
YES brass knew what it was getting into when it named Beltran, who had no broadcasting experience, as a game analyst on a limited schedule of Yankees games in 2022. He got off to a rocky start.
And when the suits didn’t like his performances or the criticism Beltran was getting from outside YES headquarters, they took him off games and stashed him in the studio.
Odds are they would not have brought Beltran back to YES for the 2023 season. If YES was truly committed to Beltran in 2022, it would’ve kept him in the booth and let him grow. Again, Beltran was a novice who needed time. Instead, YES brass showed they had little patience, and even less desire, to do what it took to help Beltran succeed.
DON’T LET THIS FADE AWAY
While they won’t have to be told what to do, college basketball voices — courtside and studio — won’t be dwelling on the story of Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller who, according to law enforcement, delivered the gun used to shoot and kill Jamea Jones Harris on Jan. 15.
In the aftermath, the hoops media had a layup, a sports angle, to discuss: Should Miller have been allowed to play against South Carolina on Wednesday, Feb. 22, one day after law enforcement testified about the gun delivery?
But as March Madness moves closer, anyone invested in the Final Four (including its rights holders TNT/CBS) wouldn’t mind if the story faded away. Or highly ranked Alabama being knocked out of the tournament early. Do advertisers really want their products associated with an event with this kind of controversy — and sadness — hanging over it?
So, there’s no way all the “One Shining Moment” propaganda will be replaced by stories about why “student-athletes” are toting guns on campus. Or gun control.
No worries. Even in dark times, those associated with the tournament will cover it in sunshine, stick to the games and the happy talk surrounding them.
RODGERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Never have so many been kept in the dark by a man actually living in it.
While he was bunkered down, without opening his mouth or lifting a hand, Aaron Rodgers fed the media seals a feast. His days in hiding led to so many hours of repetition, so many hours spent by Valley of the Stupid Gasbags (on FAN and ESPN 98.7) talking about where Rodgers will go, won’t go or should go.
When G-Bags got tired of hearing their own theories, they switched to making fun of Rodgers for going into seclusion. Or delivering unsubstantiated “stories” about how much money Daniel Jones is looking for. Or how the Jets should sign
Derek Carr.
Nonetheless, it was all Rodgers all the time. Would anyone be surprised if another report surfaces that Rodgers is considering joining another team other than the Packers, Raiders or Jets? Or a TV gig?
AROUND THE DIAL
Those insisting the Jets are a “quarterback away” from the Super Bowl are taking a grand leap of faith . ... Can’t wait to see how baseball brainiacs work the pitch clock into their telecasts . ... Better still, how is John Sterling going to keep track of the pitch clock on the radio? Blow a warning whistle? Hey, he has enough on his plate keeping track of balls and strikes. … Sweeny Murti, who recently bolted WFAN is joining MLB’s social media editorial team . ... Justin Shackil is expected to replace Murti on Yankees Radio Network postgame shows . ... Tom Brady will still be found on SiriusXM on a weekly basis during football season. SXM recently completed a multi-year contract extension to bring back his “Let’s Go” show with Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and