The TV ratings for game one of the NBA Finals were absolutely atrocious when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat to open the series.
According to SportsMediaWatch.com, the Wednesday night game only averaged 7.41 million viewers on ABC. That’s “the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record (dates back to 1988),” according to the same report. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Viewership is down 45% from game one of the NBA Finals in 2019.
Ratings: #NBAFinals opens with its smallest audience ever.
Viewership -45% from last year’s Game 1 and -58% from Cavs-Warriors Game 1 in 2018.
Behind Lakers-Clippers (Christmas) as top game of season and barely ahead of last year’s Game 1 — of the WCF:https://t.co/Qo41Qc2xrQ
— Sports Media Watch (@paulsen_smw) October 1, 2020
There’s literally no way to spin this in favor of the NBA. There’s no way anyone on the planet can make these numbers appear positive.
People literally didn’t care at all about game one, and it featured LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
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When you have LeBron James and the Lakers in the NBA Finals and the ratings tank, then you have a major problem on your hands if you’re the NBA.
When LeBron can’t get people interested, then I’m not sure who can.
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There are probably a lot of reasons why the ratings are down, but we all know people are tired of the nonstop politicization of sports.
The games aren’t about winning or losing anymore. They’re about lecturing regular Americans about why we’re all terrible people.
All players, coaches and refs take a knee and lock arms during the national anthem before the Lakers-Clippers game. pic.twitter.com/eZ9RHE3eh7
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 31, 2020
Focus on winning basketball games and not being political activists and fans might return. At the very least, it’d be a step in the correct direction.