NBA TV ratings have been hammered over the course of the past two years.
According to Outkick, ratings on ABC, ESPN and TNT are down a staggering average of 25% from 2019. Broadcasts on TNT are down 19%, ESPN broadcasts are down 26% and ABC broadcasts are down 25%, according to the same report. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
The NBA had a bad 2019. The NBA had an all-time horrible 2020. What do you call its 2021?https://t.co/pSBRavVVrz
— OutKick (@Outkick) May 19, 2021
Even more shocking, Outkick reported that since the 2011-12 season, broadcasts on ABC are down 45%! To put it as simply as possible, the NBA is a world of trouble right now when it comes to TV ratings.
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This is what happens when you turn a sports league into a nonstop political lecture. People want to watch sports.
We don’t want to be lectured by multi-millionaire athletes. You know who else knows this? NBA commissioner Adam Silver, and he’s admitted as much.
Furthermore, LeBron James has turned off so many people from the league because he just can’t stop sticking his foot in his mouth.
He flamed the police officer who shot Ma’Khia Bryant during an attempted stabbing, and then never apologized for possibly putting the cop in danger.
LeBron James has now deleted the tweet calling for the cop to be arrested for shooting the woman armed with a knife, but don’t worry. The internet is forever.
I blurred out the officer’s face on purpose. pic.twitter.com/dbv5dPrZ87
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) April 21, 2021
At this point, you really have to start wondering whether or not the NBA can be saved. Unfortunately for the league, I think the answer is likely no.