The past few months have been a rollercoaster in American politics and sports. Donald Trump of the Republican Party defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party in the presidential election, a moment that reignited political debates nationwide. While politics and sports rarely share common ground, the narrative paints a similar picture.
In response to the concern in the past few years about the league's decline in interest, the NBA introduced the NBA Cup last year, an in-season tournament aimed at reinvigorating interest in the regular season. The league hoped the added stakes would compel players to take these games more seriously, thus drawing in viewers.
However, early results have been underwhelming. Viewership for the tournament is down 10 percent compared to its inaugural season. This experiment, designed to bolster engagement, seems to have had the opposite effect. Media personality Colin Cowherd found a way to connect the dots with the outcome of the 2024 presidential elections.
NBA ratings are down 48% since 2012. Down 28% this year alone on ESPN. Every other sports league is setting ratings records. Total disaster. https://t.co/5jnWVafcFB
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 11, 2024
"The NBA ratings are down 4 percent in the last 12 years, and they have fallen off a cliff this year," Cowherd said. "Adam Silver's solution is let's make the courts brighter. It is a really bad look for a family of four to go to a game, and the [stars] don't play. Go ask the Democrats. Be warned: once you detach from regular people in America, you will pay a price."
On ESPN, ratings have dropped by 28 percent compared to last year's period, averaging 1.77 million viewers per game. TNT's performance is slightly better, maintaining 1.8 million viewers per game, but that figure remains stagnant, a troubling sign for a league seeking growth.
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