http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070419/sp_nm/nba_attendance_dc_1

Can anyone explain this? I mean do people really care that much about the NBA to go spend at least $50 a pop to sit in the arena? It has to be more about being a chic, pop culture thing than about going to see exciting basketball...don't most true sports fans really dislike the NBA?

4/19/2007 6:33:15 PM

apparently not...and it is pretty "cool" and "chic" to makes threads about how the NBA sucks

4/19/2007 6:34:34 PM

Quote :

"it is pretty "cool" and "chic" to makes threads about how the NBA sucks "

4/19/2007 6:42:23 PM

Quote :

"sit in the"

4/19/2007 7:03:05 PM

NHL set record attendance in the month of january, don't know about the season

4/19/2007 7:07:23 PM

Stern is good at promoting the league. Last year right before the season started, he got a lot of hype because of the new ball. The year before he got hype because the bench players had to wear suits.

4/19/2007 7:16:31 PM

^ was that a serious post?

4/19/2007 7:27:11 PM

it's a lot different in places where college bball isn't king (if you don't have anything to compare it to, you can't tell the NBA is a bunch of lazy fucks)...the knicks sell out all the time and they suck ass...

4/19/2007 7:32:00 PM

i didn't post because because it's CHIC to think the NBA sucks...I posted because i think the NBA sucks

and i think the general feeling among most sports fans is the same. i am an avid sports fan, basketball is my favorite sport...and i can't watch it. so who is watching?? i am not even trying to start an argument...this is a legitimate question

4/19/2007 7:49:08 PM

No no, you are completely wrong.

Lots of people watch the NBA, maybe not as many people here in college basketball country, but it is still a very popular sport.

Plus it is great during the playoffs.

4/19/2007 7:57:33 PM

^bingo... detroit pistons are an easy example

same with nhl and the red wings

4/19/2007 7:59:30 PM

Quote :

" i am an avid sports fan, basketball is my favorite sport...and i can't watch it"

apparently basketball is not your favorite sport

4/19/2007 8:14:41 PM

Quote :

"Can anyone explain this? I mean do people really care that much about the NBA to go spend at least $50 a pop to sit in the arena? It has to be more about being a chic, pop culture thing than about going to see exciting basketball...don't most true sports fans really dislike the NBA?"

I kind of agree here, nba reg season is strictly entertainment, thats a consequence of having so many pointless games, if you poll people on the streets of new york you'd find prob like 1% that actualyl know shit about the players while that number is probably like 20% on a college campus about the college team

4/19/2007 8:18:15 PM

^at some colleges

that number would be far less at some place like Miami or Florida State

and do that poll on the streets of Salt Lake City or San Antonio or Phoenix

4/19/2007 8:24:07 PM

yeah, i will watch the NBA playoffs, but even that I find myself watching less and less of every year. I realize the quality of play is much higher in the NBA than in college...but the same holds true for every sport. I GREATLY prefer the NFL to college football...but i just don't care about the NBA. Why is that?

^i think that is probably a big answer to my question...i've never lived in a market like that where the NBA franchise is pretty much THE show in town. i spent a couple years in Tucson and the Suns were pretty big...i just can't see myself paying that kind of money to go see a regular season game though

4/19/2007 10:02:53 PM

i agree the prices are pretty expensive...maybe one reason im more of an nba fan than some of my fellow wolfpack people is because i grew up in charlotte and watched and went to a bunch of hornets games...back in the day got to see the greats like jordan, bird, magic...rookie shaq...iverson...see some of the stars grow

however george shinn, the hornets owner, pissed off a lot of people in the city and effectively gave them a bad impression of the nba...i think there would be more support if we couldve somehow convinced shinn to sell to somebody local and keep the team but whats done is done

ive given the bobcats a chance and theyre a fun team to watch...we've gotten hardworking rookies in the draft who generally played 4 years of college ball...and the expansion draft players we got all had a chip on their shoulder since their previous teams didnt consider them top-8 players on their respective teams (expansion draft every team locks 8 players and expansion team can pick from remaning, btw)

also i think some of the straight-from-high-school players made some people lose interest as they didnt get to watch those players play in college and mature their games in that environment and get to know them there...obviously the kobes and lebrons and garnetts show that some high school players can clearly make the jump and be entertaining to watch

i just think the nba gets a bad wrap unfairly sometimes...the "no defense" and "constant travelling" stereotypes are highly exaggerated, although theres clearly a correlation between # of games in a season and interest...hence why the NFL surpassed baseball as the most popular sport in the country...also nba players tend to get a much worse negative 'thug' stereotype than a league like the nfl, which probably has just as many off court/field arrests, etc

as a true basketball fan you just have to realize that college ball and the nba have some fudamental differences, but if you go into it just wanting to see some good players, you can enjoy it...its a different style of basketball but its a good one...and i think the "1 year college minimum" rule will be good for both sports...for the nba, you should get more polished rookies...for college fans, now you might actually care what kevin durant or greg oden does in the nba...if they went straight from high school they certainly wouldnt be as famous/familiar

4/19/2007 10:11:38 PM

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"we've gotten hardworking rookies in the draft who generally played 4 years of college ball."

Okafor, Felton, May and Morrison all played 3 years

but the rest of your argument is flawless

4/19/2007 10:20:23 PM

oh yeah...i knew okafor was 3 but he graduated in 3...and i just forgot about may and felton and morrison

4/19/2007 10:24:36 PM

^3 nice post

4/19/2007 10:26:28 PM

Quote :

"don't most true sports fans really dislike the NBA?"

hahah, that is ridiculous

i think most racist white people hate the nba, but obv true sport fans like the NBA

if you love basketball so much, why would you not want to see it played at its highest level??

the quality of the games in the nba playoff is generally 10x the ncaa tourney, it just doesnt get the hype b/c it isnt 'one and done'

4/19/2007 10:28:17 PM

Quote :

"Can anyone explain this? "

Actually, yeah. The economy is doing well and people are more willing to spend $$$ on entertainment. People always talk about the glory days of baseball when it was the 'national pasttime' but never pointed out that even Yankee Stadium would regularly play games to crowds of 10,000 or less. Now 75% of the teams in the sport break attendance record annually.

All 4 major sports, year after year, continue to break attendance records.

[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 10:29 PM. Reason : x]

4/19/2007 10:29:11 PM

nice post treetwista.....

The NBA gets a bad wrap becuase it a league of superstars. THe players and their personalities are much more visible because they are hidden by helmets, pads, ballcaps.

4/20/2007 12:12:21 AM

its too bad all those huge real sports and basketball fans missed 6.5 (should be 8 soon) games worth of excellent bball

4/22/2007 9:09:52 PM

teams keep building bigger arenas, this shit is always going to happen

4/22/2007 9:11:41 PM

good point ^ yeah, all the games have been really good except for the Cavs/wizards (the series will be a sweep)

4/22/2007 9:39:19 PM

and the fact that i'd like to see lebron play with a LITTLE bit of intensity for once

4/22/2007 9:40:27 PM

^he did the 2nd half of the season

but this playoff series you might not see much w/ the wizards dont have their two best players

4/22/2007 10:25:53 PM