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If I Were NBA Commissioner ...
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Some of these things will never happen. But I'll say them anyway...
To hear David Stern, the NBA is in peak form, especially after their manufactured LA-Boston NBA Final just completed. They set attendance records every year. The merchandising and international revenue is an incredible sum. When the old BAA hockey arena owners originally got together in 1946, this was the kind of jack they dreamed of over rounds of whisky.
But the attendance figures are, of course, inflated. Yes, the tickets are sold. But many seats are empty. The league designed for Joe Sixpack in the early 1950s is now corporate seating and loges. The foreign cash is large, but the American cash is actually beginning to shrink a little.
I mention these two issues because they are but two of many facing the league, and because they go to the heart of what is wrong with this 60-year-old league. No, there's nothing at all wrong with business guys trying to make a buck. Even a disgustingly huge buck. This is America. It may also be very American to reduce or adjust the product to accommodate profit. We are a nation of plastic, disposable parts that soon become obsolete after the big sale. While I disagree with that fact, I understand it is the modern nature of the beast. I would not feel differently about the NBA than I would about other enterprises, except that they represent a much-loved game.
Also, there is the feeling that the NBA could be much bigger, producing a greater profit for owners by focusing energies on quality rather than quantity. So, what could the NBA do to take a bigger share? Or to be a league more worthy of greater public support? If I were God-Stern, here's what I would do:
1 ) Reduce the number of regular season games and teams. How does this create more money, you ask? Ask yourself, where does the real money come from now? From monster ticket prices? No, that is a small percentage of the revenue. Merchandising and media are the bank. The game is just a vehicle for a slew of ways to sell. I don't want to diss teams, but how many actually care about six matchups next winter between Minnesota and Memphis or Atlanta and Milwaukee? Some do, but not enough people to produce Stern Cash. The league sells individual players, not teams, in most cases. So, let's put them more together.
In 1971, the NBA had 17 teams. Using a standard bell curve, about six of them were real Contenders, and about 6-8 were dogs, especially with the recent expansion then. Expansion partly accounted for some of the huge records posted in the early 1970s. The middle teams were simply also-rans. Today, there are 30 teams. About six of them are, again, actual contenders, about 6-8 are total dogs. So, what the NBA has increased in 35 years is it's number of also-rans. This is an increase of mediocrity, which cannot be credibly sold for long, no matter how you dress it up. Would you spend $75.00 to see Toronto 92, Indiana 86? How many would? So cut the season down to 60-65 games each, and cut the number of teams down to about 24. That way, we have fewer future cripples running it out in the fourth round of the playoffs and fewer meaningless games. Those players from downsized teams can then bolster the other rosters, improving the quality of the product.
2) Reduce the number of playoff games. People do not respond to six weeks of seven-game series. The NBA simply does not hold attention spans to that degree now. 1 vs. 8 is always a joke matchup, 2 vs. 7 usually same. Cut all the rounds to five games, using a 2-2-1 format. Then, hype the individual events as opposed to the quantity of games with lesser interest. The NFL makes this work with much less, and the NBA pales big-time in comparison to that league. Less, when it is credible, can be much more.
3) Make a decision regarding the league's culture. It's either hip-hop with baggy pants or it's not. Sort of either does not define the product. Whatever the NBA once was as recently as the 1980s, it is much different now. Run with it or completely against it.
The reason I say this again goes to credibility. Many white American fans and players today are somewhat locked out of today's NBA. Some can appreciate it for what it wants to be: the urban culture and the related theater that is today's game experience. But the league cannot be all things to all people without diluting itself. If it is Afro-Americans, South Americans and white Euros, then call it that.
For me, the rule changes and the buildup of urban culture, which has pushed many white Americans outside of the league, if not the game as a whole, is simply bad business. How can you deliberately exclude millions of Americans, where all the games are played, and expect to find more money? Bring white Americans back, get a better team-oriented game that still features it's stars, and make the bigger buck. Everybody wins.
Also, enforce some rules and get rid of the star cards. Get rid of the on-court unprofessional nonsense. Traveling and hopping are illegal for a reason. It should not matter who does it. Again, this goes toward a credible product.
3) Minimum Age 21. This will annoy some, but the truth is, the NBA is wrecking college and high school ball. The NCAA is not just a stepping stone, it is an entity unto itself. College programs cannot exist in upheaval every single year, dependent on hot freshman who are potentially-gifted, but clearly under-developed. Send the kids to real classes for their own good. Then, the NBA gets better, with more worldly pros who can better handle mountains of money. Better pros make a more credible league. The high schoolers are particularly tough to watch now. The odds of some 17-year old getting all the way there is slim and the roadside is littered with failed tries. Meanwhile, high school is gone forever. The NBA is actually hurting American education right now. That's ridiculous.
Not all kids are meant for college. Why have we forgotten this? If an 18-year-old wants to play pro ball, send them to the NBADL and the summer leagues. Then, they can polish their game, grow up a little, and still earn a decent real-world check.
4) Give the fans their game back. Back in the 1960s, the NBA had a slew of neutral site games for it's teams. The NBA might actually come to Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, Dayton, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Toledo, Las Vegas, Nashville and elsewhere. Games even came to smaller towns than that back then. The NBA has real opportunities by scheduling some events in non-league cities. These are events which can be promoted. Mexico City, London, Tokyo and elsewhere present similar huge opportunities. Why does Sacramento need every single one of it's home games? Some of these games would be simple good will, but some would be huge super events. Here again is more money, which is the idea, right?
Also, leave some tickets at the window, would you? Knock the prices down a little. $8 hot dogs are ridiculous. Let Joe Sixpack take his kid to the game again. Turn the deafening music and blaring lights down too. Let's watch the actual game going on, not the circus going on around it. The game is the main thing, right?
5) Network a little. To watch each of the leagues right now, they all seem to be competing hard against each other. In fact, none of them can be all things. All are brands in the aisle. Some will gain a given customer or miss him or her. So, let's work together. The NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA all occupy some common turf. Some even still share facilities. Why not spread the limelight around and co-operate a little more for a larger common dollar? Someday, your NBA team may need the boost back that it gives today.
As far as what the NBA can give to young people, schools, social issues and more, the NBA and other leagues have an opportunity to leave a good footprint. More than just a few checks given in public ceremonies, the NBA can speak and represent. It can shine light where it is needed. Something that consistently does good is always worth buying in my book. It's good business.
That's about it for now. Hopefully, some things for NBA fans to consider. Thanks.
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Play the Picture Game
Once a man or women turns 18 they should be allowed to work in what every profession their skills are most desired. That holds true for the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball or Lockheed Martin.
If the NBA continues to disallow 18 year olds from being drafted then they are going to start to follow Brandon Jennings to Europe and that's just what the league needs - it's best talent going overseas.
If you want to kill the league make players wait until 21. If you want it to thrive like most businesses do in free market then you allow the teams to take risk as they see fit and allow those who are paid to make basketball decisions, make basketball decisions.
You're right about the NCAA not being a stepping stone, players shouldn't be forced into their ranks. As a matter of fact if you have no interest in obtaining a degree you shouldn't be going to college, you should be in the D-League or in Europe. But we shouldn't encourage those who don't want to go to college to go to Europe, we should expand the minor leagues and give talent more of an opportunity in their formative years (18-22) to develop at home in the right way.