NBA Experts Barking up the Wrong Tree

by Zupaclypse

Contrary to most expert analysis on the situation, a referee's betting exploits on the NBA do not threaten the league's survival nor do they tarnish its image. Media scrutiny into the damages of Tim Donaghy's alleged activities has certainly been overwhelming, but the long term impact of this scandal will be conversely minimal. Why am I quick to dismiss the the greatest threat to a sport's integrity, the complete compromise of one of its rule enforcers? Because the league has much deeper-rooted problems that have already caused a dynamic reduction to its once-sizable fan base. The worst-case scenario, a string of point-shaving and game-fixing incidents, adds little fuel to an already enormous blaze.

Certainly, the addition of co-conspirators in form of players and coaches could potentially heighten the proposed threat, but from most news reports, the FBI probe of Tim Donaghy represents an isolated incident. With that in mind, how can one man's ability to determine the outcome of a few basketball games affect a league completely devoid of competitive cross-conference play. Conference imbalance poses a much greater risk to the NBA's long term future than anything Tim Donaghy has done. With the league's current playoff seeding format, fans lose interest after the first couple of rounds, forcing a plummet in the television ratings for the Finals. The NBA must comprehend that most viewers consider talent equality as critical to the game's success as the preservation of its integrity. This is primarily because most fans draw from their own competitive experiences in high school and college sports, and in work life.

NBA commissioner, David Stern, stated publicly that this was the worst situation for the NBA. How about the decision to suspend Phoenix Suns all-star Amare Stoudamire and forward Boris Diaw for a critical game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals because they left the bench briefly during an altercation? Not only did this decision miss the spirit of law, it ruined the most exciting and competitive post-season series between the league's two best teams. By employing an entertaining brand of basketball run by a short white point guard making up for his athleticism with great skills and smarts, the Phoenix Suns philosophy resonate with the average American viewer. To short-change this franchise was a colossal mistake by the league. The damages, as previously stated, were a serious drop-off in viewer ratings for not only the remainder of the playoffs, but for the foreseeable future as well. This is why a referee scandal is not additionally problematic.

On top of conference inequality and unnecessary suspensions, the NBA has a problem with fan apathy due to a lack of star power in the postseason. What could Tim Donaghy do, when nobody was watching attentively anyways. The inability of a mega-star like Kobe Bryant to advance a round or two should be of primary concern to the league. Players like Kobe who possess not only the ability to genuinely flirt with the NBA recordbooks on a given night, but also maintain a dramatic love/hate relationship with the fans attract significant outsider interest. This is true in all sports when records are threatened and drama is created. If anything, the game-fixing saga adds interest to the league. Fans want to see for themselves the extent of the damages and whether they will occur again. Its easy to captivate interest when a member of your sport has broken a sacred code of conduct that no member of any other major American sport has done.

The Tim Donaghy scandal will not, like most experts think, damage the reputation of the NBA. The NBA image is built off of fan viewership, which thrives on competitiveness, resonance with enthusiasts, and star power and controversy. While the NBA has deep rooted problems in most of these categories, the element of controversy is no longer an issue thanks to the actions of one "rogue referee".