By Joe DiProsperos
It’s about dang time.
It has only been roughly 130 days since a meaningful NBA game has taken place, but if you ask me, it has felt much more like 130 years. But the NBA is finally back, and frankly, the world is now a better place.
I am a staunch believer that the NBA is the best professional sports league in America, and quite possibly the world. Forbes published an article back in April discussing how much the league grew throughout this past season. NBA ratings saw positive growth throughout the four major television networks (ABC, NBC, ESPN and TNT), attendance increased for the fourth year in a row and streaming services yet again saw an up-tick in subscriptions. They note the length of NBA games, the NBA being quite active on social media and basketball being such a global sport as just a few reasons for the increase in interest.
When you take all of that into account, the fact of the matter is that the NBA is the league best suited to draw the interest of this particular generation of sports fans. We live in an interconnected society that is predicated on processing vast amounts of action and information in as little time as possible. Basketball, and the NBA in particular, is arguably the one sport / league that can most efficiently tap into every one of those needs. It is a constantly moving game in which a lot of things happen at once, commanding our full attention.
Yet despite undeniable growth in popularity and its broad appeal to large amounts of people, there are still people who absolutely despise everything about the overall look of the new NBA. We’ve heard it all:
“It’s too predictable!”
“There’s no more loyalty!”
“The game is unwatchable!”
“I miss the old NBA!”
I would be lying if I said I have not shared these same sentiments many times as an NBA fan. But I feel that the thing that gets lost in all of that frustration and discontent is the fact that those are the very things that keep us watching in the first place. The supposed mundaneness of the league that allegedly is supposed to not interest us is exactly what keeps drawing us back in.
Let me explain.
Take the Warriors for instance. Heading into the 2018-19 season, we kind of already know what is probably going to happen: with a lineup boasting an ungodly amount of talent, they will probably be the ones standing on the podium receiving the Larry O’Brien trophy from commissioner Adam Silver. And if we know that this is the most likely scenario, why should we even bother watching?
Anyone who says that they are never watching the NBA again because the Warriors are too good are straight up lying. They will be watching every night just like any other NBA fan. And it’s for the simple fact that because as much as much we hate it when the Warriors win, we love it even more when they lose. Think about it: throughout the season, especially come playoff time, we pay extremely close attention for any moments, as little as they may be, that could indicate a team not named the Warriors might actually end up on top. We’re almost always wrong, but we’re still paying attention.
The drama and the appeal: that’s why the NBA is good for us.
