Over the past few months, the NBA has been in the news—not for good reasons, however. The sport is not attracting the type of numbers it did in yesteryear. Is it the players? Is it the schedule? Bringing gambling into games is always a taboo topic but it has increased engagement in other sports, so it is time to truly embrace offshore sportsbooks for NBA games in an integral way?
The State of Contemporary Basketball Play
Basketball is arguably not as exciting as it used to be. In the early 2010s, there were vibrant teams with a younger LeBron James at the Miami Heat; the New York Knicks had Carmelo Anthony rinsing opposition defenses and Kevin Durant. The NBA felt open, and any team could have won the Finals. Unfortunately, that is not the case with contemporary offerings. Many critics and observers state that the modern basketball team seldom shows nous to defend, rarely works the mid-range, and generally adopts the ‘drive and dish’ approach. The games feel mechanically engineered and lack entertainment.
Another contributing factor to the decline in popularity is the more significant than ever-widening gulf in quality between the top teams and others. There’s very little chance that a team from outside the top ten or eight will have a credible opportunity to win.
The Never Ending Schedule
Each team will play 82 games in the NBA regular season. Yes, you read that right. 82 games seem like an excessive number of fixtures, which makes the NBA seem like a real slog for followers – especially if they are following a team that makes the playoffs, as the total games may extend into triple digits!
Given that there is a game almost every day, it ruins the spectacle of watching a game. It isn’t necessary to watch the match tonight, as there is one tomorrow too, and another the day after that. By having so many games, it splits the audience’s attention as they do not wish to commit to watching all 82 games. When comparing it to Major League Soccer, the franchises play 34 regular season games. As such, the matches feel like an event as there is usually only one a week – it becomes a must-watch, if you miss it, you’ll have to wait a long time for the next one!
How Bad is the Dip in Popularity?
The 2023-24 season’s NBA Finals were contested between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks. This is supposed to be the showpiece series of matches from the NBA that attracts everyone from basketball purists to more casual fans—an average of 11.3 million watched the games. However, this figure is the lowest viewership in three years.
In late November 2024, ESPN stated that one of its Wednesday night doubleheaders produced incredibly gaunt numbers. Some sources have speculated that the viewership figures were around 50% down on a similar broadcast in November 2023.
Other Leagues and Competitions Becoming Easier to Watch
The NBA isn’t the only basketball show in town anymore. While it is still the highest-quality league, it is still incredibly inconvenient for foreign viewers. Viewers typically favor convenience over quality. With the inception of NBL in Australia and the BBL in the UK, they’ve grown in popularity and become an easier option to watch. Furthermore, DAZN, a global broadcaster, acquired the worldwide rights for the FIBA competitions, making many tournaments more accessible.
In-Person Attendances Surviving
While NBA viewership is down on television and other means, another metric is on an upward trend. The NBA 2023-24 season reported that around 71% of the games were sellouts, and overall attendance was up by 1.4% across all the teams. The Chicago Bulls have been named the best-supported team, with an average attendance of 20,625 per game. For context, they are one of three franchises with over 20,000; the lowest average attendance number is awarded to the Charlotte Hornets, with 16,449 on an average game. This would suggest that despite the waning viewership, the teams are not struggling to attract hardcore fans to the stadiums.
Gambling Platforms Could Stream Games
Convincing sports fans that the NBA is worth watching is half the battle. The problem is that sports streaming or sports TV packages cost a lot of money. On the whole, people don’t like spending money. However, if they want something when they are given it for free, they might become a paying customer in the future. It begs the question, could the NBA commission 2-5 games per week to be free-to-air, on gambling sites, or even on the official NBA YouTube channel? This would introduce more people to the sport and potentially make them paying customers. The advantage of doing it on a gambling platform is that a winning bet on the basketball may entice sports fans and make them want to watch more of the league.