"Three-point shooting ruins NBA. Depends on China, political action is also a problem"…What is the future of the NBA in crisis?
"Three-point shooting ruins NBA. Depends on China, political action is also a problem"…What is the future of the NBA in crisis?
Blog Article
Is it because of the 3-pointer? Or is it because of Chinese or political action? As the popularity of the American Men's Professional Basketball Association (NBA) has been decreasing, debate over the cause is heating up.
U.S. media also harshly criticize that "almost no one watches the NBA." This year, NBA viewership was down 25 percent from last year. It was a sharp decline. It has decreased a whopping 48 percent over the past 12 years. The average number of spectators is also about 17,000 per game. It has not increased by 1 percent per year for a long time. It is around 24 percent of the number of most popular football players at around 69,442.
The highest rated NBA Finals appearance was Michael Jordan's 1998 Utah Jazz Match between the Chicago Bulls and Carl Mellon. The average audience is about 35.8 million. In comparison, the average number of finals in 2024 is about 11.3 million, which is incomparable to just one-third of the golden age. There is no choice but to call for a crisis.
■ NBA that doesn't even watch the winning coach..."The 3 point shot is the main culprit"
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazula, who won 23/24, recently said, "I'm not interested in NBA games. I see things differently, just like everybody else." Who would watch when this is the case with the winning coach?
However, NBA President Adam Silver explains that the drop in ratings is due to the "code cutting phenomenon" of switching from cable television to streaming. This is because the way people watch sports is rapidly changing with the new era. The situation is taken lightly.
Experts say, "It's hard to say that people suddenly did it all at once this year. This is the result of Americans turning their backs on professional basketball over a long period of time. The NBA has lost its connection to ordinary Americans. Silver doesn't know that."
So, the first thing that got under fire was 3-point shooting. Many say that the NBA's regular games have turned into a "three-point shooting competition" of the All Star games. "They only throw 3-point shots without playing defense properly. They are the main culprits who make basketball boring."
LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the "king" they call themselves, acknowledged the problem of 3-pointers. "To be honest, there are too many 3-pointers. We need to do something," James said.
In 2023, Spanish media shed light on the phenomenon that 3-pointers started in 1979 exploded in the NBA over the past 15 years. During the initial 26 years, 3-pointers accounted for only 3 percent of all shot attempts. However, as they exceeded 20 percent in 2005, they increased to 25 percent in 10 years and 40 percent in 20. The number has doubled in 15 years.
The three-point shooting debate reflects the constant transformation of modern basketball. Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors' contributor. He is said to have reinvented three-point shooting over the past decade, revolutionizing his offensive strategy. NBA three-point shooting average success rate 35-36%. Curry's average success rate is around 43%.
His precise shooting and scoring ability from a seemingly impossible angle have made three-point shooting an essential weapon in modern basketball. He stimulated many players regardless of their location. Centers, which used to play under the basketball, have adapted to the change by learning 3-point shooting techniques. Players who are over 2 meters in height shoot freely. Many women between 190 and 200 centimeters in height don't like physical fights under the basket. They want forwards who shoot three-point shots instead of centers. Manager's headache is decreasing the number of mid-range shots and penetration under the basket. Basketball has turned into a game where mathematical efficiency of three-point shots prevails.
Curry made a big breakthrough in basketball history. At the same time, he raised serious questions about the future of basketball. He said that the dominance of three-point shots erodes the diversity of tactics and the importance of defense.
Sakil O'Neill, one of the most outstanding centers in NBA history, criticized, "Curry and Golden State ruined basketball. These days, every club throws only three-point shots."
Some argue that 3-point shooting should be eliminated to save the NBA and basketball. When the game was created, the most powerful opposition is that "the game will only consist of slam dunks and 3-point shots." He is not wrong. Opposition is becoming a reality.
NBA President Silver does not believe that these three-point shooting tactics ruin the level of the game. He does not want any changes, such as increasing the shooting distance. "We have adjusted the 3-point distance in the past, but it is not the solution now. If we reduce it, the bottom of the net may become more crowded than there are more mid-range shots." However, I think the audience may lose interest if the types of attacks become the same.
■ Dependence on China, subjugation, and disregard of the U.S. against public sentiment
Besides the game technology issue, the NBA loses popularity and trust largely because it cannot read Americans' emotions and lacks basic dignity considering social influence. The claim is that the NBA, which did not understand it properly, turned its back on ordinary Americans.
For one, excessive dependence on China has aroused strong resistance. In a 23-year Gallup survey, only 15 percent of Americans liked China. However, the NBA is antagonizing Americans because it is too boorish to defend China for money.
In China, more than 300 million basketball players are known to watch the NBA the most in the world. The NBA's income in 23/24 is around $11 billion. It is estimated that 10-15% of this comes from China alone. China guarantees stable income. In addition, 40 owners are investing more than $10 billion in China. So the NBA is settled. It only has to criticize the Chinese government.
The NBA will hold two exhibition games in China in 25 years. Five years after the Chinese government banned NBA games for posting a message supporting Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement on social media in 2019. The message, "Fight for freedom, stay with Hong Kong," made a sincere apology, but China stopped broadcasting the games. 먹튀검증
.
In 2021, Boston's Enes Kanter Freedom called Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator" in protest of China's oppression of Tibet. China has blocked all Boston games from broadcasting and Internet transmission.
However, LeBron James, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and Golden State coach Steve Kerr did not get angry or protest against China's tyranny. Rather, they surrendered. They buried their social justice beliefs so as not to betray their interests with China.
Basketball officials have long advised the NBA: "The way you rely on China is of no benefit." Silver, however, doesn't really care. This is because imports are maintained thanks to China.
Some criticize that the reason they don't watch the games is because of players' lack of social skills and dignity. Frequent political remarks and actions by owners, coaches and players, and refusal to respect national and national flags cause problems. Players who earn a lot of money and enjoy luxurious lifestyles are claimed to be the underdogs in society. There are warnings from Americans who are fed up with this behavior. Many point out that excessive tattoos and piercings have a bad effect on teenagers and children.
They wouldn't have known that their popularity would drop so fast. It's not just a three-point shot. We need to change the overall impression of the NBA to recover. Korean basketball, which is fading away, let alone survive on its own, should reflect on and work hard while facing the NBA crisis.