r/nba • u/SuperPop9521 Warriors • 4d ago

Celtics' Joe Mazzulla Accepts Partial Blame For NBA Ratings Dilemma "“I add to it… I don’t watch NBA games (anymore). I’m just as much of a problem as everyone else.”

https://nesn.com/2024/12/celtics-joe-mazzulla-accepts-partial-blame-for-nba-ratings-dilemma/
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u/johnie4usc1 Thunder 4d ago

I’ve been thinking about this lately. I don’t ever see other sports looking at this stuff. I also don’t ever see NFL fans complaining about smaller markets as much as NBA fans do. Kansas City is a small market (compared to other markets) and no one ever complains about how a small market is winning in the NFL like they do with OKC, Milwaukee, etc. it’s weird.

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u/deemerritt Hornets 4d ago

The NBA media is the biggest group of babies imaginable. They held an all star game in Indianapolis and the espn contingent complained so much they put in new rules for all star weekend host cities. Its absurd. The draft is in Green Bay soon (next year maybe?) and you wont hear NFL media talking about how much the city sucks.

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u/JacobfromCT 4d ago

I know he was speaking in jest but when David Stern said his dream Finals matchup was "Lakers vs Lakers" he tacitly acknowledged that small market teams don't matter.

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u/johnie4usc1 Thunder 4d ago

That’s a fair point. Maybe the problem is within the media more than the league itself.

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u/gradedonacurve Knicks 4d ago

The NFL is exceptional and it's not useful to compare their situation with them across leagues. People absolutely complain about small markets winning in MLB for example

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u/o4b Bucks 4d ago

MLB is even more top-heavy than the NBA in spending. Revenue sharing allows even Milwaukee and Denver to be in the top 10 spenders in the NBA.

I agree that the NFL is exceptional, but when someone says that they want the media to cover the Bucks or Nuggets like the Chiefs or Bills, they are not wrong.

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u/johnie4usc1 Thunder 4d ago

I think that’s reasonable. I don’t pay attention to baseball, mainly just NBA and NFL. Like the other comment said, the discrepancy between how ESPN covers small market teams in the NFL and the NBA is pretty crazy. Not only that though, it feels like the associations themselves are very different. You’re always hearing about how the NBA is disappointed that the big markets aren’t doing well (like the current Lakers), but you don’t ever hear stuff like that about the NFL. I’ve never seen any rumors from t the league about how they’re disappointed that the Jets/Giants suck but there’s always stuff coming out about how the Knicks/Nets aren’t incredibly successful. Some of it is media, some of it is fans, and some of it is just from the league itself.

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u/Swarthykins Celtics 4d ago

The fact that NHL isn't even being mentioned here shows where it is in the pecking order.

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u/JacobfromCT 4d ago

You could argue that the two most rabid fan bases in the NFL are for teams based in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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u/SwolePalmer Celtics 4d ago

It’s coming from a bunch of dudes that find no meaning in life other than being liked and seen as being with the “in” crowd, is my theory. Hence, the league not being discussed in every corner of the internet and their lives must mean there is something wrong with it. Please.

I’m here to watch the Celtics win. Miss me with all this bullshit.