There is no way the NBA can reduce the number of games.
Moving from 82 to 72 games, as Steve Kerr suggested this week, would reduce match-day revenue by 12%.
Billionaire owners, i.e. ticket-buying fans, may be willing to accept this, but millionaire players are not.
If only there was a way…
Come on, I had to know there was a solution.
The key to solving this equation is understanding where the NBA’s money comes from. It’s a variety of television contracts.
TV viewers must remain satisfied with any new arrangement.
They are proud as peacocks now, so why change the presentation? The goal here is not to shorten the season, but to reduce the number of games.
The current NBA campaign lasts 173 days. With 82 games played, there are only 91 days left for vacation. There are 10 weeks with 4 games per team and 14 weeks with 3 games per team.
And you thought LA freeways were congested.
If we cut back to 72 games but maintain a 173-day schedule, we would have exactly three games a week off and 10 more days off, going from 91 to 101 days.
From a player’s perspective, this sounds more reasonable. As long as you can keep making money. I understand.
Here’s how it works:
Keeping the schedule to 24 weeks means the big-spending networks will still have the same number of air dates. Didn’t lose any money. There is no reason to renegotiate the deal.
So the TV people are happy and the players are happy too. That would result in the loss of five home dates per owner and team.
Alas, that’s not a problem either.
First of all, while nothing can be done about existing deals, owners will have the ability to reduce future player contracts. Right? The question is: how much?
That depends on the major transition the league is going through as early as next season.
The NBA has been snatching up local TV rights. This will soon become another major source of revenue. There is no collective bargaining agreement that guarantees nothing to the players.
So the owners may take a small hit in the short term, but they’ll be fine.
But that’s not all. More breathing room in your schedule also gives you the opportunity to see more of your products.
You’ve probably heard the complaint: We’re not watching because the stars aren’t playing. And we don’t even know where to find the game in the first place.
Well, there won’t be a need for back-to-back games since there won’t be a four-game week. Eliminating continuous activity greatly increases the likelihood that older adults will not need a night’s rest.
Just as importantly, finding games is difficult. Spreading out the schedule could also help solve the problem, if the league would be more creative.
The NBA needs a “National Basketball Night.” One game, main event, NBC, Shaq and the players. It seems like NBC wants to set that night on Tuesday, so I’ll keep it Tuesday.
But give everyone else a night off.
And let’s make sure we attract more than just serious basketball fans with maximum exposure potential.
Let’s create a 24-player celebrity shootout to compete at halftime of the game. Big name. Really big name. Single elimination, March Madness style. We put our heads together once a week.
I can already see Charles choreographing the “Gone Fishing” segment at the end of the night and wrapping up the live interview with the loser.
This could be the Super Bowl halftime show that captivates viewers. Only every week.
That gives us the second most important network, Peacock, on Sunday nights. Once again, there is only one game left on the schedule. Others may be playing earlier in the day, but at 8 PM ET all eyes will be on these two teams.
And I want to give this game some extra charm. A pool of survivors from which all Peacock subscribers are invited to choose the winner of the game. We then see how many people answered correctly to qualify for picks again next week and how many were eliminated.
Did we mention $1 million for the final winner? To meet various state gambling laws, you may be required to “pay” with Peacock equipment.
Just two big splash matchups each week would leave the NBA with more attractive matchups to sell new local TV contracts, which would keep revenue flowing even while players have more time off.
Everyone wins. Even the fans.
Imagine this.
