What separates the NBA? Sports are an everyday thing in most people’s lives. After a long day at work, school, whatever you may be doing, sports are a good way to relax at night. People look for the MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA to calm down. Sports leagues like this rely on their audiences for revenue, and for the love of the sport.
Four Factors Separate the NBA From Other Professional Sports Leagues
The Offseason
What mostly separates the NBA is the offseason. This offseason and Free-Agency always has unexpected moves. All of the superstars that moved around via trade or Free-Agency made the league almost unrecognizable. From Russell Westbrook being traded and teaming up with James Harden on the Houston Rockets to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard teaming up on the Los Angeles Clippers, this off-season wasn’t short on superstar movement. Last year, NBA fans might have thought that was crazy, but this year, it became a reality. This is just one example of the unpredictability of the NBA, and it’s fans always have to be on their toes and be alert for drastic changes.
Parity
For the first time in quite a while, the NBA has parity amongst its teams. The majority of the time, in the NBA, only a handful of teams have a realistic shot at a championship. This year, the NBA is wide open. This is because there is no clear frontrunner in the NBA. The Finals could be down to a number of teams. The Los Angeles Lakers, Rockets, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, among others, are all in the talk for championship contention. It is no longer the Golden State Warriors dynasty that runs the league. The league is balanced, and it’s exciting for the league.
Pace
Basketball is evolving into a sport that has fast running guards, speeding down the court, and dropping some insane passes. The game has also evolved into players spotting-up from three instead of taking wide-open layups and hoisting a lot of them in the process. The athleticism shown in the modern era of basketball is like nothing people have ever seen before. Unlike a sport like baseball, which has a slower tempo to the game, basketball has the ability to attract a younger audience with it’s the quicker style of play. Instead of waiting minutes for a pitcher to even throw the ball, fans are turning to basketball for some much-needed excitement.
Age of Audience
As previously mentioned, the NBA has the ability to attract a younger audience. The USA is filled with young AAU teams, with players who strive to make it into the league. With the attraction of those young fans, as well as the older ones, the NBA pulls in multiple generations of viewers in ways not many other leagues can. Through this, they double down on the views they receive and get the loyalty of their fans. Not to mention the type of hype that an athlete out of college receives. Players like Zion Williamson have elevated the hype level for next season. Top-flight prospects in sports like baseball don’t get the hype that players like Williamson do, which brings excitement to the start of the upcoming season.
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