The professional sports industry generates billions of dollars in America, and the fight for that money between the various leagues is never-ending. To keep viewers engaged, leagues have changed the playoff format and rules in previous years. The MLB’s rule changes were a smash hit this season, and ratings and attendance skyrocketed. The NFL expanded the playoffs to seven teams per conference, adding another game to Wild Card Weekend and also generating better ratings and more money. The NBA debuted the new in-season tournament this year, and while it is still early, there are a myriad of problems.
First and foremost on the docket of issues is the courts. To try and bring even more eyes to the tournament, the NBA announced that each team will have a special edition court that will go along with their city edition jerseys. The courts, much like the jerseys, are not fun to look at. I tuned in to the first tournament game — the Cavs and Pacers in Indianapolis — and I was greeted with the bright blue and yellow abomination that was the Pacer’s court.
These types of courts make the games so much less fun to watch. I, and many others, don’t want to look at these brightly colored courts and jerseys. It has been a down year for jerseys in the NBA and these courts just add to the fashion problem.
Another thing that doesn’t make sense with the tournament is the timing of it. The overall scheduling of the tournament is confusing. Most fans, including myself, were surprised to see that the tournament was starting not even two weeks into the regular season. The NBA barely gave fans and players time to breathe in the new season before they began advertising and promoting the tournament.
The league also could have done a better job marketing the tournament and letting fans know when the games are taking place. The whole point of a tournament is that there are no breaks in between games during a tournament. Teams keep playing games until they lose or win the whole tournament. The NBA adding spaces for regular season games in between the tournament games defeats the purpose of a tournament and makes it more confusing for both fans and the average consumer.
The last problem with the in-season tournament is that the players don’t care about it more than any other regular season. A big reason why the tournament was introduced was to get fans and players to care more about the regular season. Multiple NBA players, including Bucks star point guard Damian Lillard, have been quoted saying that they don’t understand the tournament; Lillard said he wasn’t aware of when it was starting. Pacer’s star Tyrese Haliburton said the winner of the tournament should get an automatic playoff bid.
The only incentive for the players to care about the tournament is a monetary reward for the winning, runner-up and semi-finalist players. The league hasn’t done enough to get players to care any more than they already do about the regular season, and that is a low bar not to be able to reach.
I appreciate and respect NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the rest of the top officials at the NBA for trying something new and attempting to freshen up their regular season product. Unfortunately, it just falls flat for both fans and players.
Charlie Fadel is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to share your thoughts? Let Charlie know by emailing or tweeting him at @CharlieFadel or cf111322@ohio.edu.
