NBA Commissioner David Stern talked with Barry Jackson
of the MIAMI HERALD about the state of the league, and said
that while "NBA on NBC" TV ratings are down 19% this season,
"I said before the season the ratings would drop, but I
would like to wait until the end of the season before I
express my concern or dismay. I do know 'Monday Night
Football' had its lowest rating in history. The only
question is which sports can save the most of their ratings
as they all drop" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/26). CNN/SI's Nick
Charles said that while "NBA on NBC" primetime telecasts are
averaging "about a million fewer viewers than watch
wrestling on cable Monday nights," the NBA "isn't the only
major league to see their slice of the TV pie shrinking."
Charles: "There is no need for the NBA to panic because
advertisers still have money to spend and consumers to
reach." The Boston Globe's Howard Manly cited
"overexposure" as one reason for the league's ratings drop.
Manly: "There's a lot of games the NBA has on, but you
wouldn't want to watch them" (CNN, 3/26). In Baltimore,
John Eisenberg wrote that Tiger Woods has had a significant
impact on NBA ratings. Eisenberg: "The NBA keeps waiting for
the next Michael Jordan to appear and start drawing in a
curious public, but the next Jordan has arrived, and he's
carrying a putter, of all things. ... The NBA's fall ...
obviously is more pronounced than anyone thought. And Tiger
is getting big, folks" (Balt. SUN, 3/26). In Milwaukee, Tom
Enlund wrote under the header, "Do Fans Still Love The NBA?
TV Ratings, Attendance Lagging" (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/26).
SOUND OFF: Stern, on in-game arena entertainment: "I
value my hearing and the hearing of our coaches and fans.
It should not be left to some youngster with his hand on the
meter to demonstrate that they're going to do a great job
driving their team to victory by deafening everyone else in
the arena." In Miami, Jackson wrote that Stern's comments
came "before hearing the irritating firecracker-type
explosions that the Heat regrettably subjects its fans to
during pregame introductions" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/26).
DEVELOPMENT PLAN: In Providence, Kevin McNamara wrote
on the NBA's plan to launch a developmental league in fall
2001. McNamara: "Hallelujah. ... With a more direct link to
the NBA, the new league would clear out a ton of academic
riffraff that currently dots the rosters of major college
teams. ... Will the college game be hurt? No question.
Will the sport become cleaner and filled with more kids who
truly want an education? I hope so" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL,
3/26). NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik "emphasized"
that the developmental league "is not intended to function
as an alternative to college basketball for high school
graduates, as some have suggested." Granik: "I don't know
where that is coming from." He added that the NBA is not
looking to hurt the NCAA: "Certainly that's not our intent.
Our intent is more to deal with the guys who are going to
come out anyway, maybe get drafted by [the] NBA and aren't
really ready to play" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/26).
ESPN.com's David Aldridge wrote that Stern's plan is "not
worthy of the best commissioner in the history of sports.
... How can this possibly do anything other than encourage
dozens, if not hundreds, of high schoolers from foregoing
college altogether?" (ESPN.com, 3/24).