NBA ratings have been a major topic of discussion this season, with some people expressing concern over NBA viewership.
Indiana Fever phenom Caitlin Clark, a rising star in the WNBA, recently shared her thoughts on the topic and noted that the NBA is competing against a lot of football right now, something that she believes should be taken into account.
“It’s hard for me to put my finger on why it has gone down, and also, it’s competing against a lot of football right now,” Clark said on why NBA ratings are down. “You have to take that into consideration. Football is just — that’s America’s favorite thing.”
While this is indeed a time of year where the NBA has to compete with football, that’s nothing new for the league. The NBA is used to starting its season at a time when football is in full swing.
It’s possible, however, that football has presented the NBA with a particular challenge this season if some sports fans have felt more inclined to tune into the NFL or college football over the NBA. At the FBS level, this is the first season in which college football has featured a 12-team playoff. Meanwhile, the NFL features some exciting stars.
The NBA also had other factors working against it earlier this season.
In the MLB world, the 2024 World Series featured teams from two massive markets with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers facing off. The World Series pulled in impressive ratings as the Dodgers beat the Yankees to claim the championship in five games.
Meanwhile, the NBA also had to compete with the U.S. presidential election earlier this season. While the election itself took place in November, it certainly pulled in lots of attention and media coverage in the months leading up to it.
The good news for the NBA is that it may be recovering from its rough start to the season. The league had a successful slate of games on Christmas Day and may have some momentum now.
The ratings topic has led to a lot of conversations about the NBA potentially needing to make rule changes or find ways to provide a more exciting style of play. But if the problem fixes itself, then there may be no need to make any drastic changes.
