Why NBA Ratings Continue to Decline

Let's consider the state of the NBA, shall we? Close your eyes and envision a Larry Bird no-look pass through traffic, Magic Johnson leading a fast break with his head on a swivel waiting for just the right moment to flick the ball left or right, and Michael Jordan doing, well, everything.

For those a tad older, wasn't it just a few years ago that Jerry West was drilling shot after shot, Oscar Robertson was wowing fans with ball handling skills, and Walt Frazier was the essence of cool.

It has been well documented that today's NBA is suffering the same fate as the ugly girls at the high school dance...everybody's ignoring them. Indisputable reasons have been floated in the media to define the backwards momentum, but what do long term fans think? It's almost impossible to find a universal explanation, but this writer conducted an informal survey of fans, most of whom recall the players referenced in the beginning of the story. Here is a summary of their reasons for losing interest in professional basketball:

Team Play - Once taken for granted, the concept of "team" basketball in the pros, with a few exceptions, has evaporated. Very often, one pass and one pass only will precede a shot. Some trace this phenomenon to the increase in athleticism in the league. "Ball movement doesn't crack the ESPN highlight reel," indicated another. Regardless, one frightening statistic revealed occurred a couple of years ago in the postseason during a Cleveland vs. Washington series. In the fourth quarter of a critical game, there was never more than one pass per possession once the ball crossed midcourt.

Officials Taking Center Stage - According to the team statistics page at nba.com, there was an average of 46 fouls called per game. That's nearly a foul per minute! Many believe that the game has no chance of establishing a rhythm because overzealous officials believe people paid good money to watch them blow the whistle. "A league edict is required explaining there may indeed be some contact each time players drive to the rim, said a respondent, "a foul is not necessary every time players get close to each other."

Fundamentals - Most of these players are the most athletically talented at their craft in the world. They have been performing at full speed for the entire length of their playing careers. "There is no chance to learn fundamentally clean basketball at that speed," claimed one. The result? Sloppy, unwatchable basketball. "In college, many players need to compensate for their lack of airspeed by learning crisp passing, accurate outside shooting, backdoor strategies, etc....that's basketball."

Perhaps a return to a simpler time to play the game Mr. Naismith intended would lure back the disinterested.