Remember the good old days of sports conversation in sports media? Remember when the conclusion of the playoffs was always great sports entertainment you could discuss with your friends and share on social?
If you’ve been paying attention to sports media over the past week or so, there’s been more doom and gloom over what the conclusion of two of our four major sports might be. Statements from longstanding and respected voices in the industry are absolutely giving more reasons why not to watch the final seven-game series of either the NBA or the NHL.
I have an ask—a simple ask—for sports media over the next two weeks: can we just talk about the games, and not anything else? Is that possible?
I’ll admit, I don’t know a lot about any of the four teams in the two respective league finals. It’s not very often I schedule time to watch an Oklahoma City Thunder game, even if the MVP of the league is on the roster. If you can honestly say you canceled dinner plans this winter to watch Connor McDavid at all, I have a boat to sell you.
All that doesn’t mean I won’t watch. It’s the FINALS!
Media Has Traded the Game, for the Game Within the Game
I remember a day when I used to watch sports television and listen to sports radio for discussions on why I needed to watch or listen—discussions surrounding the matchups and storylines, all weaved in between.
Why I should be carving time out of my schedule to watch the Florida Panthers defend their Stanley Cup Championship against the Edmonton Oilers. Why I should be putting off a date night to check out Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers take on the Thunder.
Remember when the conversation surrounded the game?
Instead, during the final stretches of the conference finals in both leagues, the conversation in sports media was about small-market teams or teams with little to no national appeal.
I agree that the four teams aren’t exactly called Knicks, Lakers, Bruins, or Blackhawks. They’re not members of the Original Six, and they’re not household names. Unfortunately two things become more true when moments like this happen as the years have gone by.
Sports media used to focus on storylines, not market size.
Sports media used to focus on matchups, not television ratings.
Holes in the Ratings Argument
Do you think the NBA is worried about television ratings when they just signed massive television deals with Disney, Amazon, and NBC? Do you think the NHL is concerned with television ratings when they’ve had back-to-back Cup Finals featuring a Canadian team, after just signing a new Canadian television deal worth $7.7 billion?
Please, sports media—please!
In your world, I guess because Indiana and Oklahoma City are playing, we should turn it off because no one around the country will care. Wait a second—Edmonton’s not even an American team. America won’t care.
Forget that the MVP of the NBA will be playing for a championship. Ignore last year’s Conn Smythe winner, who lost in the Stanley Cup Final, trying to win his first Cup and Canada’s first in over 30 years. No need to watch an NBA title come to the state with the most basketball lore in the country. Stay away from a defending Stanley Cup champion’s chance to repeat in back-to-back seasons—it’s only been done four times in the past 35 years.
The sad part of this conversation is that sports media has focused on the games. Sports television has put an emphasis on the storylines. Sports pundits on radio have ignored the notion that teams don’t have national appeal.
How often did sports media focus on market size when the team from Columbus, OH beat the team from South Bend, IN? Or Ann Arbor, MI? Or Athens, GA?
Do you think for one second that any sports pundit said a word about market size when it came to the teams involved with the College Football Playoff? Of course not. But why with the NBA or the NHL? Is it because it’s professional sports vs. collegiate sports? College players are getting paid handsomely nowadays.
College football players come and go as fast as any professional players in free agency. To think any college football program has more household names than any NBA or NHL franchise left playing—you’re probably mistaken.
The other talking point that’s baffling: when did the success of a league’s finality come down to the television ratings of the last dance? It’s no secret that all television viewership collectively has gone down over the last 25 years—except for the NFL. Ratings and viewership have been down in the NBA, NHL, and MLB for half a century.
The World Series 25 years ago averaged 23.7 million viewers, while last year’s saw 15.1 million. Did anyone bag on Ohtani winning his first ring?
The NBA Finals 25 years ago averaged 16 million viewers, while last year’s saw 11.3 million. I bet Boston was up in arms with another championship.
The Stanley Cup Final 25 years ago averaged 4.87 million viewers, while last year’s saw 4.16 million. The best conclusion of the four major sports in a winner-take-all Game 7? Boring.
Do I need to say more?
MSFA: Making Sports Fun Again
A note to sports media over the next couple of weeks: have fun and encourage viewers to converse, engage, and watch the last chapters of these two leagues’ stories. There are plenty of storylines the average fan can latch onto. There are plenty of names to sell quality matchups against. There is plenty to say about small-market teams doing big things, because not everyone can be New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia.
The NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final are a fantastic opportunity for fans of basketball and hockey to find new heroes. It’s an amazing moment to bring in new fans to the sport and engage in entertaining discussion both on air and online.
Sports bring people together, and these next two weeks should prove that point correct once again. Sports are fun, and sports media should get back to having fun—with championships on the line.
Give me Thunder in six, and Panthers in seven.
Game on!
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
