Will the NBA ever garner the same level of popularity in America as that now enjoyed by the NFL? Incoming NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says yes! It is Silver’s intention to make the two leagues rivals for the public’s attention at some point in the future.
It may be just a pipe dream at this point voiced by a new NBA Commissioner full of enthusiasm for his new post. The difference between the two leagues in terms of overall revenue and attendance is… well, huge.
The NBA brings in about $5 Billion per year in revenues while the NFL is hovering near the $10 Billion mark. In a recent Harris poll, over 36% considered football to be their favorite sport as compared to only about 5% who claimed basketball as theirs.
As it still stands today, the NBA only fields about one third of its teams each season with realistic expectations to make the playoffs… while in the NFL up the three quarters of the teams have a legitimate shot at getting into the playoffs.
When David Stern took over as commissioner in 1984 the NBA had revenues of only about $165 Million per year. When he left the commissioner’s office after 30 years to the day, he left his long time assistant, or deputy in charge of the league, and most everyone agrees that Adam Silver is, indeed, the man for the job.
Silver told reporters after taking over, “I want to focus on the game. The business is going well, but this is a beautiful game.”
When asked about the possibility of international expansion, as in the NFL, Mr. Silver replied, “As much as we talk about international, I still think there’s an enormous opportunity in the United States. I think this game should be a rival to football. In the United States, it’s the #1 participatory sport. We’ve all played it.”
David Stern took the NBA to new heights during his tenure as commissioner. He came into the league in 1984 along with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley, that’s quite a class.
Adam Silver came onboard with Stern in 2006 and was often cast in the role of the ‘bad cop’ to David Stern’s ‘good cop’ and there were many situations where both were called upon.
The pair made some tough and at times unpopular decisions in their effort to bring the league under control and level the playing field for the small market teams. In other words, bring some degree of parody to the NBA. Whether or not the NBA will someday rival the NFL only time will tell.
