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I don't think race is the primary factor, and it may not even be that big of a factor in basketball's relative lack of popularity, but I do think it plays a role. As knote32 pointed out, the NBA has this thuggish image despite the fact that NBA players actually get in less trouble than NFL players. And I don't remember the NBA having that reputation really until Allen Iverson showed up with his cornrows, tattoos, and "streetball" game. NFL players from the same demographic as AI are shielded by the uniforms and helmets much more than NBA players.
If your first two points were the main reasons, then baseball would be even less popular than basketball because the season is twice as long, although it could explain why the shorter baseball playoffs are more popular. As for the third point, it's really irrelevant to this topic because the original question is about the popularity of basketball in general, not the NBA.
I love my Rox, but here are a few things that I can see as a turnoff (not necessarily my personal belief): 1. Rigged. Anyone who watched the playoffs closely will get that feeling from the calls. And then the ref corruption news lately. (this has been a big turn-off for me) 2. Spoiled athletes. See The Moment T-Mac Quit videos. 3. Selfish players. Easiest sport for a guy to 'take over' and 'get his'. One ball, ten guys on the court. 4. Gangsta players. It's a turn-off to a lot of conservative sports fans. 5. Overlapping seasons. The NBA season starts at the end of October, when NFL is just getting good with the playoff hunt really getting hot. I'd rather watch that than an early-season NBA game. 6. The CBA. You can't cut albatross players like T-Mac, and the team, league and hidden young talent suffer for it. What it ISN'T is anything racist from a white perspective. The NFL would be horrible if it were all white. 19 of the 20 best receivers ever are black. Most of the best players in MLB are not white. Futbol is an international sport.
I think we're kidding ourselves in saying that race isn't a factor. I'm sorry, but people are more naturally drawn to stuff that they identify with and resembles themselves. Nothing "racist" about it, that's just human nature. The NFL is a bad example, it has plenty of white players, especially in high profile positions (QB, Head Coach). Same pretty much goes for the MLB. But the biggest stars in the NBA are black and have been for a while, and the change in popularity has certainly dipped as the racial makeup has gotten more one-sided.
It's not race, it's attitude. I don't think that the percentage has changed that much in the past 20 years. It's around 75% black now (google it), and I know that it couldn't have been much different during the Rox championship years.
I think you might be underestimating the relationship or correlation between "race" and "attitude", or at least as it is perceived by the viewership. A better word to combine the two might be "culture". I did a quick google search, and apparently 10% of the NBA is white, including Euro/Foreign players. I have a hard time believing there wasn't a larger percentage of white players (especially star players) in the NBA in 1990.
Football games are events. Theres only a handfull every year. The intensity is incredible for a week 2 regular season game. Add that to gambling and fantasy football thats why they will always be king... I think baseball is more popular just b/c its cheaper to get into. You can get a family of four in for probaly 35 bucks. Basketball tickets are not expensive either but I think most people think they are...
I think too many of you are focusing on the NBA and not all basketball in general. If I wasnt a Rocket fan, i probably wouldnt watch the NBA...or at least very rarely and probably only in the playoffs. I'd rather watch some random college game. My dad loves college basketball but hates the NBA. I think it's more the product than any race issue.
There weren't as many European players in the 90s, so I suspect it was roughly the same percentage as it is today.
This is from a 2004 blog: "Over time, the fraction of white players in the NBA fell from 26 percent in 1988-1989 to 20 percent in 1997-1998, rising back up to 24 percent in 2002-2003, largely due to the fraction of foreign players increasing from 6 percent to 14 percent between 1997-1998 and 2002-2003." http://atomiq.org/archives/2004/03/no_crisis_foreign_players_good.html
So how is the "product" any different between NBA and College? College Basketball, as far as I know, is fairly anonymous until tournament time.
I don't. But I'd like to see some numbers on it. But even if you count Euro as "white", they're still not as readily identifiable or accepted to white Americans, at least I think so. Luis Scola, for example. Kickass foreign player of light skin, but he's no Larry Bird, Mark Price, etc.
yeah it sucks, listen to sports talk radio on either of the stations, 610-790-1560-or 97.5....all are dominated by football or tiger...even when it's not football season and basketball is near the playoffs...basketball is barely talked about.
If we're talking about the sport in general (not NBA) I think it's due to the perception of the sport as belonging to a lower class. Most of this is cost related to take up the organized sport IMO. Soccer might fall into a lower class, but I see more parents signing kids up for soccer than they do basketball. Upper class: Golf Tennis Middle class: Baseball Football Soccer Lower class: Basketball
A lot of people have the image of professional basketball players being overpaid thugs because of a few bad apples. The refereeing is also quite suspect at times, so I can understand. Pro football just pisses me off because you are N-A-I-V-E to believe steroids aren't far more rampant than baseball. All you have to do is look at their physiques and their super human play of the field. Then look at Barry Bonds physique. Coincidence? I don't think so. For some reason, people just seem to just look the other way.
College basketball sucks compared to the nba in terms of skill. You have guy dribble up the court pass around the perimeter a few times and jack up a shot.
