NBA Thinks Permanent Schedule Change

[boscel33]

I know the 20-21 season will be starting late, but have been reading more about a potential thought into a permanent change with the NBA kicking off around December and finishing in August.  The reasoning they use makes sense and I find the idea intriguing.  Sorry if this has been posted already, I looked but didn't see anything.  Here's just one of many articles I saw regarding this.

https://sportsnaut.com/2020/04/why-nba-season-starting-in-december-should-be-the-new-normal/

[Donoghus]

I really wouldn't mind if they did this.

[gift]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

[saltlover]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

With the Olympics in July, it would probably not be the year to start a Dec-Aug schedule.

[SparzWizard]

Olympics and FIBA World Cup will be interfering I would think. Along with maybe the FIFA World Cup during the summer.

[Moranis]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

With the Olympics in July, it would probably not be the year to start a Dec-Aug schedule.

I mean that effects what, the players on 2 teams maybe 4 teams.  How many of them are actually going to play in the Olympics anyway?  I don't think that should be the driving force.  I think a December to August season makes far more sense.  Much less interference with football.  Playoffs don't overlap with any other sports playoffs (so no overlap with hockey).  Better weather and easier for fans to travel for playoffs with kids off school (also allows the younger fans to stay up later and actually watch more of the playoff games).  It just makes a lot of sense to have the NBA Finals end right before football really starts and before baseball really gets it playoffs going. 

[gift]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

With the Olympics in July, it would probably not be the year to start a Dec-Aug schedule.

I mean that effects what, the players on 2 teams maybe 4 teams.  How many of them are actually going to play in the Olympics anyway?  I don't think that should be the driving force.  I think a December to August season makes far more sense.  Much less interference with football.  Playoffs don't overlap with any other sports playoffs (so no overlap with hockey).  Better weather and easier for fans to travel for playoffs with kids off school (also allows the younger fans to stay up later and actually watch more of the playoff games).  It just makes a lot of sense to have the NBA Finals end right before football really starts and before baseball really gets it playoffs going.

There are a bunch of good reasons to switch to the Dec-Aug schedule. I originally just resisted it because of tradition. However, the league seems to think there are enough reasons to get back to the regular schedule. Outside of FIBA and tradition, I'm not sure what all of those reasons are. Perhaps the players like having summers off? Arena lease implications?

[bdm860]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

With the Olympics in July, it would probably not be the year to start a Dec-Aug schedule.

I mean that effects what, the players on 2 teams maybe 4 teams.  How many of them are actually going to play in the Olympics anyway?  I don't think that should be the driving force.  I think a December to August season makes far more sense.  Much less interference with football.  Playoffs don't overlap with any other sports playoffs (so no overlap with hockey).  Better weather and easier for fans to travel for playoffs with kids off school (also allows the younger fans to stay up later and actually watch more of the playoff games).  It just makes a lot of sense to have the NBA Finals end right before football really starts and before baseball really gets it playoffs going.

46 NBA players on 23 teams played in the Olympics in 2016.  Up from the record of 41 in 2012 (and if I had to guess, this is probably a record that has continually been broken every Olympics since '92).

Now of course all Olympians aren't created equal, and a lot of those guys contribute as much as Vincent Poirier contributes to the C's (Patricio Garino? Michael Gbinije? Nicolás Brussino?), but I've heard it's important to many of the international NBA players.  Though I'm sure if the NBA changed it's schedule, most guys wouldn't play (so ya maybe only at best role players on 2-4 teams, if this went forward).

But the narrative that I've seen pushed for the last 18 years is that NBA players participating starting in '92 is what has fueled the growth of international players and fan bases.  The NBA is still trying to grow internationally, I don't think they'd want to give up one of their best marketing tools for extending their reach.  Maybe you could argue the decline of US supremacy in the international game combined with the best players often not playing greatly diminishes the impact of international competition, though I would disagree with that (one reason being foreign stars playing helps grow the game too).

Also an issue of summer ratings.  There's a reason TV networks don't air new episodes of their hit shows in the summer, though you could argue a new, changing TV landscape here, which has some validity, but still don't think you'll ever continually draw biggest possible live broadcast ratings in July/Aug.  Shorter, infrequent events (Olympics, World Cup) of which the NBA is neither, being the exception.  Overall, I think warmer weather actually hurts the NBA (more people outside and traveling = fewer viewers).

Mapping out the proposed shift, I don't really see any benefit from a competition stand point.  A few extra Sundays with no NFL competition, less NHL competition (but in my mind if you put fans/potential fans in a Venn diagram, NHL and NBA would have the least overlap), more MLB and special events (Olympics, World Cup, FIBA) competition.  If anything, I think the league that benefits the most from this might be the NHL, not the NBA.


*Note World Cup is actually in Dec in 2022 for some reason, assuming this is a one off oddity.


The way I see it, the plus is more US kids able to stay up and watch the playoffs (which is really only a benefit for those in the East and Central time zones).  The negative is less international exposure every couple of years?  Nothing else really seems like much of a benefit to me.  Definitely not enough to re-arrange a growing $8 billion business over.  When NBA revenue starts a downward trend, then maybe discuss shaking things up.

Arena lease implications?

Those arenas are locked into their WNBA leases, so this whole proposal could never happen 

[Moranis]

I used to be against the Dec-Aug schedule when proposed in the past, but I came around to it since the pandemic. However, I don't think this is part of the plan any more, but they did consider it.

They are already talking about starting Dec. 1 with a condensed schedule, presumably to get back to the normal schedule for '21-'22. If they were open to a Dec-Aug schedule, they would likely plan to start later in December this year.

With the Olympics in July, it would probably not be the year to start a Dec-Aug schedule.

I mean that effects what, the players on 2 teams maybe 4 teams.  How many of them are actually going to play in the Olympics anyway?  I don't think that should be the driving force.  I think a December to August season makes far more sense.  Much less interference with football.  Playoffs don't overlap with any other sports playoffs (so no overlap with hockey).  Better weather and easier for fans to travel for playoffs with kids off school (also allows the younger fans to stay up later and actually watch more of the playoff games).  It just makes a lot of sense to have the NBA Finals end right before football really starts and before baseball really gets it playoffs going.

46 NBA players on 23 teams played in the Olympics in 2016.  Up from the record of 41 in 2012 (and if I had to guess, this is probably a record that has continually been broken every Olympics since '92).

Now of course all Olympians aren't created equal, and a lot of those guys contribute as much as Vincent Poirier contributes to the C's (Patricio Garino? Michael Gbinije? Nicolás Brussino?), but I've heard it's important to many of the international NBA players.  Though I'm sure if the NBA changed it's schedule, most guys wouldn't play (so ya maybe only at best role players on 2-4 teams, if this went forward).

But the narrative that I've seen pushed for the last 18 years is that NBA players participating starting in '92 is what has fueled the growth of international players and fan bases.  The NBA is still trying to grow internationally, I don't think they'd want to give up one of their best marketing tools for extending their reach.  Maybe you could argue the decline of US supremacy in the international game combined with the best players often not playing greatly diminishes the impact of international competition, though I would disagree with that (one reason being foreign stars playing helps grow the game too).

Also an issue of summer ratings.  There's a reason TV networks don't air new episodes of their hit shows in the summer, though you could argue a new, changing TV landscape here, which has some validity, but still don't think you'll ever continually draw biggest possible live broadcast ratings in July/Aug.  Shorter, infrequent events (Olympics, World Cup) of which the NBA is neither, being the exception.  Overall, I think warmer weather actually hurts the NBA (more people outside and traveling = fewer viewers).

Mapping out the proposed shift, I don't really see any benefit from a competition stand point.  A few extra Sundays with no NFL competition, less NHL competition (but in my mind if you put fans/potential fans in a Venn diagram, NHL and NBA would have the least overlap), more MLB and special events (Olympics, World Cup, FIBA) competition.  If anything, I think the league that benefits the most from this might be the NHL, not the NBA.


*Note World Cup is actually in Dec in 2022 for some reason, assuming this is a one off oddity.


The way I see it, the plus is more US kids able to stay up and watch the playoffs (which is really only a benefit for those in the East and Central time zones).  The negative is less international exposure every couple of years?  Nothing else really seems like much of a benefit to me.  Definitely not enough to re-arrange a growing $8 billion business over.  When NBA revenue starts a downward trend, then maybe discuss shaking things up.

Arena lease implications?

Those arenas are locked into their WNBA leases, so this whole proposal could never happen 

My point on affecting 2 or 4 teams was that everyone else's season would be over and thus their players could play in the Olympics if they wanted to.  I understand a lot of NBA players play in the Olympics, and they still can except for the last 2 or 4 teams and not as many of those guys actually play in the Olympics.  The last Olympics were August 6 -21.  I get you probably need at least a few weeks before that, so that would be mid-July.  That probably eliminates only the Conference Finals and Finals team members from actually not participating (and the CF losers in theory still could play, especially for some of the other countries pretty easily).  I just don't think it is all that big a deal if the NBA season has some overlap with the Olympics.  If anything it might draw more eyes to both..

[Donoghus]

I can't imagine the league's television partners would be thrilled at the prospect of going head to head with the Summer Olympics in the midst of the NBA playoffs. You know where the advertisers are going to be throwing their money.   Next year's Olympics run from July 23 to Aug 8th.

[petbrick]

They've been angling to do this for a few years on and off. Comparative interest in the NBA season prior to Christmas is much lower. Not sure it's a great look from a business optics point of view (partnerships etc) but COVID gives a good reason as any for the shift.

[hpantazo]

I don't like this at all. As others said, going up against the Olympics and the World Cup on alternating years is not a good marketing strategy.

[moiso]

I don't like it.  There is plenty of stuff to do in the summer.  I'd rather have more games to watch when the weather is worse.  I'd prefer not to plan summer nights and trips around basketball games.

[PhoSita]

This would mean no more Celtics on my birthday (mid-October), which I don't like.

But for real this does seem like a reasonable idea.  Summer is such a deadzone for sports right now.

[RodyTur10]

This would mean no more Celtics on my birthday (mid-October), which I don't like.

But for real this does seem like a reasonable idea. Summer is such a deadzone for sports right now.

What do you mean?

Every year you have Wimbledon and Tour de France. And as mentioned there's Olympics and the World Cup on alternating years.