Everything sounded good on paper: great basketball, exciting final phases, an underestimated star, the new MVP, two fanatic fan camps – and from a local point of view at the end of the first championship title of a German player since Dirk Nowitzki.
That actually sounds like outstanding NBA finals, but the best league in the world is not only experiencing a quota at the United States. In the past 20 years, no final series has been less interested than that of the victorious Oklahoma City Thunder with Isaiah Hartenstein against the Indiana Pacers. In the rest of the world, too, interest is within narrow limits. But that is only surprising at first glance.
The NBA has grew up this itself
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The NBA has grown into this development in recent years.
The argument of the small TV markets, who is happy to do these days, is only a symptom for missed league policy under Commissioner Adam Silver. In fact, the finals in 2025 are the smallest duel since the ABA/NBA fusion in 1976-however: In the NFL, the most popular team has been playing in a TV market for years that only ranked 32 nationwide (Kansas City Chiefs). Patrick Mahomes and Co. still regularly drive dream rates.
And that’s exactly where the NBA problem is.
Too long on the popularity of aging stars rested
On the one hand, the league rested too long on the Megastar generation around LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, instead of pushing new stars, for example about more presence in Prime Time or on match days with a few games.
Fantasy basketball players know this phenomenon: On certain days, Lakers, Clippers, Knicks and Co. have been needed in the team for years in order to be able to set up someone at all. The same six teams also always play at Christmas. Teams like the Pacers hardly take place nationally, which is now falling on the feet of the league.
The comparison to the NFL is particularly interesting in this context. Football has learned one thing-not least from the NBA of the Golden 90s-: only with hardcore fans you are not successful or do you generate no growth. Of course, big stars help to score with the “casuals” to score the occasional sports fans, but at the same time you shouldn’t let two thirds of your league be inserted – with which we are at the second very important point.
The NFL does better
While the NFL relies much more on team supporters and therefore also have the teams and their owners more power, for example in collective bargaining, the balance of power in the NBA is exactly the other way around. The focus is much more on here.
The player union has a lot of influence, accordingly the league pushes much more its top stars. This is logical somewhere with the squad sizes (15 instead of 53), but it also causes problems: keyword super teams.
Superteams not just a blessing
Especially under Silver, the league is at least not averse to the fact that stars push into the large teams/markets and join together with other superstars. But that makes it more difficult for the small teams to keep their top players or to sign them.
Silvers predecessor David Stern, who catapulted the NBA, not least with the Olympic participation in 1992, even globally in new spheres, even rejected Star playmaker Chris Paul’s trade in the Lakers in 2011-the trade in the league history that was still only canceled by the NBA.
Perhaps he already suspected that this development would harm his product. Because these emigration is lost identification with teams. For which team, for example, does a Kevin Durant later go to the Hall of Fame? Of course, players also change regularly in the NFL, but the identification characters usually remain, also because the Salary-Cap regulations make trades more complicated.
The result: The large TV markets New York or Dallas have been completely irrelevant for years, but the football interest is still great than ever. The NBA still has the best players and teams in the world, but the overall package urgently needs to be reformed.
The NBA should learn this lesson from the 2025 finals.
Key NBA vs. NFL metrics: A Comparative Analysis
To further illustrate the points made, let’s examine some key differences between the NBA and the NFL, highlighting factors contributing to the NBA’s current challenges and the NFL’s continued success.
| Metric | NBA | NFL | Key Implications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Identity & Player Movement | Frequent player movement, “super teams” prioritized, emphasis on star power over team loyalty. | More stable rosters due to salary cap constraints and franchise focus. Stronger team identity. | NBA fans struggle to connect with teams. NFL fans find it easier to root with teams. |
| Revenue Sharing | More emphasis on national TV deals that favor all teams, which can dilute local markets, | Strong local TV deals that benefit larger markets, enhancing local fan engagement, but leading to a bit of an uneven playing field. | NBA can struggle to cultivate strong fanbase roots, especially in comparison to the NFL |
| Star Power vs. Team Balance | Prioritizes individual star power and “Big Market”teams above all else,in order to focus on high-profile players,and to appeal to the casual fan | Relies on broad team appeal,balancing star power with team success,which promotes team loyalty and provides for the entire league’s revenue stream. | NBA struggles to provide for all its teams, in terms of revenue and appeal, especially when stars move to new teams |
| Game Structure | Games are more dynamic with constant scoring opportunities and multiple lead changes, catering to shorter attention spans. | games can stall for longer periods,with breaks in play. | Games can become less engaging for many fans. |
Table: NBA vs NFL Key Comparisons. This table offers an easy, at-a-glance comparison between the NBA & NFL.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Why is NBA viewership down compared to previous seasons?
A: Multiple factors are contributing to decreased viewership in the NBA. This includes increased player movement, the formation of “super teams” that can diminish competitive balance, and a shift in focus towards individual star power at the expense of wider team appeal. All of this can make it more difficult to connect with a specific team or player as they move markets.
Q: how does the NFL maintain such high viewership numbers?
A: the NFL’s success is rooted in a strong focus on team identity, passionate fan bases, and fair revenue sharing. The salary cap regulations and the strength of local TV markets help ensure team building and foster closer connections between teams and their local communities.
Q: What can the NBA do to improve viewership and fan engagement?
A: To revitalize its audience, the NBA needs to prioritize team building. The league should foster team loyalty in order to engage more fans. The league could also explore new ways to integrate more of the players into the fan base, allowing the fans to feel some identification with them.
