Having been to NBA games in six stadiums this season (I'm counting Staples Center twice, because Lakers and Clippers games are like night and day, and I mean literally since I attended a Lakers game at night and a Clippers game during the day), I'm concerned the NBA is doing a poor job of showcasing their sport. We can argue endlessly about which sport is the best to watch live, but if you're privileged enough to sit within 25 rows of an NBA floor during a hard-fought, close game, I don't believe there's a better in-person experience to be had in professional sports. And yet, thanks to the circus atmosphere that has developed at most NBA games, the current "fan experience" risks both alienating old school fans while failing to foster an appreciation for the sport among young, prospective fans.
Since the league's inception, NBA teams have relied on clever promotions to generate sponsor revenue during timeouts, quarter breaks and halftimes. I have no issue with this in principle. But between on-site DJs blaring inaudibly loud music, T-shirt tosses, spirit squads (male and female), brainless game show gimmicks, laser shows, fire bursts, elderly or obese dancers, kiss cams (ok, I admit I kind of like the kiss cam) and the like, it's as if we as fans are attending a poorly-planned carnival where a basketball game happens to break out somewhere in between. I think it's legitimate to question whether all this non-basketball nonsense is good for the game itself.
I've been to Denver's Pepsi Center, Los Angeles' Staples Center, Milwaukee's Bradley Center, Chicago's United Center or Washington's Verizon Center, and all the true NBA fans (i.e. the men and women who actually buy the tickets) I spoke to at those respective venues had the same complaint: NBA games have become a circus of distraction where all too often it's no longer about the game. Simply put, in their desperation to put asses in the seats, those in charge of "the fan experience" have forgotten that the experience should be about the graceful, ultra-competitive, often exhilarating sport of basketball ... and not Snuggie giveaways.
Highlights from around the NBA, spectacular plays of the week by the home team, or - with the exception of Lakers and Bulls games - an homage to the history of the game and the home team are nowhere to be found during typical arena game breaks. You know, stuff that's actually centered on the game of basketball. Call me old school, but when I was a kid regularly attending Nuggets games at McNichols Arena and Bucks games at the old Mecca Arena in Milwaukee, I didn't need all the non-basketball pomp and circumstance to fall in love with the sport. The game itself, basketball highlights, bloopers shown on the scoreboard and a funny mascot were good enough for me.
It pains me greatly to say this as a Nuggets fan, but of the games I've attended this season, only the Lakers come closest to doing things the right way from start to finish. While the prices from tickets to parking to concessions are beyond absurd and the crowd is littered with Hollywood hot shots and trophy wives/girlfriends who know next to nothing about the NBA, at least the Lakers organization and those who operate Staples Center make the game about the game. Those who have been fortunate enough to attend a Lakers home game know what I mean.
Before tipoff, the Staples Center lights dim and gigantic drapes fall from the rafters upon which a multimillion dollar camera system projects footage from Lakers lore followed by highlights from the current Lakers team. Right from the start, the fans are connected with the rich history of their franchise. After the drapes are removed and the player introductions are announced, the lights come back on, but only over the floor. The rest of the stadium remains dark so that the focus of the arena is on the game and not on the crowd (if only Lakers "fans" actually watched the game instead of futzing with their cell phones for three hours, but you get the idea). And with the exception of the legendary Lakers girls and the requisite kiss cam, the fans aren't subjected to the hazarai that takes place in other stadiums. You're not being bombarded with obnoxiously loud music. The PA announcer doesn't beg you stand up and chant defense. You're not pelted with T-shirts while fans kill each other to grab one. And so forth. Again, at Staples Center for a Lakers game, it's about the game.
I know of virtually no other stadium experience, with the exception of Madison Square Garden from what I hear, that has the same "focus on the game" mantra. Worse, it's a circus atmosphere gone awry. For example, entering the fourth quarter at Pepsi Center, the PA announcer begs all attendees to take out their keys and jingle them because Key Bank is a Nuggets sponsor. Right, because I need Key Bank to remind me when the fourth quarter is upon us.
Never one to complain without offering solutions, here's a uniform in-stadium game break program that all NBA franchises should adopt immediately.
First, always lead introductions with a homage to the franchise's history. Even the most destitute NBA franchises have had some golden years (with the exception of the Clippers, of course, I doubt they'll be showing video highlights of Ken Norman or Loy Vaught anytime soon). The Bulls do a nice job of this at the United Center when they show video of good-to-great Bulls players dating back to the franchise's inception in the late 1960s. Each former player gets one clip, including Michael Jordan, as a means of showcasing that this sport is about the team and its legacy, not just one individual.
During last season's Western Conference Finals, the Nuggets finally showcased highlights of Alex English and Fat Lever as part of the pre-game ritual before Game 3, and the crowd went absolutely berserk. Frankly, I'd never heard a louder crowd at Pepsi Center than at that moment with a nod to our franchise's glorious past. Why this isn't done in NBA stadiums nationwide befuddles me.
Second, instead of having local businesses (a crucial revenue component for NBA teams) sponsor absurd parlor games during game breaks that no one watches, have those local businesses sponsor highlight packages from around the league or of the team itself. At a minimum, NBA scoreboards should be showcasing a weekly blooper and "plays of the week" package at stadiums nationwide. Additionally, with NBATV continuing to struggle ratings-wise, why aren't they programming the game breaks on stadium scoreboards in the first place?
Third, every NBA game should have a "This Night in NBA History" or "This Night in [team name here] History" appear at every game (again, produced by NBATV or by the team's local TV partner). As a kid, I was encouraged to learn the history of the game because this was shown on the old McNichols scoreboard. Unfortunately, when kids at games today clobber each other for a one-in-a-thousand shot at catching a free Snuggie, I question if they'll ever know their team's history or even care.
In the months and year ahead, NBA owners are going to completely and radically revamp the business of professional basketball, whether the players union likes it or not. While they're at it, I hope they discuss treating their fans - young and old - as basketball fans, rather than a collection of morons who stumble into a circus combined with a laser light show.
At the very least, I know I could do without a new Snuggie as long as I can watch the best sport in the world in peace.