David Oh
Sports have been a source for human entertainment for generations. In the United States, American football has been the most prominent sport for a long period of time. Recently, however, the sport seems to have lost its title as “America’s Sport.” The sport of basketball has emerged and taken the lead with no signs of stopping its rise in popularity.
The 2018 Super Bowl recorded the lowest viewership since the Steelers-Cardinals Super Bowl in 2009. Additionally, this past season’s opening game was the lowest rated since 2008. On the other hand, since the 2013-2014 season, the NBA has steadily risen in viewership. The NBA Finals viewership has almost doubled since 2007, from 9.3 million to 17 million viewers in the 2018 NBA Finals. It is also interesting to note that the average age of an NBA game viewer is around 42 years old, while the average age for an NFL viewer is around 50 years old. This is a sign that the younger generations of America have turned more of their attention to the NBA games than the NFL games.
The NBA also defeats the NFL in terms of star power. Various companies’ endorsement deals with NBA players allow for their faces shine even off the court. Some of the most potent endorsements are the players’ signature shoes. The athletes sign contracts with big-time sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour, and in turn, their signature shoes are produced. This serves as a way for athletes to gain more cash and for the brands to sell more of their products because of the NBA stars’ popularity. In the process, the athletes for which the shoes are named after gain more popularity, as well.
The players’ signature actions from games resonate within the fans, which also translates to an increase in popularity. People might perform the same moves and actions in their own games of basketball.
The NBA’s rise in popularity shows worldwide as well. In ESPN’s “World Fame 100,” which ranks the 100 most famous athletes worldwide, 3 athletes in the top 10 are NBA players: Lebron James (2nd), Kevin Durant (7th), and Steph Curry (9th). You don’t even see an NFL player until rank 38, which is Tom Brady. This list was compiled based on athletes’ search score, endorsements, and social media followers. Speaking of followers, the NBA currently has 35.7 million followers on Instagram, while the NFL only has 14.4 million.
Now, I am not trying to attack the NFL--I love the sport of football. I just wanted to point out how the NBA is becoming more and more prominent. Admittedly, for now, the overall rating of the NFL is higher than that of the NBA. But we have to weigh in that professional football games are only played a few days a week, while the NBA games occur pretty much every day during the season. The NFL games are larger in this manner as they are more highly anticipated. However, the NBA is catching up gradually, and eventually, many more people will be calling basketball “America’s Sport.”
Comments