Charles Barkley Believes the NBA Should Start Later In The Year — And He’s Got a Point
"Inside the NBA' commentator Charles Barkley made a good point on "The Dan Patrick Show" that the NBA should heavily consider.
The prevailing storyline this season for the league has centered on the falling ratings.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 25: A close up shot of NBA TNT Analyst, Charles Barkley talking on set before the New York Knicks game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
People aren't tuning in to NBA games, and the competition on the sports calendar may be a vital reason.
The NBA, which airs around the same time as the NFL and college football, faces an uphill battle for relevance. If it were up to Chuck, he'd push the season from October to around Christmastime.
Speaking with DP, Barkley said the following:
"I think we need to seriously consider starting on Christmas because listen, you're wasting your time going up against the NFL and College Football; they own the weekends now… We'd have the entire calendar to ourselves."
As OutKick's Clay Travis has pointed out in the past, the NBA dramatically suffers from alienating its audience in favor of social initiatives.
The BLM movement that overtook the NBA in 2020 put the league in a ratings hole that it cannot climb out of …
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - FEBRUARY 19: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talks after the 2023 NBA All Star Game between Team Giannis and Team LeBron at Vivint Arena on February 19, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
"NBA ratings are down 48% since 2012," Clay posted on X. "Down 28% this year alone on ESPN. Every other sports league is setting ratings records. Total disaster."
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has attributed the dips in viewership for his league to "changing" viewership habits, though it's hard to rationalize that there are natural changes in the sports viewing market when the major leagues are experiencing an uptick in numbers.
Why would the NBA be an anomaly in this pattern?
Barkley argues that the league should position itself strategically by operating during a time in the sports calendar when no other major league dominates the viewership market, ensuring an unobstructed path to attracting a larger audience.
When NBA games are shaped by questionable officiating and stagnant offenses relying solely on erratic three-point shooting, it becomes a tough sell for fans and viewers alike.
How the mighty (the NBA) have fallen.
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