Powell’s “Old Man Yelling at Purple and Teal Clouds”: 1/24/2025
The Glaring Disconnect Between the NBA and Its Fans
The more I wrote about this, the more I felt like Dr. Gregory House from the overrated 2004 television drama, “House”. No, not the addicted to painkillers part, or being a rude, egotistical, and obnoxious person part (well, that’s up for debate), but the trying to identify and solve some arbitrary infection disease part. The bottom line is that the NBA is sick and there is no clear and easy solution. Anyone that says it’s Adam Silver’s fault or they have a clear solution is dead-ass wrong. Yeah, I could have phrased that last sentence differently, but maybe I am also a rude, obnoxious, egotistical person like Dr. House. Maybe.
To quote one of the great philosophers of our time, Charles Barkley: “I may be wrong, but I doubt it”
Part One:
The media has their minds made up about Melo and the Hornets organization, which is incredible because I highly highly doubt they’ve actually watched any hornets games. Other than the box score or clips of a dunk or highlight play.
One thing I cannot stand is when the media members put out some opinion or statement about the hornets and it’s clear that they don’t watch the games and know very little about the charlotte hornets. It happens all the time. All of us know an uninformed Hornets opinion the moment we read or listen.
Yet, these self righteous nimrods are allowed to extricate Lamelo Ball from the all star roster despite him winning the fan vote. And the media members do this based on an opinion of a guy/team that they in reality know very little about…because they don’t watch any Hornets basketball. Yet despite this, they still have the power. First off, it’s just journalistically lazy. Second, it’s downright irresponsible. I get that it’s not possible to watch every second of every game. It is media members’ jobs to watch and cover basketball from the Association, but 30 teams is a ton of basketball. At the same time, if a media member excludes Lamelo Ball from the All Star team, that tells me that they have not watched any Hornets basketball, at all.
The sad part/worst part? If we’re being honest with ourselves…I can’t really blame them for not watching Hornets basketball. It’s hard enough for fans to watch the Hornets sometimes. It’s rough in Charlotte. Regardless, Melo has been sensational this season. I truly do not understand what else he has to do to make an All Star team. Until the Hornets start winning at least…When the Hornets do start winning, prepare yourself for the narratives about Melo “maturing” and being a “team first player who has taken the next step”. Nothing will have changed, other than the team winning more games.
The bottom line: Lamelo Ball garnered 2,421,385 votes from fans, which leads all Eastern Conference guards (by 300k to the second place Brunson). Including the frontcourt, Ball came in fourth overall in the East behind: Giannis (4.4m), Tatum (3.6m), Kat (3.2). So #1 voted by fans and #7 voted by the media. Now with a very real possibility of not making the All Star team, I could not possibly think of a better example of the disconnect between the league and the fans who consume their product.
That’s alienating for fans and unfortunately a great snapshot of how the league has been operating. Not giving fans what they want and taking the people who consume their product for granted. Sure, Melo could still make the team, but don’t hold your breath. I sure won’t.
Part Two:
Oh what the hell, I’ll keep rambling. The possibility of Melo going from leading the fan vote for all star guard/up for all star starter…to the real possibility of not making the team other than a reserve has struck a nerve.
What I mentioned above, I believe, highlights the disconnect between the league and the fans. It has been a growing issue in terms of the league’s attitude towards fans. While I don’t think it is necessarily Adam Silver to blame, there has been a sea change in the overall NBA product over the last 20+ years that does not resonate with fans. I don’t think it’s fair to try to pinpoint one person (Adam Silver) or a few particular reasons why the league has shifted in a way that does not resonate with fans the same way in times past. The argument tends to become myopic when too narrow, as it feels like more of a long time culmination of factors over the last 20+ years. The league needs a significant shakeup, but I just don’t know what that is.
Most mornings I watch clips posted in the r/nba subreddit to see the highlights of the previous night’s action. It’s a nice insight into key plays, important moments, player spotlights, humorous anecdotes, etc. One thing that has significantly increased over the last few years is the increasing frequency of which officiating “lowlights” clips are posted. And I have to say, these tend to get the most traction. NBA officiating has devolved into an absurdist satire of itself over the years. I’ve watched enough games and these “officiating lowlight” clips over the years to reach this conclusion: I sometimes wonder if I know what the rules of the game are anymore. I’ve begun to question my reality of what fouls are and are not. When a play/foul call is being reviewed-I can honestly say that I have no idea how the refs will call it. Even if there seems to be clear video evidence of something, I find myself often wrong.
I’ve reached the conclusion that a) I am no longer sure what the rules of the game are b) I don’t think NBA officials have a shared consensus of what the rules of game are c) Foul calls feel random and inconsistent, and the refs have somehow even more power to influence the game than ever before.
To reiterate, it would be shortsided to state “the refs and officiating” are the main problem with the game. However, I do believe this issue is a part of the puzzle. As a long time basketball fan who grew up playing, it’s incredibly disconcerting to watch the NBA and give up on understanding the how and why of foul calls/officiating. Again, there is no clear answer on how to “fix” this, as it would require a review of how the rules have evolved (or devolved) over the last 20-30 years to get here. And no, I’m not the old guy who is suggesting going back to the 80’s/90’s when shoving a guy to the ground mid layup was just a “good, hard foul”.
It’s a complicated journey of growth in the NBA that has led to a vastly different stylistic type of play when compared to other eras. And officiating has evolved in tandem with that. Again, it’s nuanced and complicated to tease apart. Maybe the game was always going to evolve in this direction we’re in now-regardless of who made what decisions. Data is data, it’s objective: 1) Scoring more points wins games. 2) Playing faster means the opportunity to score more points. 3) Three pointers are more valuable than two point mid range shots. 4) Fans like fast paced action and watching players score more points. Therefore…Refs have to adjust how they call the game. Players adjust and try to bait refs into calling “fouls”. The league prioritizes protecting players and becoming more strict.
I’m not sure what it is yet, but there needs to be a corrective action(s) put in place to help guide the league back towards the intended spirit of the game of basketball. The sport itself may need to shift, but also the league’s appeal to fans as a product they want to consume. After all, I think this predicament the league in was a natural evolution that would happen over time anyways.
……Next time (whenever I feel like sitting down and writing) I’ll continue to delve into the disconnect between the NBA and the fans. I think there’s a lot to unpack there. I just found myself caught up with the reality that I’m not sure I understand the rules of basketball and legitimately do not know how or why referee’s make their decisions anymore.