The NBA has now debuted its latest iteration of the All-Star Tournament, a mini-tournament of four eight-man teams spanning across four games. Unfortunately, fans and analysts alike did not receive it well. They were not impressed by how it was staged either.
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As viewership numbers for both the All-Star game and the NFL’s Pro Bowl continue their downward spirals, many are beginning to label the events as nothing more than throwaway spectacles. The naysayers include Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and NFL Hall of Famer, Shannon Sharpe.
During the latest episode of the Nightcap podcast, the two discussed the dwindling state of the all-star-themed events. When Johnson suggested that the NBA officials should “create the format and leave it in the player’s hands,” Sharpe quickly challenged the take. He likened the NBA’s mistakes to those of the NFL.
“They left it in the player’s hands and that’s what you got. Don’t let the players mess it up… Just like the Pro Bowl, and what happened, Ocho? You got no game no more, no skills competitions. Do not leave it up to the players,” said Sharpe.
Johnson couldn’t help but agree with Sharpe and simply shook his head in disappointment. Ocho, or anybody for that matter, will not deny that there is a lack of appeal surrounding the modern-day versions of the once-cherished events.
Sharpe’s comments are backed by an ever-slumping set of viewership numbers. This year’s Pro Bowl marked a record low for the NFL. It averaged 4.7 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and DisneyXD, a decline of 19% from last year (5.8M) and 25% from two years back.
Likewise, the NBA has been experiencing a steady decline in its All-Star viewership numbers since the turn of the century. In 2003, the average viewership for the spectacle was 10.8 million. Last year, it was less than half, at 5.5 million.
One of the main criticisms against the Pro Bowl in recent years is centered around the sheer amount of players who opt out of the event. After Russell Wilson and Drake Maye found their way into this year’s event, many pointed to their additions as evidence that the event has lost any and all credibility.
Considering that the two quarterbacks combined for a 9-14 regular season record, with both of them posting sub-60 quarterback ratings, Wilson and Maye are just the latest additions in a long string of questionable Pro Bowl substitutions.
Perhaps the most ridiculous example of the Pro Bowl’s decline was seen during this year’s skills challenge. During the receiving portion of the contest, players were tasked with trying to field passes from a jug machine while wearing “mascot hands.”
NBA, on the other hand, tried many gimmicks this year including a gig by comedian Kevin Hart ahead of the final of the All-Star games. Needless to say, the fans, and even some players, were not quite happy with it.
The addition of gimmicks such as these shows that the leagues are seemingly more concerned with producing shallow content for social media rather than celebrating the talents of their premiere athletes. As long as both the NFL and the NBA continue to fail to take their events seriously, so too will the fans.
