NBA Corridor of Famer Charles Barkley is among the many followers and gamers alike who’re brainstorming new concepts to assist breathe new life into the NBA, amid studies that rankings are down this yr and discontentment is rising pertaining to the league’s new All-Star Recreation format.
Charles Barkley says NBA is losing its time making an attempt to battle the NFL and school soccer for rankings
Barkley mentioned throughout his Tuesday interview with Dan Patrick that he was listening to NBC and Amazon about doubtlessly working with them subsequent yr however TNT licensing “Contained in the NBA” to ESPN.
On the subject of the league’s ongoing points, Sir Charles wasted no time in presenting his intelligent concept wherein the NBA can increase fan curiosity – pushing the beginning of the season again till Christmas Day.
“You realize the perfect rankings we’ve ever had had been the yr we went on strike, Dan, and began on Christmas. I believe we have to critically take into account beginning at Christmas as a result of pay attention, you’re losing your time going up towards the NFL and school soccer. They personal the weekends now,” Barkley mentioned.
“I believe we have to critically take into account beginning on Christmas as a result of pay attention you’re losing your time going up towards the NFL and Faculty Soccer, they personal the weekends now… We’d have the whole calendar to ourself.”
-Charles Barkley on altering the begin to the #NBA season pic.twitter.com/uJasfWlO3D
— Dan Patrick Present (@dpshow) December 18, 2024
“However I believe if we began at Christmas, there’s no different sport that we’d need to compete with if we began at Christmas. Faculty soccer could be over, professional soccer is winding down, we’d have the whole calendar late December, January, February, March, April, Could, June to ourselves. I believe it’s one thing we actually want to contemplate, plain and easy,” Barkley added.
As Barkley accurately recalled, there was one season in latest historical past when the NBA did begin on Christmas. The beginning of the 2011-2012 season was delayed due to a lockout. In consequence, the NBA common season tipped off on Christmas Day in a shortened 66-game season. Suggestions from followers then was principally optimistic.
Every NBA season would finish in August as an alternative of June if each season had been to start on Christmas Day
If every NBA season started on Christmas Day, this is able to imply each season would finish in August as an alternative of June. In different phrases, the league wouldn’t need to compete towards the NFL and school soccer in the course of their seasons anymore.
The NBA would nonetheless need to battle the MLB and NHL for rankings, however such a schedule change could possibly be a step in the best path for the Affiliation. It might separate the NBA season from the NHL in order that the Stanley Cup Last ended when the NBA Playoffs started.
NBA Christmas Day video games are not as particular for the reason that NFL can also be making it an annual custom to schedule video games on the vacation. For that motive, it will be extra significant to start the season then in comparison with a random evening in the course of late October.
Nonetheless, there’s one basketball league that Barkley’s concept would harm: the WNBA. Every WNBA season runs from Could by way of September. The WNBA All-Star Recreation is held in July.
Merely put, there isn’t a manner the WNBA will be capable of compete towards the NBA through the summertime, particularly taking a look at the place the NBA’s rankings are at now.
Total, transferring the beginning of the NBA season to Christmas Day presents extra execs than cons.
