So the 65 game rule requires them to play 65 games in a season to qualify for year end awards as well as the “all NBA team”
Well the issue is, NBA Max Contracts are also tied to how many times a player gets those awards.
Jalen Duren is about to get named to All NBA this year. Thus increasing his potential Max Deal.
Durn is good. But he wouldn’t have made All NBA if some players hit 65 games.
Also because the NBA regular season is so booty. The cap isnt going up. Its actually going down.
Those 2 factors just eliminated the Pistons tax space for next year.
Yes. Heard it wrong. Not increasing as much as originally projected. Which most teams usually project that the cap will always go up when doing contracts. Because you do have think about the tax ramifications in year 5&6 in a 6 year contract.
So its hurting the pistons.
The irony is that the pistons were one of the few teams trying all season and they are going to be punished for it
That million is less than 1% of the cap next year and even less moving forward.
Also they don’t have to give Duren the supermax just because he’s eligible. You can do the 25% max guaranteed and put championship incentives in place for the rest.
No player has ever turned down the 25% rookie max and he won’t either
Also Duren was making 3rd team All NBA at worst whether there was a 65 game rule or not.
The NBA just had record viewership increases and attendance.
Everyone I’ve seen say the NBA dying is someone who listens to Clay Travis
The 10% from the years you listed are from the cap smooting
No one with a modicum of intelligence thought the NBA cap would grow 10% year over year forever,no pro league has
The biggest contentious cap/revenue increases in the 80 year history of the league have happened in the last decade and 3 of the last 4 years but the league is dying
Viewership and attendance is down post covid. Regular season is dead and even the NBA finals viewership has been down year over year the last 10-15 years.
Most sports saw a massive increase post covid after being flat for 2 years. Nba never had the correlation. 10% precovid. 2 years of flat. Back to 10% 3-5 years.
And its already leveling out? After a TV deal when most leagues see the largest increase?
And the NBA wants to add 2 more teams??? (Only for the franchise fee to increase revenue)
Their only hope is to cut the regular season way down. Play everyone 2x thats it. 62 games.
Most of what you said isn’t true and it doesn’t change the fact that the biggest corporations on Earth still gave the 76 billion to show games 21 months ago.
The business of the NBA has never been better and that’s not a debate
• NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.
• A total of 57 telecasts reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since 2011-12.
• People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.
• The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.
• Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any other three-season span in league history.
• Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90%.
• The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.
MLB viewership has significantly increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, with major networks like ESPN and FOX reporting double-digit percentage gains in audience numbers. In 2025, MLB games on ESPN saw a 22% increase in viewership, marking the most-watched season on the network in eight years.
Major League Baseball (MLB) has experienced a notable increase in viewership since the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth reflects a resurgence in fan interest and engagement with the sport.
Key Statistics
Viewership Increases
ESPN: In 2025, MLB games on ESPN reported a 22% increase in viewership, making it the most-watched season on the network in eight years.
FOX: MLB on FOX also saw a 10% increase in average viewership, reaching approximately 1.84 million viewers per game.
TBS: Viewership for MLB Tuesday games on TBS rose by 16%, marking a strong start for their regular season coverage.
International Growth
Japan: MLB viewership on NHK channels in Japan increased by 22%, averaging 2.7 million viewers. This growth is part of a trend that has seen viewership gains for five consecutive seasons.
Streaming and App Engagement
MLB.TV: Streaming viewership on MLB.TV surged by 27% compared to the previous year, indicating a growing preference for digital platforms among fans.
MLB App: The app registered its most-trafficked season ever, with an 18% increase in daily traffic over 2024.
Conclusion
The upward trend in MLB viewership since the pandemic highlights the league’s successful efforts to engage fans through various media platforms and exciting gameplay. This growth is a positive sign for the future of baseball as it continues to recover and thrive post-COVID.
If viewership is up so high why is revenue only
1.9% for NBA annually 0.1% for MLB and 0.8% for NHL adjusted for inflation?
Post covid to last season
NBA $11.3b to $12.5b 10.5%
MLB $12.3b to $13.0b 5.5%
NHL $6.1b to $6.8b 11.5%
NFL $19.2B to 23.0B 20%
It couldn’t be that the nelson report changed its formula because of streaming. And now estimating group viewing (like restaurants) so viewership is higher artificially.