O/T what happened to the NBA? Bad Marketing?

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Posted By: Walter

Like many of you I have been watching the NBA for over 30 years I am one of the biggest basketball fans there is. I love watching the NBA and marvel at the skills and athleticism of the players. There are jaw-dropping plays in almost every game. I don't think I need to convince anybody that today's players are more athletically gifted than players from the past.

That being said, something has changed--us. We've all gotten older and the players have stayed the same age. I remember when Charles Barkley and his draft class came into the League and people said they didn't respect the history of the game, they didn't play the game like players of the past, and they are only playing for money. Now, almost 25 years later, they are finished their playing days and we're saying the kids these days don't play like Charles and Clyde Drexler and others. They played for the love of the game. Today's players are only playing for money. And we'll say the same things 25 years from now about Derrick Rose, Chris Paul and LeBron James.

Every older generation says the same things about the younger generation. Every older generation thinks theirs is the best and today's players in any sport can't compare. Look at the comments here. Everyone remembers the Doc or Larry and Magic or the ABA, or Cousy and Russell. And I watched all of those players over the years and quite honestly today's players are better. I have a library of some games from the 60s and 70s. Trust me-- it was not better basketball. It was slower, the players weren't as skilled and they did not shoot as well. The next time John Havlicek dribbles with his off hand will be the first time. Don't get me wrong, Havlicek and others were great players, but the players today have evolved and are far more skilled.

The game itself has certainly changed over the years. The one-on-one game hasn't just started recently. For the mid to late 80s Sixers it was give the ball to Barkley and clear out. Either he'll drive and get fouled or pass out for a jumper. It was as boring as basketball could be. In 1994 the Heat and the Knicks played a finals that set basketball back 40 years. I hoped that the Phoenix Suns would win the title, so that other teams would copy their running style, but that was not to be. As soon as a run and gun team wins then everyone in the League will start to copy them.

I don't think that it is bad marketing or tattoos or hip hop that has changed the game. It isn't bad marketing, the NBA is just not marketing to middle age white guys (me). We don't seem to be their audience, regardless of the demographics of game attendees. I was watching NBA-TV the other night and I had a hard time following the names of the players as the host kept referring to players by these made up names like C-Mobe or CP3. That's part of the problem--I'm getting older and not in tune with the younger generation.

So we can look back with fondness at our youth and the sports heroes we watched, but let's not denigrate the new generations of players because of our wistfulness for the past.

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