I'm having difficulty understanding that whole last paragraph. And I'm Unsure where you're getting your stats from. NBA ratings have been down for quite some time. Certainly since the era(s) you reference.
I am a middle aged "white guy" for sure. And I'm OK with you calling me that. I played the game my whole life starting as a kid in the inner city (Milwaukee). And I also played a lot of baseball. Yep. Baseball is probably boring to some. I get that. It's a thinking man's sport.
No, I'm not crazy about many of these rule changes you enjoy. I feel they are designed to entertain those with short attention spans. I enjoy a game with great defense as much as I do an offensive shoot-out.
The short attention span generation have hurt many sports. Football, basketball and they've ruined the once great sport of boxing. The short attention span do not possess the patience or mental fortitude to watch 12 full rds of such science and strategy. Nope, they want blood and they want it now. They want MMA.
Anyway, I guess you're entertained by the music played at these events, but I go to a ton of games and I do not see many people that are. And I don't see a large population of "urban youth and people of color" at these games either. What I do see is a helluva lot of empty seats. Probably because of the music.
This was fun and I thank you for your opinion and this banter. I do agree with you that this year's NBA play-offs may prove to be epic. Enjoy! Go Bucks!
Baseball is a great sport to play and watch, but a “thinking man’s sport” sounds like you’re trying to exclude someone…
Rule changes have come to every single sport, and for the most part have been good for their respective games. Even though most leagues have moved towards offense I still see great defense in all the sports…when the games have real meaning.
“Mental fortitude” to watch 12 rounds of boxing? Give me a break, I would say fans of that sport are more turned off by the blatant manipulation of the half dozen “titles” they promote. It has historically been a fringe sport for most of the world. Yet when they have legit title bouts with their top talent they get millions of viewers….for all the rounds.
I don’t always like a particular song but that includes some of the moldy oldies, 80 rock, party anthems, or crowd sing alongs that play in every stadium/arena. They don’t play it just for your enjoyment. As for the league’s, they market for not only in house but TV and more importantly to them social media consumers…it is the future with or without you.
I would say the empty seats you referenced are due to the insane cost of attending rather than the “music” they play. I have season tickets for Hawks and Kraken and I can confirm the presence of both “urban youth and POC” in large numbers so I’m not quite sure what message you’re pushing….