Has the NBA EVER been as popular as it is now?

The 00's were god awful except the start (Lakers dynasty) and the end (Celtics-Lakers-Magic) We had the Nets Spurs, Pistons Spurs, Spurs Spurs Spurs and Pistons. Eww. I don't mean to hate on them, but they make a diehard NBA fan want to watch golf. Anyway, I wasn't alive 20 years ago when MJ was doing his thing, but I mean people talk about the NBA almost every waking second at my school (many bandwagoners, but still) Its Kobe this, Lebron that, Melo this, Wade that blah blah blah. Everyone is interested in the NBA, even more so than the NFL....So, has it ever been as popular?

It was more popular in the 90s, and I wasnt alive for the 80s so wouldn't be able to tell you

In the 90s I remember in school and everywhere you went when the NBA was the main talk. The NFL was an afterthought, now the NFL is more popular

nfl is still better run and better overall to me right now. so yes, the nba has been more popular before.

No,because as i remember good when i was 4-6 years old at the end of the 90's and start of the 00's basketball was by far the most popular sport because everyone played much more basketball and everyone talked about it.Now soccer is more popular then the NBA so no

In the 90's,the NBA has been the most watched league period because of Jordan and other greats

The 80's were popular as well mainly because of Magic,Bird,Lakers vs Celtics match ups etc..

I don't mean compared to other sports. I mean, has the NBA been more popular? Not compared to the NFL.

No

I used that as a fact.If the NBA was so popular then in Europe it would be much more talked then soccer...

It's not like 8-9 years ago

I think its losing popularity, alot of people dont like the NBA anymore.

The NBA was the most popular in Jordan's time....

Capital S wrote:

I think its losing popularity, alot of people dont like the NBA anymore.

I'm hearing more of that. Pretty much all of my friends watch football and about half of them watch basketball... those who don't watch basketball call it a pussy sport cuz of all the fouls and shit..

I mean you can't really blame anyone for thinking that cuz the whistle is always blowing...

but I guess it depends... idk

The hand check rules makes the NBA soft these days...

As opposed to not being able to double team...makes the offense tougher?

i agree with nenad, and i'm one of the people that think the nba is worse now that it's become kind of soft :/

Nenadidas wrote:

Capital S wrote:

I think its losing popularity, alot of people dont like the NBA anymore.

I'm hearing more of that. Pretty much all of my friends watch football and about half of them watch basketball... those who don't watch basketball call it a pussy sport cuz of all the fouls and shit..

I mean you can't really blame anyone for thinking that cuz the whistle is always blowing...

but I guess it depends... idk

I agree about it being a pussy league because i was watching the showtime lakers game this morning and both teams might have taken...at most 10 FT's total. Nowadays a theres 40 or more FT's per game.

let the big men bang damnit!

☆®¥ån☆ wrote:

let the big men bang damnit!

word up. I hate soft fouls and touch!

I think it died out ever since the knicks became shit...
thats all im saying, cause in new york when i was younger all i saw was Ewing, Houston and even Sprewell around up on billboards and they were talked about, now its all about fuckin manning and shit, after Marbury,Crawford,Francis knicks left nba pretty much died in NY, its still around but we need like John wall to come and revive it atleast in brooklyn

SNOW. wrote:

I think it died out ever since the knicks became shit...
thats all im saying, cause in new york when i was younger all i saw was Ewing, Houston and even Sprewell around up on billboards and they were talked about, now its all about fuckin manning and shit, after Marbury,Crawford,Francis knicks left nba pretty much died in NY, its still around but we need like John wall to come and revive it atleast in brooklyn

true that in the NYC area it definately died out big time. The Knicks almost never sell out now whereas back in the 90s it was near impossible to get tickets to Knicks games at the Garden.

In New Jersey it's becoming the same here too since the Nets have been terrible

nomatter how bad they get Knicks games STAY packed.

Yeah, I have like no friends IRL that watch the NBA religiously. The few (like one or two) that watch it only watch during the NBA finals, lol. I usually talk ball with my dad/sister. Even during high school, most students were into hockey or even football; there weren't many basketball fans. I remember during elementary school, everyone loved Jordan, Ewing, Barkley, etc and basketball was quite popular...not so much now.

Even when I purchase basketball tickets for discounted prices at my school; they never sell out and I am like one of the few people who actually purchase them (so I never have to worry about tickets selling out lol). Maybe around the younger demographic...basketball isn't as popular but I can't speak really for other demographics..

I don't think its the caliber of players, Kobe,Lebron,Dirk,Dwight,Wade are HOFers. I think it can all be pointed at ONE thing..thats officiating.

I know a buncha people who love hockey and football, mainly football but say they dont like basketball cause the league is soft

I dont blame them

"I'm Nick and I saw the showtime Lakers, so I vote No (JK JK)"

LMAO!!!

Well even though I did get to see the Showtime Lakers and it was the most competitve era IMO, I think that the league was at it's height in popularity during the 90's.

I've actually enjoyed the league now more than in the 90's. It was basically set in stone the the Bulls would win like it or not... If Jordan didn't retire maybe (just maybe) he would won two more rings... that would been 8 years of Bulls parades. Boring... (sorry KONJ). I lived in a lot of states in the 90's and everyone was a Bulls fan np matter where I lived.

The 2000's have been really fun though (minus the Spurs-Cavs finals...I watched every damn painfully boring game). The talent pool from the mid 90's (high schoolers, early entree and overseas players) grew up and took over.

NBA today is a global sport vs the old days where it was primarily a America/North America sport, with the fanbase world wide I'd say it's far more popular today than say 10 years ago.

NBA def. has more fans.

People may be unhappy with certain aspects of the game but I doubt that it has ever been as popular as it is now.

Wabafet is the greatest Poke'mon ever that's all I know. Gotta catch them all. I may have been drunk, but I could have sworn I saw Ash Ketchum this weekend. He was talking some crazy shit about how he's gotta catch them all and me always thinking of doing great services for our community couldn't let it stand letting a whack job talk nonsense, so I took out what I believed to be my poke'ball and attempted to catch Ash Ketchum werd.