Players boycott games | Playoffs resume Saturday

[ThunderMav]

Well...if your political leanings are preventing you from watching the NBA it is your loss. You missed some great games.
The league has been in a good financial situation prior to the corona crisis. Many owners actually made money in the last few months. Only a few (Rockets, Suns,  Timberwolves) are facing some problems.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1934...ince-2005/

Overall the TV ratings aren´t as good as they were a few years ago but your agenda prevents you from looking at the bigger picture.

- Bubble games without fans might not be as entertaining
- Finals matchup isn´t competitive
- NBA games played in the summer with unsual tip off times and a packed schedule
- NFL, MLB and NBA games at the same time, a Nuggets game won´t get the same viewer numbers vs the prime time NFL game
- More people are switching away from traditional cable TV
- It´s an election year

Thats just mental gymnastics the revenue hit will be in the future the current money is past contracts.  TV contracts have to go down its not sustainable.  That will decrease team caps.  If the cap goes to $75mil its a major pay reduction for players.  Add in no fans so they have a hit to books coming up soon.  And less viewers means less demand for player ads on TV, since they are too polarizing with their politics and stances.  Merchandise is decreasing and will continue to do so.  Its a massive financial tsunami coming.  I mean look at the numbers!  With some still in lockdown viewers should be up.  Big markets in finals.  Biggest name in finals. Yet: Sunday’s Lakers-Heat NBA Finals Game 3 averaged a 3.1 rating and 5.94 million viewers, marking the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record.

[dirkfansince1998]

I shouldn´t have responded. No point in arguing with someone that ignores everything outside his own bubble. Have fun with whatever you are doing instead of watching basketball.

[Scott41theMavs]

marxist

Being angry about a perceivable lack of concern for black lives by police and supporting police reform is not Marxist. However, the official BLM movement is indeed Marxist. Read their platform on their website. It's repugnant.

That said, I'm with KL. I am a consistently Republican voter for a number of reasons, but there is nothing the players or league could do politically short of sacrificing a child at midcourt to make me stop watching a sport.

[chaparral]

Hay ThunderMav,  I for one really enjoyed your commentary on the Mavs and Thunder and wished you were still posting about the two teams.

[Kammrath]

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/...-movement/

[Scott41theMavs]

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/...-movement/

I read it, and can only shake my head at your posting it. Carry on!

[chaparral]

Here one closer to home, Mark Cuban VS Senator Ted Cruz.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/mark-cuba...ba-ratings

[ThunderMav]

Too late the damage is done:

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/13...3017395200

[fifteenth]

Too late the damage is done:

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/13...3017395200

I checked real news sites and couldn't find anything like this. What did Silver actually say?

---

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/...-movement/

I read it, and can only shake my head at your posting it. Carry on!

What did you not like about the article, Scott? Just curious.

[Hypermav]

https://twitter.com/RealMiniAOC/status/1...40544?s=20

[Scott41theMavs]

Too late the damage is done:

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/13...3017395200

I checked real news sites and couldn't find anything like this. What did Silver actually say?

---

https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/...-movement/

I read it, and can only shake my head at your posting it. Carry on!

What did you not like about the article, Scott? Just curious.

They act like the movement should not be judged by its leadership, but then conflate the popular sense of Black Lives Matter with the official movement. In other words, popular participation in efforts toward police reform and the elimination of racism absolves the leadership and the official movement as a whole. Ah, nope. I respect the desire of individuals for a less racist world. I disagree wholeheartedly with the stated goals of the leaders and the official movement. And I take it back after reading the peace - they're right; they aren't classical Marxists, but they promote anarchy, which promotes many times more chaos and violence in the very neighborhoods the movement would seemingly want to promote and protect, and denigrate the right and value of private property, which is one of the cornerstones of respect for one's fellow humanity and individual freedom and prosperity. And I don't say that as some fan of neoliberalism. Moreover, I'm a dinosauric lover of the nuclear family and heteronormism, so I'm going to see their goals in those areas as pretty toxic.

[Kammrath]

they promote anarchy, which promotes many times more chaos and violence

Many (most?) forms of "anarchy" (and "anarchists") are actually non-violent. AND to be fair the vast majority of violence in the world is precipitated by governments. 

NOTE: This is not me standing up for BLM, just trying to stand up for honest (and benefit of the doubt giving) representation of others. I personally have ZERO love for either Marxism, socialism, or capitalism as well as democracy or anarchy or tyranny or __________.

[khaled1987]

Overall the TV ratings aren´t as good as they were a few years ago but your agenda prevents you from looking at the bigger picture.

- More people are switching away from traditional cable TV

One note, but a lot of people use the whole cable tv thing as excuse.
But there was reports last season about the NBA ratings in all ways and they were all declining from TV to illegal streaming iic. 
The NBA has simply been on decline since 2018 for whatever reason

---

Too late the damage is done:

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/13...3017395200

I checked real news sites and couldn't find anything like this. What did Silver actually say?

 
There is actually a video in the article of Silver talking

Tldr version: expects sjw to be off court, he understands those who says we just want to enjoy sports.

[Scott41theMavs]

they promote anarchy, which promotes many times more chaos and violence

Many (most?) forms of "anarchy" (and "anarchists") are actually non-violent. AND to be fair the vast majority of violence in the world is precipitated by governments.

NOTE: This is not me standing up for BLM, just trying to stand up for honest (and benefit of the doubt giving) representation of others. I personally have ZERO love for either Marxism, socialism, or capitalism as well as democracy or anarchy or tyranny or __________.

Defunding the police means that many of the black lives that matter will be lost with little repercussion for the perps.

[Kammrath]

Defunding the police means that many of the black lives that matter will be lost with little repercussion for the perps.

I think most calling for the "defunding of the police" are looking to accomplish two things:

1) Break up the power monopoly had by many police departments (this kind of power monopoly exists in my city of Kansas City where the police have no legitimate check and balance to their power and their abuse of power goes unjudged and unprosecuted). 

2) Lower the amount of money put into brute and blunt policing and instead move those funds into more specialized efforts (like having trained social workers deal with domestic disputes and drug issues instead guys trained in guns and violence).

[Scott41theMavs]

Defunding the police means that many of the black lives that matter will be lost with little repercussion for the perps.

I think most calling for the "defunding of the police" are looking to accomplish two things:

1) Break up the power monopoly had by many police departments (this kind of power monopoly exists in my city of Kansas City where the police have no legitimate check and balance to their power and their abuse of power goes unjudged and unprosecuted).

2) Lower the amount of money put into brute and blunt policing and instead move those funds into more specialized efforts (like having trained social workers deal with domestic disputes and drug issues instead guys trained in guns and violence).

I have two nephews who are police officers. Few other occupations in the country can match the police forces' training in respect for diversity and conflict resolution. And trust me, from their stories, sending "trained social workers" into hot domestic situations (as opposed to when things have "calmed down" and it may be way too late) would result in far fewer social workers.

Edit: I do agree with you on the checks and balances.

[Kammrath]

I have two nephews who are police officers. Few other occupations in the country can match the police forces' training in respect for diversity and conflict resolution. And trust me, from their stories, sending "trained social workers" into hot domestic situations (as opposed to when things have "calmed down" and it may be way too late) would result in far fewer social workers.

A 2016 Bureau of Justice study showed that most US police train for 8 months (3 months are in the field), while in contrast many European countries require 2-3 years of training for police. I do not know the specifics of what police all get trained in, but I do know that 8 months doesn't feel like a lot (my field as a pastor required 4 years in addition to a previous undergrad degree). To me, more training and more learning is always better. 

As a pastor I also have quite a bit of experience with conflict and disputes and I will say that anecdotally the best way to calm and deescalate a "hot" situation is not through a show of force (that almost ALWAYS escalates things). I have witnessed VERY intense situations get deescalated by someone entering the situation completely unarmed and with love. I have also witnessed low intensity situations escalate VERY quickly with the arrival of police (not because the police themselves were bad, but it was what they represented: force, coercion, and the threat of armed violence).

And regardless of whether you agree with what the "defund the police" folks are wanting and if it would work well, I think you can at least respect the fact that they are not just wanting a "lord of the flies" free-for-all. You can respect the position of others even if you disagree with it.

[ItsGoTime]

This is starting to get into rest of the world stuff. I think we’re ok with it if this is the only one for now with that type discussion, just would appreciate any spin off conversations be started in rest of the world or troll cave so we can keep this forum more cleanly in basketball only talk. That said:

I think the phrase “defund the police” is a bit too off putting for many to even start a conversation about the ideals surrounding the movement. As I understand it, Kamm is right, it is about moving the funds AND workload to a different government entity so the police aren’t bogged down with lesser law policing.

I don’t have a huge problem with that line of thought. My question is how many of those situations that would get violent (as I’m sure even the most staunch supporter of this type of movement would agree that there would be at least 1) is it ok to either accept the loss of the life of such a social worker trying to help and do their job or get hirt trying to do the same?

As I’ve thought about it and talked it over with my circle, I think a great way to start is with the training department for all police. One of my more liberal friends has said that in some cases all that is required to get a badge is 3 mo training. That is pretty unacceptable IMO. There HAS to be more. 

This same friend that lives in the Oak Cliff area has looked into the DPD budget and has seen surplus after surplus going to more military style equipment and machines (which the cost of those types of things is another tangent I’d love to discuss as far as why is our Gov not negotiating better deals for all these military type items). That is also unacceptable.

My proposal is to increase training and minimum education requirements to those that want to wear a badge. In turn, raise their pay so you can attract the type of person that would do that honest type of work, but won’t go to school to come out to risk their life for $30k/yr or whatever the starting salary is. 

The type of people that that job attracts right now is the power hungry person that wants an easy way to feed that hunger (not unlike criminals themselves). I’m not in any way saying that all cops are that way, just that’s what the job attracts to it right now. I think this goes a long way in getting a police force that is better equipped to handle and judge moments better. 

tldr: more training, higher educational requirements, higher pay, better police force!

[Kammrath]

This is starting to get into rest of the world stuff. I think we’re ok with it if this is the only one for now with that type discussion, just would appreciate any spin off conversations be started in rest of the world or troll cave so we can keep this forum more cleanly in basketball only talk.

I think @"fifteenth" made the decision awhile back with this thread that it could go into politics because the NBA went into politics on this subject. 

I support his decision. I think we just want to make sure it stays CONTAINED in this thread AND stays respectful.

[ItsGoTime]

This is starting to get into rest of the world stuff. I think we’re ok with it if this is the only one for now with that type discussion, just would appreciate any spin off conversations be started in rest of the world or troll cave so we can keep this forum more cleanly in basketball only talk.

I think @"fifteenth" made the decision awhile back with this thread that it could go into politics because the NBA went into politics on this subject. 

I support his decision. I think we just want to make sure it stays CONTAINED in this thread AND stays respectful.

Just a friendly reminder.