Why I Won't Watch The NBA Anymore

Well, the NBA Finals are here once again, and it is yet another year I won't be watching. Why? First, because the Lakers are in it...again...(BORING!). Second, because I don't feel that NBA stands for National Basketball Association any more. Nope. I think the more appropriate name would be the National Basket-BRAWL Association.

You see, there was a time not so long ago (i.e. pre-Detroit Pistons of the late 80's/early 90's) when the NBA maketed a game based on actual skill...not on how brutal a player can be against another before getting called for a fowl.

I know that some of you out there are going to whine and say the game has changed; blah, blah, blah. As far as I am aware, the rules are still the same; it's the enforcement of the rules that has changed.

It used to be on free throws that no player could step into the lane prior to the ball leaving the hands of the shooter. If they did, it was a lane violation--usually a team foul. In today's game, as soon the shooter begins a shooting motion of any kind, we are seeing players crowding the lane, jockeying for the best rebounding position.

How many steps are involved in a traveling violation? Well todays players would have you believe it to be at least 4 or 5 steps. In actuality, the rules stipulate two steps (while holding the ball) are legal. A third constitutes a Traveling violation.

Lastly (or at least, the last of what I'm highlighting), placing your hand/arm on an opposing player's back used to be an automatic defensive foul. In order to defend, you relied on footspeed, non-contact arm waving, and mental anticipation of what to expect of the player you were defending against. In today's basket-brawl, we see players leaning into opponents, placing whole forearms on a back, and simply pushing an offensive player around. No skill is required...just brute strength/force, and the officials not caring that fouls are being committed all over the court.

These examples are just the surface of a game that has almost entirely lost its identity as a performance of actual skill. Instead of strategy and finesse, we see pushing, shoving, throwing players to the floor, flopping, brutal elbows, slapping, whining, and the disgusting "I didn't do anything!" attitude now permeating nearly every professional sport.

The NBA admits that it has an image problem. It knows that gate receipts are down, merchandizing income is low, and owners are so hungry for a winning team that coaches are on a revolving platform as they get shuffled in and out faster than Mark Cuban can accrue fines.

(Did you know that in the 21 years Jerry Sloan has managed the Utah Jazz, there have been over 250 Head Coaching changes throughout the rest of the NBA?--an unbelieveable stat!)

Commisioner David Stern does nothing to solve the real issues that are damaging Professional Basketball. He looks at ratings, marketing, and the next big wave to further elevate the business. What would happen if actual skill was expected of players entering the league; or that the NBA employed refs that actually enforced the rules of the game; or players actually stopped whining about whatever babyish thing, and actually learned to play basket-BALL?

It would be a joy to watch the game once again. It would be fun! But I also think that the fans of today have gotten so used to the brutality of basket-BRAWL that a game of actual skill would be boring to most people. Too bad on that, because the truly great teams of years gone-by relied on skill--a concept now almost completely lost.