NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league will be revisiting the social justice messaging seen on the court and players’ jerseys this season.
“I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer,” Silver said in an interview. “My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor.”
“And I understand those people who are saying, ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game,’” Silver continued.
The NBA won’t be completely abandoning its social justice messaging, Silver said, but he indicated players will have to change when those messages can be delivered.
“We’re completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality, and that’s been the case going back decades,” Silver said. “It’s part of the DNA of this league. How it gets manifested is something we’re going to have to sit down with the players and discuss for next season.”
NBA ratings have continued to sink during this year’s finals, causing some to speculate that social justice messaging has alienated part of the league’s fan base.
“A ship doesn’t sink for one reason, but undoubtedly, politics sit atop the historical tank,” OutKick said of the ratings decline. “After nearly two decades of reinventing the NBA discussion, LeBron is now a detriment to the league’s brand.”
OutKick added, “The NBA’s new self-inflicted identity is written in ink. Millions of turned-off Americans associate the NBA with radical politics catered to only a minimal number of sports fans.”
Sunday’s Game 3 garnered only 4.395 million viewers, a record low for an NBA Finals game.
