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In what year did the NBA drop its popularity?

Author

Emily Ross

Published Jan 24, 2026

This era also saw the continuous near year-over-year decline in NBA viewership. Between 2012 and 2019, the league lost 40 to 45 percent of its viewership.

Is NBA popularity decreasing?

But the NBA is decidedly not more popular than ever by any means. To the contrary, regular-season ratings in 2020-21 were down 25% compared with the last uninterrupted season in 2018-19.

Are the NBA ratings down this year?

With the 2021-22 in full bloom, NBA TV ratings will continue to be critical as the league hopes for a strong numbers during the 82-game slate.

Is the NBA still popular?

There's no doubt that the NBA is the most globally popular sports league in the USA. Period. So before your international people start running your mouth, there you go.

Was the NBA watered down in the 90s?

The league was watered down severely by numerous new expansion teams as the league wanted to grow and expand in cities teams didn't play in, such as Miami, Minnesota, Charlotte, and Orlando, who were all created in either 1989 or 1990.

16 related questions found

When did NBA expand in the 90s?

Modern expansion: 1988 to 2004

The NBA has added seven more franchises from 1988 to present, the latest in 2004. Four teams were created in 1988 and 1989: the original Charlotte Hornets (now New Orleans Pelicans), the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, both in Florida, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Is the NBA growing?

The NBA is also the 4th fastest-growing sports competition in the World. The league's social following annual growth in 2021 was 7%, it was 12% in 2020, and 18% in 2019. 12.9 new followers in 2021 are 1 million more than the other 4 major USA sports leagues combined during the same period.

How popular is NBA in the US?

However, in regards to revenue the NBA is ranked third in popularity. More Americans play basketball than any other team sport, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, with over 26 million Americans playing basketball.

Is the NBA losing money 2021?

A $10 billion projection

The NBA hasn't released revenue numbers for the shortened 72-game season in 2020-21, but Silver addressed reporters on Monday and notified the NBA's revenue was down about 35% last year instead of the estimated 40%. “We lost significant amounts of money.

How is NBA viewership?

NBA games across TNT, ESPN and ABC are averaging 1.62 million viewers heading into All-Star Weekend, a figure that is flat compared to the same period two seasons ago, reports SBJ's Austin Karp.

Is NBA viewership growing?

The 2021-22 regular season viewership for the NBA on ABC was up from the last two years, according to Nielsen. The 19-game package averaged 3,026,000 viewers, up 13 percent vs. last season and up 3 percent from the 2019-2020 campaign.

Who has better ratings NFL or NBA?

NFL more popular than the NBA in TV viewership in 2021

According to a tweet put out by football analyst Warren Sapp, the NFL mopped the floor with its major competitors. The NFL was responsible for 75 percent of the most-watched broadcasts, while the NBA, NHL, and MLB didn't have any in the top 100.

What is the most watched NBA game ever?

Game 6 of the 1998 Bulls-Jazz series ranks as the highest rated (22.3) and most-watched (35.89M) NBA game on record. The 1998 series is also the highest rated NBA Finals on average, with an 18.7 and 29.0 million over six games.

How much did the NBA make in 2020?

NBA league revenue

The teams of the NBA generated combined revenues of around 6.41 billion U.S. dollars in the 2020/21 season. This marks a slight decrease on the figure from the 2019/20 season, which stood at 7.92 billion U.S. dollars.

What is the least popular sport?

11 Least Popular Sports in the World

  1. 1 | Kabbadi. Kabbadi is the national sport of Bangladesh and, from what I can tell, it's a mix of rugby without a ball and red rover.
  2. 2 | Motocross/motorcycle racing. ...
  3. 3 | Fencing. ...
  4. 4 | Polo. ...
  5. 5 | Archery. ...
  6. 6 | Sailing. ...
  7. 7 | Canadian football. ...
  8. 8 | Weightlifting. ...

What is bigger NBA or NFL?

Yes, the NBA attracted 5 million more people than the NFL, but that's not as many as one would think given the big difference in the number of games each league plays per season. Here's the math: The NFL has 32 teams, each plays 16 games, so that's 256 games per season.

What sport is the hardest?

Boxing. The Sweet Science. That's the sport that demands the most from the athletes who compete in it. It's harder than football, harder than baseball, harder than basketball, harder than hockey or soccer or cycling or skiing or fishing or billiards or any other of the 60 sports we rated.

Is NBA popular in the world?

Basketball Named 3rd Most Popular Sport In The World With Over 2 Billion Fans Worldwide. The NBA has enjoyed years of success and upward trends in popularity and viewership.

What is the #1 sport in the Philippines?

Over time, basketball was able to captivate every Filipino's heart. It is the most played and the most popular sport for the Filipinos. The Philippine Basketball Association was a league founded in April 1975. The national team, Gilas Pilipinas, competes internationally for the country.

When did the 30th team join the NBA?

The expansion draft for the construction of the Charlotte Bobcats, recognized at the time as the 30th NBA franchise, was held on June 22, 2004. The Bobcats selected 19 players from other teams' unprotected players lists and constructed their squad for what was regarded at the time as their inaugural season.