NBA ratings affected? Is Trump's move to boycott watching NBA damaging viewership?

US President Donald Trump and NBA continue to be at odds over league's stance regarding players kneeling during national anm. Trump has publicly criticised league and players for opting to kneel during national anm. Trump has also claimed that he would have hesitation in boycotting NBA if players continue to "disrespect national anm." Trump ted in past that he would be boycotting NFL and MLS for same reason. 

While Trump's boycotting of NBA might t be a cause for concern for league, at least according to LeBron James, NBA's declining TV ratings since restart might just be an alarming indicator of things to come. During Tuesday's radio interview session on Fox Sports’ Outkick, POTUS labelled NBA players as "dumb" and "nasty" for hurting league's ratings by opting to kneel during national anm. But is re truth to Trump's claims?

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NBA ratings since restart

re hiding to fact that NBA TV ratings have been low since 2019-20 season resumed in late July. During first weekend in Orlando, per Outkick numbers,  NBA viewership dropped from a combined 5.5 million on opening night to a combined 3 million later. Per Sports Media Watch analysis, NBA ratings for first full week inside bubble (1.56 million) were down 4% from league’s pre-hiatus aver (1.62 million). Similar low numbers were recorded in Major League Baseball. NBA and MLB's stance over players protesting against racism by kneeling during national anm was attributed as primary reason behind declining numbers. 

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However, a closer look at numbers suggests re is much more to drop in ratings than fans t wanting to see politics and sports being mixed. First and foremost, since initial first-weekend dip in ratings, viewership was 14% above pre-hiatus aver. According to FOX News, primetime viewership (1.68 million) remains 11% ahead of pre-hiatus aver. Compared to Major League Baseball (MLB), NBA has largely drawn a higher viewership. Per reports, regular-season games on ESPN were averaging 1.39 million viewers through August 9. This us 34% more than numbers posted by MLB games on ESPN (1.03 million). 

Donald Trump's repetitive criticism of NBA is hurting ratings to some extent. However, as numbers suggest, Trump's decision to boycott NBA games did t have a lasting effect on its viewership. With NBA playoffs fast approaching, numbers might receive yet ar major boost.

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(Im Credits: AP, NBA.com)