The NBA has become a global sporting spectacle, regularly attracting millions of viewers. It also has the added advantage of having the most global appeal among American sports leagues like the NFL, NHL, and MLB. A survey conducted by Statista revealed that sports fans from the UK, Germany, and China prefer to watch the NBA rather than any other American league. This, however, wasn’t always the case.

The NBA suffered huge financial losses in the 1970s before players like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird turned things around. The duo, along with significant rule changes (like the addition of a three-point line), ushered in a new era of NBA basketball. Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls continued this momentum. The Popularity of Jordan along with astute management by David Stern led to the NBA’s stratospheric rise in the 90s. In fact, the viewership peaked in the 1998 Finals, boasting an average of 29 million viewers.

Since then, the NBA has never looked back. While the league has seen a decrease in average viewership, superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Stephan Curry have ensured that it remains a global sporting spectacle. The NBA, however, has to constantly innovate to provide fans with fresh experiences and elevate the intrigue. Their latest effort to push the game forward, nevertheless, has been taken with a pinch of salt.

What is the In-season tournament and how does it work?

30 teams will be divided into 6 groups of 5 teams each. The groups were randomly drawn on the basis of last season’s records. Each team will play two home games and two away games during the group stages. In-season tournament games will be played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, beginning from 4th November.

Three group winners and the best second-placed teams from each conference will qualify for the knockout stages. The winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semis in Vegas on December 8th, with the inaugural winner decided on December 10th in Vegas. There will be a total of 67 games played in the tournament and those games will count towards the regular-season standings, except the finals.

Each player on the NBA In-season tournament championship squad will receive $500,000. Whereas, the second-place team’s players will take home $200,000 each, and those on the losing semi-finals teams will receive $100,000 each. Quarterfinalists will earn $50,000 per player.

Will the relatively small prize pool affect the quality?

No, the prize pool shouldn’t affect the quality of basketball on offer because the In-Season tournament games will contribute to teams’ regular-season records. There will be no additional games played, except for the finals of the tournament. Even if a franchise wanted to rest their stars, the new CBA guidelines wouldn’t allow it. Under the new guidelines, teams won’t be allowed to rest multiple All-Stars in the same game. Any violation of this rule will result in a $100,000 fine for the first offense, a $250,000 fine for the second offense, a $1.25 million fine for the third offense, and an additional $1 million for each subsequent violation.

The NBA’s decision to introduce the In-Season tournament, however, has puzzled some players and coaches. Marcus Smart recently said, “Being completely honest, nobody cares about (winning the In-Season tournament), it’s the big one that we care about.” Warriors’ guard Gary Payton II also aired his apprehension towards the tournament stating, “The only thing that’s different is the court right now”. The overriding sentiment among the players and the coaches right now is that of intrigue and bewilderment. So, if it weren’t for players, coaches, and fans, who was it really for? Well, it’s the usual suspect.

The motivation behind the In-Season tournament

The In-Season tournament is the latest effort by the NBA with the goal of boosting viewership. This is primarily so that they can have leverage while negotiating a new media rights deal. Their current deal runs out by the end of the 2024-24 season. The NFL negotiated a media rights deal worth $110 billion dollars over the course of 10 years with CBS, NBC, Fox, ESPN, and Amazon.

The NBA’s previous media rights deal with ESPN and Warner Bros netted them $24 billion in 10 years. Be that as it may, the NBA hopes to increase its revenue from the media rights deal threefold, to $75 billion.

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The In-Season tournament has faced resistance, at large. Commissioner Adam Silver, however, has urged fans to show patience and understanding regarding the new tournament. He said, “New traditions take time. But, all throughout sports, we are seeing new innovations, and now is the time for this NBA in-season tournament.” While it is true that new traditions take time, when the change is guided by the economics of the sport, it’s obviously a bitter pill to swallow.

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