The NBA Bubble

[Briar Patch Home]

Even if it is the third most popular, that hardly makes it “marginal”.

Do you know what ESPN was showing during the peak of the quarantine? CORNHOLE. They were actually televising hours and hours of guys tossing bean bags. I’m pretty sure basketball brings in hundreds of millions more than that.

If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. I certainly don’t. But I don’t go around criticizing those who do.

I'm not criticizing anyone who watches the NBA. I'm criticizing Disney for making such a huge financial commitment. I'd personally would rather watch Corn Hole, or Curling, before watching those spoiled brat millionaires.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Those rates are negotiable and depend a lot on ratings and since Corn Hole has been on tap lately, those ratings have been in the gutter, along with advertising rates.

So it would make sense for them to put something on the channel that is more exciting than corn hole? It seems like we are going in circles here.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

The way I see it:
1. Disney has entire hotels sitting empty currently.
2. Disney has convention spaces sitting empty currently.
3. Disney owns ABC/ESPN which broadcast the NBA and could use fresh content.

Knowing this... what is the downside of the NBA bubble? I'm lost how anyone can criticize Disney for offering their facilities for this.

 

[ucf_knight]

Those rates are negotiable and depend a lot on ratings and since Corn Hole has been on tap lately, those ratings have been in the gutter, along with advertising rates.

Lol

 

[xmattodx]

Like said, I don't know why Disney has made such a commitment for a marginal sport. Normally the remote control stays less than 10 seconds on any channel with an NBA game on it. Now that the NBA is shoving BLM down our throats, it's, going to be less than one.

...I'd personally would rather watch Corn Hole, or Curling, before watching those spoiled brat millionaires.

I get the feeling this is not about basketball for you ...

 

[Briar Patch Home]

I get the feeling this is not about basketball for you ...

I get the feeling this is not about basketball for you ...

I love the sport. I was a student manager on my university's basketball team which was a perennial top 10 national basketball program. Still love the college game, though Yes, I have soured on professional sports, especially Football and Basketball, because they're using their undue platform to throw politics in our face and Disney is allowing them to do it. It's a game not a political outlet. Why bring politics into it? They've got the right to do it and I've got the right to complain about it and not watch it.

 

[disneysteve]

they're using their undue platform to throw politics in our face

Racial equality is not a political issue.

 

[GAN]

I'm not criticizing anyone who watches the NBA. I'm criticizing Disney for making such a huge financial commitment. I'd personally would rather watch Corn Hole, or Curling, before watching those spoiled brat millionaires.

You’re right. If you were the only person that watched sports on TV, then it really would be a disastrous move by Disney. But clearly, your opinion wasn’t factored in. It’s just one of those realities of life I suppose. One of the biggest factors probably has to do with Bob Iger’s appreciation of the game ...when you get to his position, then there’ll be more Corn Hole and Curling. I’m not a huge NBA fan either but I appreciate what they’re trying to pull off ...and at this point they’re having better results than baseball.

 

[GAN]

Racial equality is not a political issue.

I believe there is another thread that “might” help in that regard....

 

[Briar Patch Home]

Racial equality is not a political issue.

Sorry, but I'm not going there. It's not, but they've done their best to make it political. I really don't understand what racial equality means specifically.

 

[Briar Patch Home]

You’re right. If you were the only person that watched sports on TV, then it really would be a disastrous move by Disney. But clearly, your opinion wasn’t factored in. It’s just one of those realities of life I suppose. One of the biggest factors probably has to do with Bob Iger’s appreciation of the game ...when you get to his position, then there’ll be more Corn Hole and Curling. I’m not a huge NBA fan either but I appreciate what they’re trying to pull off ...and at this point they’re having better results than baseball.

Disney does consider and factors in all potential opinions in their decision making process.

 

[disneysteve]

I really don't understand what racial equality means specifically.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's certainly a pretty simple concept. But that's not the topic of this thread so let's move on.

 

[disneysteve]

Disney does consider and factors in all potential opinions in their decision making process.

So Disney did just that and determined that hosting the NBA made sense for them. That's pretty much the bottom line.

 

[GAN]

Sorry, but I'm not going there. It's not, but they've done their best to make it political. I really don't understand what racial equality means specifically.

I don’t want you to think I’m focusing on you, I’m not. For that matter, you could be a minority ...I have no idea. I’m a dumb white guy ..maybe you can relate . I don’t really care about politics, but this is slightly political. Joe Rohde(the earring guy) wrote a series of essays a couple of years ago that discuss equality, autocracy, etc... that make some sense, for better or worse, today(below is part from those). I never really had an interest in why BLM or never really bothered to look at it from a different perspective, so believe me I don’t want your approval -but you posed the statement...


I thought I’d repost a series of IG essays from almost exactly two years ago, July 2018, describing the features of autocracy based on historicalexamples. They avoid any references to current events, although a lot of this will sound way more familiar than it did two years ago. Analysts say that if only 3.5 percent of a population actively counters an autocracy, it fails to take hold. 3.5 percent. In American that means about ten million people, just in case you’re counting crowds. So, Solidarity is important, because “divide and conquer” is one of the first rules of an autocracy. Race is a great tool for divide and conquer. Which brings us to The Black Lives Matter movement, an alarm call for everyone, because the injustice leveraged against that community poisons the whole system. Like Covid. Black lives matter because they are especially vulnerable to unjust social forces, so the powerful, whether official or not, can normalize behavior towards human beings that simply should not be accepted anywhere. That’s infectious to a society. We need a kind of political herd immunity towards injustice…just for moral reasons. But for the pragmatists, we can plainly see that the defenseless and disadvantaged are the test case for what can be done to any of us. When a man can be deliberately suffocated in public right in front of people, why be surprised when a pregnant woman is stomped on until she miscarries, or a blinded helpless woman kicked in the head, or projectiles fired point blank into peoples faces, elderly people assaulted and left to bleed, journalists shot at, passive bystanders attacked and other egregious misuses of power? If we allow inequity to be unaccountable, why be surprised when suddenly we face unidentifiable armed men who cannot be held accountable because they cannot be identified? BLM asserts that what we claim to be the rule of law is applied unequally. That makes it not the rule of law at all, but the rule of power. That power, unrestrained by law or empathy, will exercise its force upon everyone. We must fight for equality before the law, because power, once gained is rarely given back. You have to go get it.

 

[Diswizard]

I wish the NBA would evolve and raise the goal to 11 feet. Back when this game was "invented" a person over 6 feet was considered tall. By today's standards, they would be pretty short. I have gotten tired of watching all the easy dunks that they get when they get the ball inside. 95% of the time they make it. It was much more fun to watch when it was less predictable and more skill was required as opposed to just height. And, do they ever call traveling anymore? Those refs out there are about as useless as the ones in the smackdown wrestling. It's like "Oh, that was a move by Lebron..., I know it looks like he took 14 steps, but he is so good and makes so much money, I'm sure it must have only been 2 steps." No call...Lost interest long time ago.

 

[DanielleC]

I'm not criticizing anyone who watches the NBA. I'm criticizing Disney for making such a huge financial commitment. I'd personally would rather watch Corn Hole, or Curling, before watching those spoiled brat millionaires.

Disney isn't making a huge financial commitment. The NBA is paying them to be there. They are taking up 3 hotels, Coronado Springs, the Grand Floridian, and I think the Beach Club along with all their amenities. ESPN bought out the Waldorf for their staff and broadcast crews. It's no secret that the NBA Experience hasn't lived up to attendance expectations either. They are trying to keep from losing more of their $24 Billion dollar spend on the NBA. They are trying to get some semblance of synergy going with the NBA.

Disney is about Synergy. Disney releases a move which in turn has Disney releasing merchandise from the movie which in turn has Disney putting the movie on Disney+, which in turn has Disney, in some cases, add a new ride to a theme park, which has Disney releasing the movie again on DVD in 7 to 10 years and the cycle starts all over again. Go read Michael Eisner's book. He explains it pretty well.

 

[TonyaG83]

Disney isn't making a huge financial commitment. The NBA is paying them to be there.

The money the NBA is paying Disney is obscene. I don’t understand why people think the NBA keeping Disney resorts operational is a bad thing. This bubble is 4 months of guaranteed revenue for Disney and keeping so many of their Cast Members employed.

Coronado is a convention hotel. Conventions are not happening. Sports teams are not coming to hold tournaments and expos at the ESPN complex. Those are huge revenue streams that disappeared for Disney. The NBA is making up for those, and then some.

Journalists are paying $550/night to stay at Coronado and eat QS (if they want better food, they have to pay for it). The NBA rooms cost way more per night for each player/staff member (plus each team has a training room, treatment room, equipment room, etc), and Disney is not giving them a break on those either. The players have access to better food, but they have to pay Disney for that directly out of their own pockets. if they want their families to join them once the finals start, they have to pay Disney for those rooms. Disney is gouging them as much as they do their regular guests, and making money on the ESPN broadcast side of it as well.

 

[Briar Patch Home]

I'm sorry to hear that. It's certainly a pretty simple concept. But that's not the topic of this thread so let's move on.

You're right, Agree, but tell me specifically where there's not racial equality.

 

[MoreTravels]

I would love to hear the podcast team talk about their thoughts on this. Especially now that players are calling Gran Destino a “Motel 6” and complaining about the food. I have sooo many feelings on this. Or even their thoughts in general about Disney’s decision to do this (I mean, obviously they did it for the money...)

Can someone show me a Motel 6 location that looks like this?

I would love to visit that Motel 6 if the claim is true.

 

[Briar Patch Home]

I wish the NBA would evolve and raise the goal to 11 feet. Back when this game was "invented" a person over 6 feet was considered tall. By today's standards, they would be pretty short. I have gotten tired of watching all the easy dunks that they get when they get the ball inside. 95% of the time they make it. It was much more fun to watch when it was less predictable and more skill was required as opposed to just height. And, do they ever call traveling anymore? Those refs out there are about as useless as the ones in the smackdown wrestling. It's like "Oh, that was a move by Lebron..., I know it looks like he took 14 steps, but he is so good and makes so much money, I'm sure it must have only been 2 steps." No call...Lost interest long time ago.

Couldn't agree more. For the most part, with few exceptions, the game has become nothing but street ball. Either hit the 3, or get a fast break slam dunk. The game isn't played at all as it was originally intended. You can watch a game and there's more shoving, holding, grabbing, charging, I sit there and say fowl, fowl, fowl. It's a joke. The mid-range jumper is all but gone. Blocking out and passing are all but game. Proper spacing on the court is nonexistent. Saw a NBA highlight a year or so ago and a player took 5 steps and wasn't charged with travelling. The stars get away with murder and never get called for fouls, because the league and refs know who the fans are buying tickets to see. I've definitely lost interest in the NBA game.