Assessing the Atlanta Hawks CEO’s Plan to Boost NBA Ratings

Looking at Atlanta Hawks CEO’s plan to improve NBA ratings.

Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin has a plan to save the NBA. With the ratings down across the board, Koonin proposed starting and ending the season two months later than normal at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference late last week.

The idea is that by starting in December rather than October, early season NBA games would not have to compete with the NFL as much. With the Super Bowl taking place in early February, the two leagues run simultaneously until the Trade Deadline. Add in the MLB Playoffs and College Football, October is a very busy month sports-wise.

Starting in December would still provide some overlap, but the NFL would basically be over as the NBA’s first full month ends.

The push would have the playoffs begin in June, with the Finals jumping to August. The Dog Days of Summer don’t have much excitement when it comes to sports (regular season baseball), and could put even more of a spotlight on the playoffs.

Overall I get the idea, but I’m skeptical on its effectiveness. NBA ratings are still in the tank with football over, and while the late start could generate more interest, I’m not sure it’ll be enough to compete with the NFL straight up.

Taking away ratings,  the current league calendar is such a staple that it’s hard to imagine the change. The Trade Deadline would be during Spring Break, the Draft would be five-six months after March Madness and the Christmas Day games would be some of the first games of the season.

Pushing the league back a few weeks rather than a full two months is a better idea in my eyes, and would provide less competition while still keeping the calendar the same for the most part. The All-Star Break could finally be at the actual halfway mark of the season.

Steve Koonin spent well over a decade running Turner, and obviously knows what he’s talking about, but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree.