The Changing Powers of the NBA
Sep 04, 2019
“Power is power”- Cersei Lannister
The power dynamic in the NBA has shifted, and there’s a new group on top: the players.
Decades ago, the big-market teams, those located in the biggest cities in America, commanded the league’s respect. The best TV deals, the biggest sponsors, and the largest contracts were reserved for teams playing in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, etc.
That system is now flipped on its head, as individual players now command these luxuries and more. NBA player salaries have reached unthinkable levels, and many players make even more money through individual sponsorship deals and shoe brands.
Fan loyalty no longer lies with teams but instead is given to the star players, regardless of the team the play for. The loose free agency rules have given players the power to assemble “super-teams” of their choosing.
The players are now wielding more power than ever, but how did this happen? Why did the teams lose their power and how did the players capture it? The answer is simple: Social Media.
The introduction of social media and the power of the personal brand has changed the way individual athletes interact with the world. Social media has brought fans closer to the game, and closer to the players themselves.
Platforms like Twitter allow athletes to interact directly with fans, and there are countless examples of players engaging in conversation, and trash talk, with ordinary individuals.
Twitter exchange between NBA star Kevin Durant and a pair of fans
Fan closeness to famous athletes is only heightened when considering Instagram, which allows athletes to share videos and pictures of their life for anyone to see. Many NBA players post videos of workouts, training regimens, and diets ― this grants fans access to the facets of basketball that were never seen before the onset of social media.
NBA skills coach Chris Brickley posts an Instagram video of Trailblazer Guard CJ McCollum's workout
Athletes have taken it one step further too. They post personal, non-sport related activities like vacations or hobbies, even Instagram stories about playing NBA 2K with their friends for all to see. Sharing these aspects of life with the fans has allowed athletes to cultivate immensely strong personal brands.
ESPN shares LeBron James' famous Taco Tuesday story
A prime example of this social media phenomenon is basketball superstar LeBron James. The Lakers star frequently posts videos of himself rapping along to his favorite songs or enjoying Taco Tuesdays and wine nights with his family or friends.
Being able to see what LeBron James is doing on a random Tuesday evening is a game-changer and a key aspect of the power and influence these players now hold.
While NBA teams also have their own social media accounts, their respective superstars often possess a far larger following.
-The Golden State Warriors have 12.7 mil. Instagram followers
-Superstar Steph Curry has 26.9 mil.
-The LA Lakers Instagram has 9 mil. followers
-LeBron James has 51.3 mil. followers
-The Houston Rockets account has 4 mil. followers
-James Harden clocks in at 10.2 mil.
-Russell Westbrook has 13.8 mil.
The difference between the popularity of players and teams is evident, yet the league refused to capitalize on this disparity for years. Only five years ago, the NBA was still awarding nationally televised games to big market teams, regardless of roster talent or team success.
In the 2014-15 NBA season, the Lakers were handed 20 nationally televised games, despite only winning 27 games in the prior year.
After a putrid 17-win campaign for the New York Knicks in 2014-15, the team was still given 16 nationally televised games for the following season. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, despite having international icon Dirk Nowitzki and a far better team (the Mavs won 49 games the prior season), were penciled in for a mere 11 national television spots in 2014-15.
After ignoring the growing impact of players for years, the league, along with major television networks, is now acknowledging the new powers of the NBA.
Zion Williamson, the most enticing rookie in the past decade, boasts an Instagram account with 4.1 million followers, more than many NBA team accounts. After the Pelicans drafted Zion with the first pick in the 2019 draft, they saw their national television quota jump to 30 games, the ninth most in the league.
Small-market teams such as the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks have also seen an increase in their share of nationally televised games for this upcoming season, clocking in at 25 (10th most) and 34 (sixth most) respectively.
These teams both feature high-profile stars with large fan followings. Donovan Mitchell, the young Jazz sensation, has 2.5 million Instagram followers, while the Bucks’ foreign superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has 6 million himself.
Struggling teams from historically big markets, like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Detroit Pistons, are no longer handed coveted national television spots and are all scheduled for fewer than 6 national television games apiece.
While the big-market teams are not forgotten, and still possess advantages (recruiting star players to Los Angeles is far easier than recruiting them to Memphis), the impact of social media on an athlete’s personal brand has resulted in an ultimate power shift in the NBA.
Teams no longer hold all the cards, and star players in small markets have become increasingly more effective in harvesting fame and nationally televised slots for their teams.
Handing out important games to bad teams in big markets is a thing of the past, and the key to garnering national attention now lies with the individual pieces of a franchise — the players.
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