NBA Drops Black Lives Matter Promotion After Ratings Plummet
Commissioner Adam Silver announces BLM messages to be pulled from courts & jerseys
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Ther NBA has announced it is pulling messages that promote the radical-left Black Lives Matter movement from the game after ratings for the sport recently plummeted.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver now says he thinks that the league’s in-game BLM and social justice messaging will be gone by next season.
The issue was brought up by Silver during an interview with ESPN before Tuesday’s Game 4 broadcast.
“I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and the jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer,” Silver said.
The basketball commissioner then admitted that the promotion of far-left causes had likely turned fans away and caused TV viewership to crash.
“My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor,” he admitted.
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"And, I understand those people who are saying, ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game'," Silver added.
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The league’s decision to embrace the Black Lives Matter movement was controversial, even among team owners.
However, Silver had reportedly demanded that teams comply to show support for the league’s black players, according to NBC News.
“Adam Silver told them, ‘Hey guys, this is what we’re going to do to support our players. Our league is overwhelmingly comprised of African American players. This is important. This is a partnership. We need to work together to get through this season and into next year,'” the outlet reported.
Of the league’s 350 players, 300 chose to wear jerseys with social justice messaging, ESPN’s The Undefeated adds.
The outlet noted that messages agreed upon by the National Basketball Players Association and the NBA are as follows:
- Black Lives Matter
- Say Their Names
- Vote
- I Can’t Breathe
- Justice
- Peace
- Equality
- Freedom
- Enough
- Power to the People
- Justice Now
- Say Her Name
- Sí Se Puede (Yes We Can)
- Liberation
- See Us
- Hear Us
- Respect Us
- Love Us
- Listen
- Listen to Us
- Stand Up
- Ally
- Anti-Racist
- I Am A Man
- Speak Up
- How Many More
- Group Economics
- Education Reform and Mentor
But the league is now struggling to retain viewership, according to The Daily Wire.
Sports Illustrated reported that the 2020 NBA Finals, between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat — two teams that typically draw in huge audiences — is the lowest in league history.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals drew just over 5 million viewers.
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Sports Illustrated cites cord-cutting and bad scheduling for the dramatic loss in viewership, but the league appears to sense another reason for the drop in audience interest — social justice — and Adam Silver, at least, is committed to returning to “normal” league play next year, per Outkick the Coverage.
“We’re completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality and that’s been the case going back decades,” Silver told NBA Countdown.
"It’s part of the DNA of this league. How it gets manifested is something we’re gonna have to sit down with the players and discuss for next season.
"I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer.
"My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor,” he added.
