Clay: NBA's Brand Is Broken With Its Own Fans
Part of the NBA's issues with fan behavior belongs squarely on the shoulders of the NBA itself, OutKick founder Clay Travis said.
Clay was referring to the four separate incidents involving fans and players, all taking place just since the playoffs began. A fifth occurred Monday night when a fan ran onto the court during the Wizards-76ers playoff game at Capitol One Arena.
"Could this fan misbehavior be connected to the broken relationship between the NBA & its fans, creating more animosity & less goodwill across the league? I think so," Clay tweeted, encouraging readers to share and debate their own thoughts.
He wasn't finished, turning to the past to show how much the present has changed.
"The NBA’s primary selling point in the 1990’s was great relationship between players & fans. Remember 'NBA action is FANtastic' commercials? Now players lecture fans on how awful of human beings they are," Clay wrote. "League’s brand is broken with fans, which creates animosity. Major issue."
It's pretty clear that something is going on here. It's to the point where a new incident of fan misbehavior is taking place every night. Could it be because the fans really do have more animosity toward the players after the players, coaches and league's elite openly took a political stance, casting aside those who didn't agree?
Given all that's happened since the playoffs tipped off, it's worth considering.