The NBA shut down earlier this year, but once they returned, they did so by embracing the Black Lives Matter movement, but not everybody was happy about that.
One anonymous NBA agent ripped the league for that decision, telling The Athletic it was “a horrible look for the league.” The agent said the players were “being manipulated” and that the NBA was “hurting the sport” by embracing Black Lives Matter.
“They initially did a great job by putting the bubble together and they completely s— the bed with all this nonsense. They really hurt the business. … All of this Black Lives Matter stuff. … I think that the players are being manipulated into something that they don’t really understand and I think it’s a horrible look for the league and they need to be very clear about the organization, what they stand for. … If that’s what the NBA wants to align with, they’re really hurting themselves. … They’re not helping the players, they’re hurting the sport. When the ratings are down 30%, who are you helping?”
That comment came in response to the following prompt: “Thoughts on how the NBA handled the bubble/COVID-19.”
NBA ratings were down in 2020 and it was maginified even more during the 2020 NBA Finals. However, blaming that decline on the league embracing Black Lives Matter doesn’t tell the whole story. Nearly every major sport has experienced a ratings decline in 2020.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has already announced that the movement and the messaging displayed on the court in Orlando won’t be back for next season.
