The NBA is now regarded as a league whose players know nothing of their athletic ancestry. They are barely out of the cradle. It is a generational thing, Stern says, and there is truth to that. Attendance is down. Newer, bigger arenas are why, Stern says.
TV ratings are down.
Because, Stern says, all sports ratings are down. Too many options. But now we come to the product itself, which has deteriorated into being too predictable. And in the entertainment business, that is all seven of the deadly sins rolled into one. The game is home run or bunt, with nothing in between.