The NBA's popularity if down. That one is obvious. Their ratings have taken a big hit than NFL's, or MLB's in recent years. Why it is that the league's popularity is has taken such a big hit. Some people are arguing that it's the Inside the NBA show, on TNT, and how they talk down on the modern game. Thankfully most people don't believe this, and there are obviously others things that have a much bigger impact on the game's popularity. Sports fan nowadays just don't like the NBA the way they used to, and if anything the cast of Inside the NBA are just stating what most of the public thinks about the league. Let's go through some reasons that the league's popularity is low.
3 Point Shooting
It's understandable why players are taking so many three point shots. It counts for an extra point, and many players are good enough at it to make it a valuable asset. The problem is that it makes the 3 point shot, once something special, and makes it routine. The 3 point attempt rates had stagnated before this season with rates being around 39-40 percent in the past 4 seasons before this one, but rates have gone up to over 42% so far this season.
Load Management
With so many players missing games for load management, no wonder fans think regular season games aren't that important. Some players obviously don't think they are that important. This has done more to send a message to fans than any talk show has.
Lack of Defense/Competetivness
When players aren't missing games due to load management they tend to play games with very little intensity. You don't sense much animosity between different teams, and teams don't go out of their way to stop star players from doing their thing. Part of that is rule changes meant to help offenses. Among those are not allowing hand checking, or forearm checking, and taking away the defensive 3 seconds, but a bigger part of it is that players seem to be resting through much of the regular season, saving their intense play for the playoffs. This goes back to load management. With NBA having such a long schedule and then having the play in games added in, talented teams realize they don't need to try that hard in the regular season, and can save themselves for the playoffs.
Social Justice
The NBA has irritated many people, mostly white, with their focus on social justice. They annoyed a good portion of their old fanbase, as players are eager to involve politics into their interviews, and personal image. The NFL has this same issue, but they haven't taken the popularity hit the NBA has.
