Teamwork makes the dream work, right? That's what I've always been told. Apparently, the television ratings agree with the age-old adage. As the NBA Finals conclude, let's view the average viewership of the NBA Finals vs. the NCAA Championship game. As you can see, one thing is for sure: passion matters. Passionate fan bases, players, coaches, and some curiosity thrown in for good measure. Below are the numbers for the last few years when compared side-by-side.
NBA Finals Average Viewership:
2012: Miami Heat def. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1; 10.1 Million Viewers
2013: Miami Heat def. San Antonio Spurs 4-3; 10.5 Million Viewers
2014: San Antonio Spurs def. Miami Heat 4-1; 9.3 Million Viewers
2015: Golden State Warriors def. Cleveland Cavaliers; 11.6 Million Viewers
2016: Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; ???
NCAA Championship Game Viewership
2012: Kentucky def. Kansas; 20.9 Million Viewers
2013: Louisville def. Michigan; 23.4 Million Viewers
2014: UConn def. Kentucky; 21.3 Million Viewers
2015: Duke def. Wisconsin; 28.3 Million Viewers
2016: Villanova def. North Carolina; 17.8 Million Viewers (Cable Only--Not on network TV)
This is a very stark contrast to what you may have been thinking you were going to see before clicking this article. With that said, here are five reasons why I believe nearly twice as many fans tune into the NCAA Championship over the NBA Finals.
1. The regular season matters.
College basketball's regular season is in the ballpark of 30 total games, while the NBA is 82. This automatically makes it a much more palatable product for most. In the NCAA, you get rivalry games at least twice a year, and most of those have major implications. Whether it be conference standings or bragging rights, there is emotional investment in each and every game. You don't see college coaches resting their star players just because it's a back-to-back road game.
2. Coaches still have control.
If you look over at the sidelines on any given NBA game, you have a player-coach...except it's probably not by design. I believe the NCAA still instills discipline into their players in which the Head Coach and coaching staff actually run their programs. After all, that's why they get paid the big bucks, rather than the other way around in the pros.
3. Teamwork vs. Individual Stars.
Piggybacking off #2 and the title of this piece, crisp teamwork trumps individual superstars for me. Granted, your opinion may be quite the opposite. The more ball movement, the better. The more camaraderie, the better. The less isolation plays for your star player, the better. Basketball is a beautiful game, especially if each person on the floor is hitting on all cylinders.
4. Passion.
As mentioned a bit earlier, passion is a driving force in anything. It could be for your job, your family, and in this case, your team or school. There's nothing like putting your school's gear on and attending a game with friends and watching the sport you love. You can even have passion from your couch yelling at your television! The NBA just doesn't provide this stigma for most.
5. Drama (the good kind).
Let's take this year's NCAA Championship for example. Tied at 74 after an incredible shot from UNC's Marcus Paige, Villanova's Chris Jenkins drains a 28-foot dagger at the buzzer for the 77-74 win. There tends to be less off the court issues in the collegiate game. That may include law infringements, social media wars, or nonsensical press conference banter. Let the drama be on the court for the fans to enjoy, not childlike snobbery for sports news outlets to enjoy.
I have had many a friend and foe debate me on all these points. I will agree that the NBA has more overall talent, solely based on the fact that it is a professional organization. I also agree that the execution is sometimes missing in college basketball. However, there is no trade for the true emotion that is evoked when watching the collegiate game. As you can see above, the fans have proven that by their viewership numbers.
