71 replies to this topic

[Pedro Cerrano]

Do you think your opinion of the sport and your viewership would be any different if the Bullets never left Baltimore or if Baltimore somehow miraculously built an arena and a team moved there?

[NewMarketSean]

Yes, definitely.

 

I follow the Wizards, and root for them to do well because they're the closest team and they've been terrible for the last 20 or so years. I don't watch much of their games until the postseason and I'd probably go to a game or two throughout the season.

 

If we got an NBA team I'd probably watch 50% of their games and go to 5-10 games a year.

[DJ MC]

Yes.

 

I've always been right on the border area between being a real basketball (particularly NBA) fan and not being one at all. I do enjoy watching the sport, and I've been on both sides of that line at times over the years. I just haven't had the level of investment necessary.

 

My dad was a huge Bullets fan growing up. Basketball is still, I believe, his first love among sports. He would go to as many games at the Civic Center as he would Orioles games at Memorial (and he lived a lot closer to the stadium). But when they left, even though he never really lost his love for the Bullets/Wizards entirely, it definitely faded away. He only took me to one game as a kid, at the Cap Center, and never went to another until I started getting tickets for us the past couple years. Each time we've gone, though, I can tell how much he enjoys it.

 

I think that if the Bullets had stayed on this side of Columbia, I would have been much more invested in the team growing up and I would have a much deeper love for the sport than I do today.

[glenn__davis]

Absolutely - though I think I'd be far more inclined to root for an expansion team than a team from another city.  I haven't done so well with that transition in football.

 

(Same for hockey, BTW.)

[Chris B]

Yes absolutely.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Man, the Wiz are so good right now and even now sometimes the arena doesn't sell out.  BMore is a much better sports town than DC.  If they were up here the arena would be rocking!

 

Also, games would be a lot easier for me to get to!

[SBTarheel]

I was in the "College Hoops is better" camp for a LONG time, and honestly, it was Simmons "Book of Basketball" that brought me back to the NBA, whatever year that was out. 

 

Now I realize it's not even close, in fact, at times  it looks like the College kids are playing a different sport. 

 

The pageantry of College Basketball (certain atmospheres) is awesome, and of course the tournament too. but the level of play is getting increasingly worse each season. 

 

I realize this doesn't answer the question in the Opening post, but whatever. 

[Pedro Cerrano]

I was in the "College Hoops is better" camp for a LONG time, and honestly, it was Simmons "Book of Basketball" that brought me back to the NBA, whatever year that was out. 

 

Now I realize it's not even close, in fact, at times  it looks like the College kids are playing a different sport. 

 

The pageantry of College Basketball (certain atmospheres) is awesome, and of course the tournament too. but the level of play is getting increasingly worse each season. 

 

I realize this doesn't answer the question in the Opening post, but whatever. 

 

It's cool, I'll just have Stoner delete your post.

[SammyBirdland]

I dislike basketball because my perception is that all the action happens in the last five minutes of the game.  However, if the Wizards were in Baltimore, I would be interested because they would feel like "my" team.

[SBTarheel]

It's cool, I'll just have Stoner delete your post.

i would never write "LOL", but i just did. 

[McNulty]

No. The insane amount of stoppages kills it for me. Plus, and I'm not making this up, it gives me a headache to watch.

[bnickle]

I dont dislike the NBA, but I'd be a huge fan if Baltimore had a team. 

[SammyBirdland]

Plus the fact that more than half of the teams make the playoffs kind of makes the regular season pointless.

[bnickle]

Plus the fact that more than half of the teams make the playoffs kind of makes the regular season pointless.

Hockey and probably soon to be the NFL too. 

[SBTarheel]

No. The insane amount of stoppages kills it for me. Plus, and I'm not making this up, it gives me a headache to watch.

Meaning time outs? 

 

There's way more action in Basketball than in Baseball or Football I feel like. 

 

Unless I'm misunderstanding the meaning of "stoppages". 

[bnickle]

Meaning time outs? 

 

There's way more action in Basketball than in Baseball or Football I feel like. 

 

Unless I'm misunderstanding the meaning of "stoppages". 

I do feel like there is more flow to basketball than the other sports. 

[McNulty]

No. The insane amount of stoppages kills it for me. Plus, and I'm not making this up, it gives me a headache to watch.

Meaning time outs? 
 
There's way more action in Basketball than in Baseball or Football I feel like. 
 
Unless I'm misunderstanding the meaning of "stoppages". 

I'm on my phone so going into detail sucks, but yes. Stoppages includes timeouts. It seems to me, in the NBA more than any other sport, you can turn on the last 3 minutes (which takes an hour) no matter what happened in the first 45 min. It's structured this way seemingly on purpose. I dunno, I hate everything about it. The refs, traveling, it all bothers me.

[SBTarheel]

I'm on my phone so going into detail sucks, but yes. Stoppages includes timeouts. It seems to me, in the NBA more than any other sport, you can turn on the last 3 minutes (which takes an hour) no matter what happened in the first 45 min. It's structured this way seemingly on purpose. I dunno, I hate everything about it. The refs, traveling, it all bothers me.

Fair enough. 

 

there are absolutely too many time outs at the end of NBA games, but mostly it's just so you can get the ball at half court as opposed some detailed strategy session. Point taken though. 

 

Speaking of stoppages, I assume you're ok with huddling between every play in football?

[bnickle]

Football has the huddling in addition to the 3-4 timeouts per quarter. Baseball, I mean do we even have to go into how slow and methodical it is as a game. Basketball has the most flow and action of those 3. I  do get why some feel the game is officiated in a way to encourage comebacks and tight games. 

[SBTarheel]

Football has the huddling in addition to the 3-4 timeouts per quarter. Baseball, I mean do we even have to go into how slow and methodical it is as a game. Basketball has the most flow and action of those 3. I  do get why some feel the game is officiated in a way to encourage comebacks and tight games. 

I can see where people can think Football and Baseball are boring for sure.

 

I have a hard time with your second point, but will agree that in Basketball stars are treated better than the other sports, official wise.