NBA's Stern: Turn that goddam noise down!

And another thing: Do you really need streamers come down for regular season wins and Game 1 wins? Really?

 

If by "recent years" you mean 20 or so, I agree.

 

Hell, Dr. J threw down the cradle dunk on Cooper with "The Electric Slide" playing in the background.

 

As a fan, besides being annoying as hell, all the noise and whizz bangs and gee gaws during games just convinces me that the NBA is supremely insecure in its product.

 

Yep. There was a time, many moons ago, when fans actually generated their own noise.

Of course most of those fans have been priced out of attending NBA games, including myself.

 

The current fans are all text messaging each other, which isn't all that loud.

 

The problem is that during the playoffs, the normal people who make the noise during the season can't attend since CEOs of high-profile companies buy up tickets to try to impress their clients. It's happened in the NHL and it's happening in the NBA. At least the NBA is trying to combat it somehow. It was either music or sending Stephen Jackson up in the crowd again to beat up a defenseless white boy.

 

Unless, of course, they are LOL.

 

It's a "problem" throughout the year, Rumple. The same corporate suits are in the same seats come playoff time.

The NBA long ago sold their souls to the corporate suits and lack of "real" noise is a by-product. It was that way when I covered the NBA in the 90s and early part of this decade.

When placed hand-in-hand with the ridiculous NBA ticket prices, it's one reason many long-time NBA fans, including myself, have become largely apathetic about the league.

 

Yeah, it does.

The first time I noticed the theatrics going over the top was with the Bulls introductions in the early 90s. I admit back then I thought it was cool, maybe because those Bulls actually were the best team with the best player, so the extra effects for them kinda fit.

But gawdalmighty did that spawn some horrendous copycat crap. NBA games can be unbearable for true basketball fans nowadays because of the constant cheesy music, pumped-in noise, screaming PA guys, and pyrotechnics crammed down our throats. It went WAY too far.

 

They need bands and college kids.

 

I went to one NBA game this past season. By the third quarter, I said to my friends "Can't they just let one timeout go without some ridiculous bullshit?" I mean, every fricking timeout there's some stupid thing going on with either some on-court bullshit or some arena media hostess on camera for some stupid trivia contest. There is no such thing as someone just there to see the game any more.

Another thing I've noticed is the kiddy play areas off in the concourses. How would you like to pay $75 a ticket times four and then spend most of the game at the play area with some short-attention-span 7-year-old? Seriously, what's the point?