Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t have a good feeling about the future of the NFL.
The NBA, on the other hand, is a different story.
In a column for The Guardian, the basketball legend and Hall of Famer laid out why he believes the NBA is set to overtake the NFL as, in essence, America’s league:
Although football has long been America’s favorite child among professional sports, there are clear indicators that the ole pigskin is starting to deflate in fans’ eyes. Football fanatics need not panic: polls show it’s still far ahead of both baseball and basketball in popularity. The 2017 NBA finals averaged 20.4m viewers (a 20-year record), which is roughly the same as the NFL’s regular Sunday night audience of 20.3m, and nowhere near the 2016 Super Bowl über-audience of 111m. Based on just those numbers, football is still kicking professional basketball, baseball and hockey through the goal posts. But America can be fickle. And the Magic 8-Ball of our cultural zeitgeist says, “All signs point to the NBA replacing the NFL as the league of America’s future.”
Abdul-Jabbar makes a compelling case, so you should read the entire article. Two things that stand out: his focus on the mortal dangers associated with the NFL, and the NBA’s political activism in comparison to other sports.
Both points matter. CTE research has outlined the perils involved with playing football. Players are retiring earlier. They’re more cognizant of laboring through injuries, most notably concussions. Equally important: People aren’t encouraged to take up the sport at an early age anymore. Parents don’t want to put their kids at risk, not as we hear about eventual tragic deaths of former football players, in addition to annual travesties that take place at the high school and collegiate levels. If and when I’m fortunate enough to have children, I can tell you they won’t be playing football.
The NBA is inherently safer. It’s also more progressive. Players are more empowered. They have a stronger union to support them. Owners don’t have all the leverage. Most contracts are guaranteed. All of this helps stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, et al. remain outspoken on political issues, such as president Donald Trump or police brutality.
That candor, whether you agree with it or not, will resonate with people. And it may, as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar points out, eventually allow the NBA to end up casting an indelible shadow over the NFL that has little to do with ratings and revenue.
