LeBron James may have declared Christmas to be a day of the NBA, but ratings have proven that that statement is no longer the truth, but rather a debatable opinion. At least, that is what one analyst has pointed out on social media.
In a post on X, sports analyst and reporter Eric Mitchell gave his honest take on the comparison between the Christmas games of the NFL and the NBA. On average, the NFL garnered an average of 24.2 for the two games they had, while the NBA only managed to get 5.25 million viewers across seven games played that day.
“The NFL has outright dominated holiday viewership, while the NBA has served up a subpar product for the last eight years,” Mitchell said. “[The] NBA refs? They’ve turned games into a circus with atrocious calls and no accountability.”
The NFL has outright dominated holiday viewership, while the NBA has served up a subpar product for the last 8 years. NBA refs? They’ve turned games into a circus with atrocious calls and no accountability. Meanwhile, the NFL knows its audience, and it shows in the ratings. Smart… pic.twitter.com/R3D3n225Ny
— Eric Mitchell (@EricLMitchell) December 26, 2024
The analyst went on to praise how the NFL has handled criticism and audience perspective, which he believed paid off, based on the ratings of the league.
“Meanwhile, the NFL knows its audience, and it shows in the ratings,” he added. “[A] smart move for the NBA would be grabbing Christmas Eve games to avoid the annual NFL showdown.”
Mitchell also took a jab towards LeBron James, who claimed that “Christmas is our [NBA’s] day.”
“LeBron can talk all he wants, but facts are facts: NBA doesn’t own Christmas anymore. Fans are fed up with the flopping and whining. Time for a change.”
LeBron James vs Steph Curry Rivalry Criticized: “I Just Don’t See That”
One of the most common “gimmicks” of the NBA during Christmas games to pull as many viewers as possible, is to hype up games where rivals are pitted against each other and let loose to have a showdown inside the court. This year, the highlight was the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors, and a showdown between rivals LeBron James and Steph Curry.
However, not everyone is impressed. Talking on “First Take,” analyst Bobby Marks shared his honest opinion on why the supposed James vs. Curry rivalry just didn’t cut it.
“I think when I hear the word rivalry, I hear the word dislike,” Marks said. “I see two players that genuinely like each other, certainly off the court and on the court here. I’m going to go all the way back to those Magic-Bird teams, Lakers-Celtics teams.”
“I just don’t see that here even with LeBron in Cleveland and now with the Lakers here. I just don’t see that dislike on the court here.”
For more sports content:
Follow us @HardwoodHeroics for your NBA and college basketball reading fix. You can reach out to Dan Agulto through email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
