Bill Simmons Asserts NBA Is Currently Missing its Caitlin Clark Amid Falling Ratings
One of the most interesting storylines in the sports world right now is the falling viewership of the NBA.
There was a report on December 11 that, according to Outkick founder Clay Travis, "NBA ratings are down 48% since 2012. Down 28% this year alone on ESPN."
NBA ratings are down 48% since 2012. Down 28% this year alone on ESPN. Every other sports league is setting ratings records. Total disaster. https://t.co/5jnWVafcFB
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) December 11, 2024
That is a drastic plummet for such a popular sport, especially in so short a time. And while everybody seems to have an opinion on why the NBA is failing to draw the same attention and intrigue that it once did, sports media juggernaut Bill Simmons shared his sentiment during a December 17 episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast" — and used Caitlin Clark as an example.
"Everybody thinks the NBA is in trouble. This is just the DNA of the league," Simmons said. "And here's what's going to happen: There's going to be some new player that comes in, some new team, some new event. It's going to shift this. And that's what the NBA needs right now. I don't know what that's going to be, but I'm going to bet on the 80-year history of the league, and the fact that... this is an American problem. People are losing interest in America because you can follow the league without really watching it.
"What they're missing ironically, is what women's college basketball, what the WNBA had, where Caitlin became somebody that people just wanted to watch," Simmons continued. "And that’s why I think you could really make the case she’s more valuable than anyone the NBA has because she’s the only must-watch basketball player right now other than the old guys in the NBA.
"So they have to figure out what is their unicorn moment? But my prediction is that it's the NBA. It has been 80 years. It's looked bleak before. They always bounce back," he concluded.
You may have heard lately that NBA ratings are down, so the league is in trouble.@BillSimmons explains why this isn't new; it's a cycle. And it's also why he's not worried about the future of the NBA. pic.twitter.com/qpKD60Ws7n
— The Ringer (@ringer) December 18, 2024
Simmons certainly has a point. The only problem is that players like Caitlin Clark don't come around too often.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.