One of the things David Stern did to build up the NBA to what it is today is to change it from a "team" league to a "players" league. It went from the Showtime Lakers and Bad Boys Pistons to Magic's Lakers and Bird's Celtics, eventually culminating in Jordan's Bulls.
My favorite sport to watch is NBA basketball or my St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball. The NBA is the only sport I will flip on just to watch a good game.
In the NFL, if it's not the Patriots or one of my fantasy players, I'm not interested. Same with baseball and my Red Sox. Coming to the very place I work is the Hoop Hall Classic, bringing some of the most talented high school players in the country. It will be a packed event, and yet, I have no interest.
I realized that I'm not really a sports fan. I don't like the game of basketball. I follow narratives. Because the NBA is such a players' league, I know a lot of the backgrounds of the players and can follow their narratives as they play out before me.
When my wife and I went to a Bonnies game recently, I was pointing out all the narratives: "There's Dion Wright. We're the only school in the country to offer him a Division I scholarship. Now he's leading the conference in double doubles." "There's Jaylen Adams. His promising first year last season was cut short by injury. Now he's quickly becoming the most dominant player on the team."
I cheer for the players because I am cheering for their story. I appreciate the complexities of the game, but it always comes secondary. Without a narrative, it's not enough to sustain my interest.
