The Top Five Worst Sports Towns in America

Before I begin, if you're a sports fan in one of these cities, I'm not knocking your dedication to your team. I'm simply using statistical evidence and past events to draw conclusions about your fan base. If you're from one of these places, I hope this motivates you to get out there and pull for your teams as hard as ever. There are some cities in the United States that are simply hotbeds of sports fanatics. New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago fall into this category, just to name a few. However, there are some places that just simply cannot seem to get it together as far as the fan bases go. Controversy can be a good thing, and I feel like this list may cause some. Without any further delay, here is my Top Five Worst Sports Towns in America.

5) Phoenix, Arizona- Is it the heat? Possibly. I believe that there are a combination of factors that make the Phoenix metro area a poor sports market. To credit the city, I will admit they have first class facilities that allow their citizens to take in sporting events in a cool environment (Chase Field and University of Phoenix Stadium both have retractable roofs to fight the Arizona sun). However, the support is just seemingly not there. The Suns, Cardinals, and Diamondbacks all have less than stellar attendance and mediocre products on the field. The Coyotes are a story in and of themselves. The team moved from Winnipeg, a hockey hotbed, to the middle of the desert. They are now bankrupt and show some of the lowest attendance figures in hockey, in addition to the team being a constant subject of relocation rumors. Why doesn't this formula work?
Maybe because there is NO ICE IN ARIZONA? It's 110 degrees all the time during May and June, when hockey's playoffs take place. Hockey isn't fit for the desert. Teams such as the Dallas Stars have made warm weather ice hockey work, but the lack of support in Phoenix has let the team down. Phoenix is a nice city that can be a good escape from North American winters, but stick to golf resorts Arizona. Despite your teams' successes, there is hardly ever a rumble of national focus on the Valley of the Sun's fan bases.

4) Los Angeles, California- This one comes with a bit of a surprise on the surface, even to me. Los Angeles is a great sports city when it comes to success. I can't debate that all, the Lakers are a constant contender and the Dodgers are a popular mainstay in Southern California. The most dedicated fans in the LA area are among of some of the best in sports. However, therein lies a problem. There just aren't that many of them for such a large city.

Before our readers start citing my East Coast bias, hear me out. I believe the fans in the San Francisco Bay Area are some of the best around. Let's contrast these fans with those in Los Angeles, some four to five hours south down the Pacific Coast. The Warriors (Oakland, CA) may not hold a candle to the Lakers, but their fans are at least legitimate fans of the game of basketball. Who makes up the face of the Lakers fan base? Celebrities! Most of which either A) Aren't from Los Angeles. or B) Watch the Lakers because it's the "cool" thing to do. There is nothing more I despise than fans who watch a team because it's successful or popular (as a Phillies fan, there are many of these people within my own fan base).

Second, let's take attendance figures into account. For the current MLB season, the Dodgers are tenth in attendance, while their rivals to the north, the Giants, are third. Now before you go citing financial troubles, let's also look at past seasons. The Dodgers are consistently in the top five of attendance...however there is a striking stat that stands out. On average, 30% of their stadium is empty! Dodger Stadium is a large and storied facility, but with the largest metro area on the West Coast, you should at least be able to get people out to a game every night, especially with a team that made consecutive National League Championship Series' in 2008 and 2009.

Hockey is another sharp contrast. The Sharks in San Jose enjoy significant support, filling HP Pavillion nightly. The Kings enjoy some as well, but again, this is at best slight win for the Sharks. Unless you're watching a "Mighty Ducks" movie, hockey doesn't really catch the same way in SoCal as it does in colder areas.

The other factor is a bit confusing. There are simply too many teams in the Los Angeles metro area to root for! The area is huge, and there should be multiple teams to fit the amount of people, but who has ever heard of a hardcore Clippers fan? Or a rabid group of Angels fans? (No Thunderstix references here) If the NFL does eventually return to Los Angeles, I will remove them from this list. For now, as a metro area that has to divide and choose its allegiances among multiple franchises in three of the four major sports, it seems there is just more to do in Southern California than watch sports. (Not that that's a bad thing in any way, it's a beautiful place.)

3) Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida- The Tampa Bay area is next on my hit list. This is the first city on the list to host less than the four major sports in the United States. The NBA allegiances lie mostly with the Orlando Magic, but I will be leaving them alone as they are a few hours away and enjoy some good fan support. Florida suffers a unique problem in all of their sports towns...no one is actually from Florida! The Rays and Buccaneers average near the bottom of the barrell in attendance yearly. It is not even possible to cite poor teams as evidence; while the Rays and Buccaneers have struggled in the past, two of the three teams have brought home titles within the past ten years (The Buccaneers in 2002, the Lightning in 2004) and the Rays captured an American League Pennant in 2008.

However the most telling factors are how empty some Tampa facilities can be at times. For example, in 2008, the Rays could not sell out two games in late October...did I mention that these were games 1 and 2 of the WORLD SERIES?!!? I'm sorry, if you can't sell out during the Fall Classic, there is a serious problem. Tampa suffers from the issue of Northeast relocation; there are simply more New York/Boston/Philadelphia retirees who migrate south and maintain their allegiances, which stunts the growth of the sports market. The Tampa Bay area is a great place to visit, but not the best place to take in a game.

2) Miami, Florida- To start, the reasons that Miami isn't such a great sports town are largely similar to that of Tampa/St. Petersburg; there are lots of transplants who maintain their sporting ties. However, there are several factors that make Miami a great place to visit that also make it not such a great sports city.

The heat and humidity. While seeing a Dolphins game in late December may be a good way to spend a trip to Miami, who wants to go see a Marlins game in June? Apparently no one, since they have the worst attendance rates in MLB. I am hopeful that with a new stadium, the Marlins can finally live up to the talent on their roster and attract some fans.

Miami has the potential to be a good sports town with all four sports leagues in tow, but what is preventing them from achieving this? Again, hockey doesn't work in the south for the most part. The Panthers are a in a curious location in South Florida, where the only ice is usually in mixed drinks. The Dolphins are one of the most storied teams in the history of the NFL, so I'll by and large leave them alone.

Now the part you're all waiting for. The Miami Heat.

I don't dislike the Heat, or LeBron, or any of that nonsense. I however, do notice a pattern here. Where were all the Heat fans before LeBron signed? Or during the 2006 title run? To quote Charles Barkley in a recent interview about Miami, "That's one of the worst sports towns in America...it's not even loud in there." Miami has good teams. But it seems as though the beach and warm weather attract more people than sporting events do. Sports are an escape for people in order to break the pattern of every day life. When you have bikini clad women and bars everywhere, who needs sports? Miami is awesome. Their sports? Not quite as awesome (the U is still pretty cool, though), but by no means am I saying people shouldn't visit Miami. It's at the top of my to-do list.


1) Atlanta, Georgia- They've lost two hockey teams, made the playoffs 14 years in a row once and only came away with one title, and that lonely World Series crown in 1995 has been the only title in the last 129 combined sports years for Atlanta's franchises.

Yet that is not why I'm picking on the largest city in the Peach State.

There is just a lack of passion for professional sports in Atlanta that I can't get my head around. The Falcons made a Super Bowl in the late 90s and had Michael Vick before his jail stint. The Hawks have had some talented teams and are on an upswing right now. The Braves were a National League powerhouse through the 90s and made the playoffs for 14 consecutive years. Why don't people show up?

I can't even begin to know. Is there really that much to do in Atlanta? The Braves didn't sell out when they were in the middle of a playoff race! Granted, their stadium is large but their team is extremely talented, and yet no one seems to care. Hockey has failed not once, but twice in Atlanta (The Flames moved the Calgary, Alberta; The Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba), and the only evidence of hockey in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame is limited to FOUR items (a stick, a puck, and a

jersey each from the Flames and Thrashers).

Isn't football supposed to be king in the South? On the collegiate level it is, as the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech both garner big crowds, but the Georgia Dome always seems dark and empty for Falcons games.
Even some Atlanta fans recognize the problem. People show up to Braves games in the fourth inning and leave in the seventh. Fans only support the Hawks when stars like Dwight Howard and LeBron James come to town. Atlanta is the definition of a fair-weather fan base.

I find this to truly be a shame, as Atlanta has some teams with a great deal of talent. However, if you don't fill the seats, you just don't have the support. For these reasons and several I cannot even begin to fathom, Atlanta, Georgia, tops my list as the Worst Sports Town in America.

The Great White North: Hockey Returns Home

As the sports world remains transfixed on both the NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, a relatively major sports story has been unfolding somewhat quietly. In late May, the National Hockey League announced the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers organization to the Winnipeg, Manitoba based firm True North Sports and Entertainment, who will be moving the franchise to Winnipeg for the 2011-12 season. In the hockey world, there has been much backlash against Commissioner Gary Bettman in past years for moving hockey teams in warm weather markets (such as Atlanta, Phoenix, Miami, etc.) and forsaking loyal but small market hockey towns like Winnipeg and Quebec City. The move has been highly celebrated in Winnipeg and across Canada, as hockey is finally returning to the Prairie City fifteen years after the much loved Winnipeg Jets franchise took off for Phoenix.


The move has also left many fan curious as to the team's name now that it has been relocated. The overwhelming consensus is to revive the "Jets" moniker, and this could very well happen. True North, while they do not own the franchise history of the Jets (it remains in Phoenix with the Coyotes), could buy it back from the NHL, which has owned the Phoenix franchise since it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009. This situation would be similar to the Cleveland Browns renaming their team "Browns" after the original franchise moved to Baltimore in 1996.

What has been confirmed, however, is the outright enthusiasm that fans in Winnipeg have over the new team. Season tickets sold out in less than one day, proving that despite its size, Winnipeg could be a viable hockey market. Former players from the Jets and even some current players in the NHL (including Chicago Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews) have spoken volumes about the Winnipeg fans and would also like to see the Jets name restored.

A minor setback of the move is the fact that the NHL will not realign divisions for the upcoming season, awkwardly leaving Winnipeg in the same division as Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina and Washington. However, realignment is expected in 2012, (Detroit is supposedly moving the Eastern Conference while Winnipeg will go West) along with the possible move of the Phoenix Coyotes, whose lease with the city of Glendale, AZ expires next May. Rumored sites of relocation include Quebec City, Canada (who lost their Nordiques to Colorado in 1995) and Seattle, Washington.

All in all, the move back to Winnipeg has largely been praised around the NHL. I for one support the return of hockey to its roots and would highly approve of a move back to Quebec City. Hockey is king in Canada. Fans pack the arena in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver every single night. Despite the small size of Winnipeg's MTS Centre (around 16,000 seats), there is already a ticket waiting list.

(Fans in Winnipeg celebrate the return of the NHL in late May 2011)

The final step is to name the team itself. Falcons, Moose and Polar Bears have all been tossed about as naming possibilities, but again, the overwhelming popular favorite is Jets. Regardless of what True North decides to name the team, you can be sure that on Opening Night in Winnipeg, there will be chants ringing through the crowd, for the first time in 15 years, of the iconic chant, "GO JETS GO!" Hockey is finally back where it belongs.

Heated Debate: Lebron James

Some would refer to him as the bully at the playground. Other would place him on the highest temples and name him king. No matter which side you choose, the discussions and intense arguments regarding Lebron will soon be summed up in a game or two. Though it seemed as if the Mavs made every shot and held Lebron in check, the South Beach superstar quietly walked away with a triple double...to go along with a loss in Game 5. With Wade's injury during the game, James knew he had to perform at his best in order to try and squeeze out a win in an extremely hostile environment at the American Airlines Center. Just like "The Jet", or Jason Terry, the Dallas players and fans were soaring from the opening tip to the final buzzer. As for Mr. James, he walked off the court knowing he had a plane to catch back to Miami. But what does Lebron's impressive triple double mean? Nothing at all. Why? Yes, he's the sixth player since 1993 to record this incredible stat, but without the "W" in Game 5, those numbers fall to the ground. Though it is only his first season with the Miami Heat, "King James" maybe should have spent less time making promises to the Miami fans about how many championships the team is going to win. I am definitely not saying this series is over because lets face it, these playoffs have been very exciting and unpredictable. The fact of the matter is whether you love him or hate him, whether Lebron is the better player or Wade is, or whether ESPN should or should not have aired Lebron's decision, the Miami Heat had a lot to think about on their plane ride home last night Mr. James does not want to find himself relaxing on the beach this year or in years to come

What's the Point: Failure in Miami

The Miami Heat are the most talented team in basketball, hands down. They have three bona-fide all-stars and a mix of solid role players. When playing focused and under the gun, they have the potential to be just spectacular. But, the Heat are down 3-2 against a team everyone counted out in the Dallas Mavericks. Failure is imminent in Miami because of mental errors, cockiness, and sheer stupidity on the part of the Heat.

It was evident before the season even started. When the "Big 3" came out to American Airlines Arena in a celebration for "winning" free agency, there was a lot of flexing muscles and big talk, like the promise of "8 championships." The Heat entered the season cocky, sure that they would roll over the competition. All this did was put a huge bulls-eye on their back. They made themselves the villains, the super-talented team everyone wanted to take down, and this caused the Heat to struggle mightily out of the gate. They were beat repeatedly by high character teams like Boston and Chicago. The Heat's attitude was perfectly put by Chris Bosh near the beginning of the season: "Coach Spo wants to work, and the players want to chill. We've just got to meet somewhere in the middle." Not believing you have to work? That is flat out believing you are better than everyone else.

Despite all the distractions, the Heat finished with a solid 58-24 record, good for second in the East. They blew through the Sixers and the Celtics, and toughened up to beat a young, hungry Bulls team in 5 games. Fast forward to midway through the 4th quarter in game two of the finals. Miami is up by 15, they are at home, and have all the momentum. It looks like Dallas is about to fall into a nearly insurmountable 0-2 hole. After a Dwayne Wade 3, him and LeBron do a little dance right in front of the Mavericks bench. Dallas then proceeds to storm back and win the game, taking the momentum of the series. The Heat's cockiness, stupidity, or whatever one wants to call it vaulted the Mavericks back into the series. Many people thought they had seen the last of the mental errors. But, the best was yet to come.

In game 4, Dirk willed the Mavericks to victory while battling against a 102 degree fever. While traveling to game 5, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade mocked Dirk's gutsy performance. Check it out, it is all over the internet. Dallas proceeded to win game 5, as Wade sat out with an injury for much of the game and LeBron, once again, failed in the fourth quarter. The stage was set for this display by LeBron and Dwyane's irresponsible comments. Why would you give a team, before a pivitol game 5, bulletin board material? This is the biggest game of LeBron's life, and he feels the need to fire up the other team by talking smack? In the big moments, the true character of the Heat is beginning to show. When LeBron came to the Heat, he brought the greatest talent in the world. But he also brought a sense of entitlement and an attitude ill-fitting of a winner, an attitude that was not there when it was only Wade and one that has corrupted the team.

At the end of the day all that matters is winning. If the Heat could even begin to match their brains with their talent, they would no doubt win it all. But, failure is imminent in Miami. Even without any further mental lapses or ignorant remarks, the damage has already been done, and a flawed team will probably not be able to stand against the single-minded, motivated Mavericks. LeBron tweeted before game 5 that it is "Now or Never." Well, due to Miami's mental incompetence, it could be never.

What's the Point is a column written by David Straple. Feel free to comment.

Thoughts on Game 5

I'm not going to even take a look at the box score as I share my thoughts on what just went down in Dallas.  The Mavericks clearly played better than the Heat tonight, but the Heat stuck around in a close game.  Still in the end, the Mavericks back court finally hit their shots and has put Dallas in prime position to win the NBA championship.  Dirk played well in the fourth quarter and had a great game overall, but the difference in tonight's game was Jason Terry, JJ Barea and Jason Kidd.  All three of them made big three pointers throughout the game, especially Terry, who hit a three with under three minutes left to tie the game at 100.  Jason Terry played very well, using the pick and roll perfectly.  Having him run the pick and roll is the most effective, because he is more of a threat to pop a long range jumper if the defender dares to go under the pick. Additionally, Barea and Kidd did an amazing job of running the offense, as they both passed the ball effectively and limited turnovers.

In a series that has been dominated by defense, both teams came out firing.  Each team hit the 45 mark with about 7 minutes to play in the second quarter!  Both Miami and Dallas were scoring with ease, but Miami missed its' opportunities late in the fourth quarter.  Lebron was unable to hit a key three pointer and Wade couldn't find any space.  Both played very well tonight, but need to do a better job in order for Miami to force a game 7.  Shawn Marion deserves a lot of credit for the job he's doing on Lebron.  He's limiting him to tough shots and forcing him to give up the ball.  James had a triple-double, but he is more valuable to the team when he can take over and score himself.

Game 6 will be very interesting.  Lebron, Wade and Bosh will all have good games, but can Dirk finally bring that title back to Big D?

Heat-Mavs Game 5

Stop the MJ comparisons.  Lebron is actually nothing like Michael.  Michael is the greatest of all-time, even Lebron would say that.  Let Lebron be himself.  He's the most dominant player in the game today and appreciate the fact that he's in the league.  Hate on him for his decision and personality, not for his basketball talent.  That being said, Lebron's 8 points in Game 4 brought back the "He's no MJ" talk.  You could tell Lebron gets more and more frustrated with the stupid questions from the media, but his obligated to sit their for a post-game conference. Honestly, who the hell cares about him and MJ right now? Let the Finals finish, then start talking.

So back to what actually matters, Game 5.  Here's 5 things that I think will happen:

-I expect Lebron to go crazy.  I would be shocked if he doesn't put up 30 points/10 assists or a 40 point/ 5 assists kind of game.  Lebron is way too good to not make a significant impact two games in a row. 

-Each game has gone down to the wire and there seems to be no reason why it won't happen again.  This is the beauty of the NBA.  Even if one of the team grabs a 10+ point lead, the other will make a run to stay in the game.  I think this game will be tight near the end and will ultimately be decided on the last possession or in overtime.

- Bosh will be the deciding factor once again.  After a monster series in Chicago, the PF has struggled to find his stroke this series.  Game 4 was one of his better games, but he's still shooting 35% from the field in the NBA Finals.  If Bosh plays well, the Heat will win. 

- Jason Kidd will record a double-double.  Kidd has done an awful job of taking care of the ball in the past few games, which is surprising coming from the Hall-of-Famer.  He'll bounce back with a great Game 5 and continue with his stellar defense.

- The Dallas Mavericks will win Game 5.  This is more so what I want to happen, than what I think will happen.  Anyways, I think a healthier Brendan Haywood will be a key to Dallas' interior defense and rebounding.  The Heat do a great job of attacking the rim with a player always following for an offensive rebound.  If Haywood and Chandler can control the boards, Wade & Co. will be going back home in need of two W's.

92-90 Mavs

The Mets and Jose Reyes

Another game and another Jose Reyes triple.  This guy is unbelievable.  11 triples through 60 games, not to mention a .339 batting average.  The knock on Reyes has always been his health and on-base-percentage.    With the addition of Sandy Alderson as General Manager, one of the Moneyball brains, Jose Reyes was determined to increase his OBP, which stood between the .330-.340 mark in his career.  His OBP right now? It's at .387, by far his career high.  He's got just one homerun, but his 11 triples and 18 doubles give him a .512 slugging percentage, tying him for 10th in the MLB with teammate Carlos Beltran. 

So with all these amazing stats, what does it mean for the free-agent-to-be shortstop? There's only one thing certain at this point: he will be paid a lot of money.  I don't think any team will offer him $140 million, but he's going to get offers from a lot of teams unless the Mets can figure out a way to lock him up.  Then again, the Mets might have to trade him due to financial constraints due to the Madoff scandal.  The Mets payroll is currently between $20-$40 million higher than it will be next year.  There's a ton of money coming off the books, but still the team in Flushing will be decreasing its payroll significantly next season. 

As a die hard fan it's natural to create an emotional tie to a player and Mets' fans love Reyes.  If he's traded or leaves during free agency, he will still be a hero in our eyes.  In fact, it seems as if the fans have sided with the players and coaches rather than the team, which is really not good for the Mets.  There have been countless number of "Don't Trade Reyes" chants in the past few weeks at Citi Field and it is obvious that the fans want him long-term.  If he's traded, the Mets will see a disappointed fan base and there will be a ton of pressure on the replacement shortstop to succeed. 

With Reyes having a MVP first half, many people have turned to the idea of trading Wright.  Again, despite his struggles this year (currently on the DL), Wright is also another fan favorite.  So how can the front office avoid yet another disastrous PR move?  Don't trade your stars in their prime.  It's as easy as that.  Do whatever it takes to keep them here.  If you want fans to come to games, give them something to watch.  Both Reyes and Wright are under 30 and are still getting better as players.  Wright has had a difficult move from Shea to Citi Field, but he still drives in runs and plays great third base. 

These are the steps necessary to keep BOTH Reyes and Wright -

- Trade Carlos Beltran ASAP - huge contract that expires this year, but he's a valuable veteran for a contender. (Yankees, Red Sox seem logical locations due to the use of the DH) 

- Trade Francisco Rodriguez - he's crazy, but still a damn good closer.  His option will vest with 55 games finished and he holds a 10-team no trade clause; however, he's an asset that a contender would love to have.  (If the White Sox find a way back into contention, that seems like a good fit)

- Pray that Jose Reyes hasn't already made up his mind.  The Mets have treated Jose Reyes fairly well, but they haven't treated him like a superstar.  He's a top 3 SS in the game currently, but he still is in a "wait and see" approach for his new contract.  He's made it known that he loves playing for the Mets and he loves the fans and his teammates, but he can make a lot more money somewhere else and he's due for another payday.  The one thing that the Mets do have on their side is that he's only known New York.  He moved here when he was a teenager and has brought his family to the city.  His kids go to school here also, which could be a factor in his decision.  The Mets would love nothing more than to have Reyes under a 4-5 year contract with approximately $15 million per year. 

- Hope that the Picard-Madoff lawsuit doesn't result in a $1 Billion fee for the Wilpons.  If the Wilpon's have to pay that much money, they will likely have to sell more shares of the team, maybe even all of it.  The sale of the team would bring down the payroll even more than it will next year, limiting the Mets' chances of re-signing both Reyes and Wright.

- Hope that the farm system can fill the holes - with a ton of money going to Bay, Wright, Santana, Pelfrey, Pagan, and potentially Reyes, the Mets will not have a lot of spending money.  They will have to plug-in some of their prospects into holes on the MLB roster.  This will help the team significantly financially, but rushing your prospects through the system is problematic.  Ike Davis has shown he can be productive in the majors, but he must remain consistent.  Davis, Turner, Thole, Niese, and Gee are keys to the future of the organization.

If everything goes right, the Mets can afford Reyes AND Wright.  However, if Reyes keeps playing like he has, he's going to become harder to trade, because the Mets will want better prospects in return; however, at the same time, it drives his price up in free agency, making him harder to sign.  All I know is this: These next five months could change the next 15 years of the New York Mets.  Be careful Sandy, be careful.

How LeBron Saved the NBA

Just a few years ago, the NBA was boring.  People watched the finals casually and generally were indifferent on the outcome of the championship.  TV ratings were sub-par and the league was in desperation mode trying to compete with the MLB and NHL.  The reemergence of the historic franchises (Celtics and Lakers) helped the NBA, but still fans outside of Boston and Los Angeles didn’t really care about the storied rivalry.  Then the next wave of young stars surfaced, as Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony took the NBA by storm.  Howard, James and Wade all carried their teams to the NBA Finals, but only Wade got a ring.  Despite the young talent, was amidst some of its’ worst TV ratings.  In fact, in 2007, the NBA Finals received the worst TV rating (6.2 – which means that 6.2% of US households with a TV tuned into the game), since the Nielsen Ratings started in 1976.  Though the rating is almost triple the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals, the World Series was still much better than the NBA’s ratings.

The highest TV rating ever record for the NBA Finals was in 1998, Michael Jordan’s last season with the Chicago Bulls (18.7).  Since then, the highest rating for the NBA finals has been 12.1 (2001 Philadelphia vs. Los Angeles).  In the past 6 years, the average rating is 8.5 for the NBA Finals, while from 1982 to 2002 the ratings never dropped below 10.  2010 was a good year for the Finals, mostly because it went all the way to seven games.  Through six games the ratings were below 10, but with the help of an 18.2 rating in game 7, the average was bumped up to 10.6.  Clearly the NBA needed help and the King’s decision did wonders for the land.

As much as most people hate LeBron James, he revived the struggling NBA.  It all started last summer when he decided to display his “Decision” on television.  That show alone received a 7.3 rating. Moments after “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach” was said, chaos followed: burning of jerseys, tearing of signs, rioting in Cleveland, partying in Miami, and mourning in New Jersey/New York.  Teams quickly built backup plans in wake of LeBron’s choice to go to South Beach, with the Bulls, Knicks and Nets filling out their rosters with second-tier players.  On the other hand, LeBron joined Bosh and Wade to be the NBA’s version of the Cowboys and Yankees, as the team everybody loves to hate.  That hatred has only grown through a crazy season in the NBA, but amidst all of the commotion, the NBA has quickly become relevant again.  The TV ratings doubled in Miami with a 99% total increase, and suprisingly the Clippers saw a 130% increase in their ratings from 2010.  People are suddenly excited about basketball, something we haven’t seen since the Jordan Era.  Post-Jordan basketball hasn't been too exciting, but LeBron has brought some of that hype back.  He still doesn’t have championship, but he’s poised to get one.  As much as I hate him, I’m happy he’s in the NBA. 

He’s not arguably the best player in the league.  He IS the best, by far.  If you disagree, you’re wrong.  He’s a superstar, but nobody likes him.  Heck, even my Mom hates him.  The NBA doesn’t care about his legacy; they are just reaping the benefits of a hated superstar.  The ratings for last night’s Miami Heat victory in game 1 of the NBA finals was 10.7.   The NBA has found its spark: hatred for LeBron James.  If LeBron is upset with all the haters, there’s only one thing that will fix things: win the next 7 championships; and NBA commissioner, David Stern, would love nothing more.