NFL
By: Zachary Draves
For people of a certain age, there once was a time where the NBA dominated the talks at the water cooler. A time in which the NBA was on par with the NFL in terms of viewership and interest. A time where some of the most iconic moments in the games history put on by the best of the best was plain for all to see and lived on in the collective imagination.
Those people of a certain age, say early 30s and over, still reminisce about those moments and some of them want to harken back to those glory days and with the advent of Youtube, they can travel down memory lane at any time.
The days in which the likes of Bob Costas, Hannah Storm, Ahmad Rashad, and Marv Albert would say “you’re watching the NBA on NBC”.
From 1990-2002, the NBA on NBC was a god sent.
The production value, quality, storylines, commentary, and the personalities captured the hearts of so many of us and made professional basketball a must see television spectacle, not the least of which was John Tesh’s epic “Roundball Rock” that served as the introduction to each game.
(Courtesy: Brad Mangin)
Those twelve magical years had it all. Magic Johnson’s heroic performance at the 1992 All Star Game, the Denver Nuggets upsetting the Seattle Supersonics in the 1994 Playoffs, Reggie Miller’s back to back three pointers in 8.9 seconds against the Knicks in the 1995 Playoffs, Sean Elliott’s Memorial Day Miracle in the 1999 Playoffs, and of course, Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
Now with the NBA media rights now up for grabs after years of being on TNT, NBC is poised to snatch up the rights, leaving many fans of said age group aching for a return of the good old days to an extent.
“I was upset that NBC gave it up,” says legendary columnist and former NBA on NBC commentator Peter Vescey. “It was popular. Obviously it was all about money. Who knows what went on in the minds of the decision makers. “
Vescey also says that in addition to his former colleagues Bob Costas and Hannah Storm, he would be more than happy to return to duty.
“I had a great time and had a great run,” he said.
But he also has a caveat which is to not duplicate the old show, which in all honesty can never be duplicated and most likely would never have the same cache it once had, but to simply bring it into the present day and make it applicable to the times.
“I don’t think it would be a carryover,” he said. “ Different players, different eras. I don’t think people would follow like they did before. I don’t think it would be a do over, it would be starting over.”
(Courtesy: Chicago Sun Times)
Given the current landscape of the game with the emergence of venerable talent such as Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, and Karl Anthony Towns, the time has come for a new generation of NBA players to tell their stories.
Now that the LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant era is poised to come to a close, with the three of them being out of the playoffs in the first round a good indication of a tide turning, it is frankly long overdue.
Each era has its distinctions and with that comes the potential for great stories. Back in the day, NBC was able to tell the story of the players as more than just ballers, but as human beings.
With the NBA being back on NBC and possibly the return of great storytellers such as Costas, Storm, Rashad, and Vescey, the sky’s the limit.
There is also a chance that with the explosion in popularity of women’s basketball, NBC could possibly reclaim the WNBA as they did when the league first emerged in 1997 until 2002.
(Courtesy: WNBA)
It would only be fitting given that they helped to promote the league and helped make the likes of Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, Cynthia Cooper, Lisa Leslie, and Teresa Weatherspoon household names.
But for Vescey, he offers caution that if they do decide to bring some players back from yesteryear that they would avoid bringing in talent from other networks.
“I would hope that no matter what they do, they don’t bring anyone back from other networks, ” he said. “Come up with a new concept. I hope that it will be done better. “
It is without question a seemingly impossible task to try to replicate something as significant as the original NBA on NBC, particularly in a more than abundant media environment with streaming and social media. That is like trying to recreate a new ABC’s Wide World of Sports, but that doesn’t mean that it is not worth taking a shot and giving a new generation the sports television memories of a lifetime.
Out with the old, in with the newish.
