The NBA is currently facing a decline in ratings this season, with fans pointing to several factors contributing to the drop in popularity. These include competitive imbalance, increased costs of attendance, a lack of major rivalries, and an over-reliance on the three-point shot. While discussions among fans continue regarding the best path forward for the game, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is actively working on solutions to elevate the league back to its previous heights.
One surprising idea he has proposed is the potential for a more standardized set of global rules for the game. “Because this game is so global, one of the things we’d like to see over time is creating a more consistent set of rules globally around the game,” Silver recently stated, according to Yahoo. He mentioned that moving to a two-hour game format could align better with modern television habits, suggesting that “most fans would be disappointed if it was a two-hour presentation.” This could involve potentially shortening game quarters to ten minutes.
Silver drew a comparison between this potential change and Major League Baseball’s successful implementation of the pitch clock, stating, “I’m a fan of what baseball did. I’m a baseball fan and I think some of those changes have really increased the engagement, the entertainment value of the game.”
Adam Silver suggests NBA could shorten games to 10-minute quarters 👀
(Via @dpshow / h/t @BASKETBALLonX )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 29, 2025
It will be intriguing to see whether the NBA adopts Silver’s proposal.
