It's an interesting point DS raises and I think it is something the league is starting to address. For example, the trade deadline was purposefully moved so that it wouldn't detract from the all star game. A baby step but I do think more is coming. Look, you've got tv rights holders paying bags of money to broadcast these regular season games that we keep hearing don't mean anything. If that's the case, why pay for them? And, ultimately, if you've got organizations and players focused on things other than games, fans are going to stop showing up. It won't fall off a cliff all at once but you'll start to see leakage over time. The load management stuff and player trade demands during the season are part of it, too, and I do think that the league office is going to want greater leeway to punish all of that stuff.
I think the hardcore fans sometimes lose perspective on this aspect of it but you can't have people paying hundreds of dollars to take little Jimmy to a game and have Kawhi Leonard sitting out cause he's tired. That kid will remember he never got to see his hero play and that's a really good way to alienate both young fans and the parents who buy tickets and merchandise.
I think the hardcore fans sometimes lose perspective on this aspect of it but you can't have people paying hundreds of dollars to take little Jimmy to a game and have Kawhi Leonard sitting out cause he's tired. That kid will remember he never got to see his hero play and that's a really good way to alienate both young fans and the parents who buy tickets and merchandise.
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