NFL, with 28.7 million average viewership rips NBA apart by over 25 million viewers during Christmas

The NBA lagged severely behind the NFL when it comes to the recent Christmas Games viewership.

NFL, with 28.7 million average viewership rips NBA apart by over 25 million viewers during Christmas

The NBA failed to compete when it came to viewership over the recent Christmas matches. (Image via Medium)

Long considered to be the most popular global American sporting league, the NBA seems to have lost a few steps in recent times. This also appears to have gone simultaneously alongside an increase in popularity of some other popular sports leagues in the country, namely the NFL.

While the NBA is currently on the lookout for their new face following the utterly slow decline of LeBron James, the NFL already has stars to replace their own icon in the form of Tom Brady. The likes of Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and even Travis Kelce have all been only willing to take that mantle on.

Regardless, for the time being, the NBA’s lack of an obvious face appears to have cost the league. The recent blockbuster fixtures on Christmas were expected to result in a plethora of viewers tuning in.

FS Video

However, according to Sports Rapport, the NBA was utterly dominated by the blockbuster Christmas fixtures of the NFL. The game between the Raiders and the Chiefs resulted in a whopping 29.1 million tuning in, with the Giants-Eagles game also breaking the 29 million barrier.

The match between the Ravens and the 49ers had more than 27 million people watching, numbers that NBA games simply failed in comparison of. The most viewed game on Christmas proved to be the Celtics-Lakers, clash, which attracted only around 5 million viewers. The rest of the matchups, as the tweet suggests, mustered between 1.3 to 4.1 million viewers. 

The NBA seemingly suffers due to lack of an obvious face

Michael Jordan was followed by Kobe Bryant, who was followed by LeBron James, who has seemingly refused to stop being known as the league’s face. LeBron James is now 38, and yet, no obvious replacement has been apparent, despite some obvious talent in the league.

Foreign stars such as Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic obviously have potential, but seemingly lack the marketing skills and the following they need to truly become the face of the league. Ja Morant looked set to replace LeBron. However, the Grizzlies’ main man is currently making a return from his disciplinary issues and for the time being, cannot be said to be ready for the throne.

LeBron James has been the face of the NBA since almost 2 decades. (Image via Olympics.com)

The likes of Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum, and even Victor Wembanyama all have potential but will need Playoff success, and perhaps even a championship to truly take things to the next level. For the time being, therefore, LeBron continues to be the most obvious global star associated with the league, and it is currently unclear who will replace him, eventually.

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