It appears the pressure is getting to Dallas Mavericks owner, billionaire Mark Cuban.
He and other NBA owners bought into the “woke” narrative. So now Lebron James acts as player/commissioner of the league. And his antics are killing the league.
Game 1 stats for the finals were dismal, to say the least. Jason Whitlock tweeted a simple message for Los Angeles Lakers star: “Can’t be the GOAT if you kill the game.”
https://twitter.com/WhitlockJason/status/1311806189597007878
Game 1 of the Finals between the Lakers and Miami Heat brought in 7.41 million viewers to ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That viewership reportedly the lowest amount for the Finals since at least 1994. And it’s not getting any better.
According to Yahoo, Game 3 was the worst NBA finals on record:
Did the Miami Heat actually will themselves to a win against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals if no one saw it happen? NBA Finals ratings fell to a record low during the Heat’s 115-104 win over the Lakers in Game 3, according to Sports Media Watch.
The overall numbers look pretty bad. Game 3 averaged a 3.1 rating and 5.94 million viewers. Those numbers made Game 3 the least watched and lowest rated NBA Finals game on record, according to SMW. That continues a poor trend for the 2020 NBA Finals. Prior to Game 3, the record for the least viewed Finals broadcast came during Game 2. Before that, the record belonged to Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals.
Whitlock knows that James and his compadres focus on social issues is clearly to blame for the ratings slump. And so do the owners.
Senator Ted Cruz tweeted his stance on those who disrespect the country, as well as the catchphrase:
Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke
Not surprising. Personally speaking, this is the first time in years that I haven’t watched a single game in the NBA Finals. #GoWokeGoBroke https://t.co/ygIp60EKHi
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) October 6, 2020
Mark Cuban took offense.
He implied that Senator Cruz wants the Mavs to fail. Evidently, Cuban is butt hurt watching the value of his franchise hit rock bottom.
A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz . Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are.
A US Senator with 3 @NBA teams in his state, employing thousands of people and he is rooting for their businesses to do poorly. This is who you are @tedcruz . Every minute of your life, this is exactly who you are. https://t.co/rnCV3qJTfQ
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) October 6, 2020
There is good news for Cuban. Well, sort of. The franchise hasn’t quite hit rock bottom. He could sell now and get some value for the team.
