We are about two weeks away from the start of the NBA season when the Utah Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans will square off in Orlando, Florida (6:30 p.m ET, TNT). While the spotlight will be on the games itself, a lot of people in the sports media industry are going to pay close attention to how these games are televised and produced.
On the latest episode of The Right Time with Bomani Jones, Jones spent a segment talking about how the NBA games need to be treated with the same level of scrutiny as a television show and how it is ironic that he is saying this.
“In the end, what they are producing is a television show. These basketball games are a television show and you got to figure it out with this emphasis on these matters and how to make a good television show around that,” said Jones referring to the emphasis that is put on Black Lives Matter.
“You cannot be in a situation if you are the league where an adherence to amplifying the cause becomes bigger than the television show itself. That’s not going to work. That’s going to be a problem.”
There is a lot of uncertainty as to how the NBA will incorporate addressing social issues during the game itself. While Jones said he did not know the middle ground, he did say that they need to keep the larger cause in mind when thinking about what they want to do.
“I hope the NBA is careful in the way they do it. I don’t know the middle ground. Where is the space that is effective, but is not corny overkill. They need to be concerned about this if they are really concerned about the larger cause in the way that they say…This is ambitious what they are saying what they want to do. I will give them grace if they get it wrong. I don’t need to slam them for getting it wrong, but you have to get it right.”
Throughout this segment, Jones did bring up the importance of balance whenever social issues come up in sports. He mentioned how when discussing what to talk about, he does realize that just because someone agrees with him on an issue, that does not mean it should be talked about all the time.
“We can’t come out here running an NPR program. You as a listener, even those of you who agree with me on a lot of these matters, you are not sticking around for that all the time. That’s not what you want.”
Jones did bring up a good example of that balance when he talked about when he was co-hosting High Noon with Pablo Torre. When they were planning out a topic on social issues, Jones knew that the content was important to get the viewer to stay with the program.
“If we want to go here, we can’t be a little bit good. We have to be very good or great if we are going to go in these directions. I have to feel very confident that it is a piece of content that is worthwhile and that will stick with you. That’s what I feel about the NBA.”
The NBA is going to be under the microscope for many different reasons if the season does start on time and the eye of the viewer will not only be on the product on the court, but also how the game is produced and televised since there will be no fans at the game in-person.
