Support NeoGAF

[Miracle]

For many casual fans, the annual Christmas Day marathon marks a sort of unofficial beginning to the NBA season, the time where non-diehards start to turn attention from football and the hot stove to the stuff we've been watching for the past two months. When all those eyeballs focus on ABC and ESPN this Friday, they'll see something new that's got nothing to do with the action on the court — an advertising campaign featuring NBA superstars calling for an end to gun violence, the product of a partnership between the NBA itself and what The New York Times calls "one of the nation’s most aggressive advocates of stricter limits on firearm sales."

Four NBA players — reigning league Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, eight-time All-Star Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, and two-time All-Star/former Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls — appear in the first 30-second spot, which will reportedly air five times on Friday, during the NBA's Christmas quintuple-header showcase. Their comments come interspersed with those who have survived shootings and family members of those who have died in them, who share stories about how gun violence has affected their lives.

"I heard about a shooting involving a 3-year-old girl over the summer," Curry says. "My daughter Riley is that age."

"My parents used to always say, 'A bullet doesn't have a name on it,'" Paul says.

Anthony: "The gun should never be an option." Noah: "We can all make a difference."

President Barack Obama saluted the NBA and its players on Wednesday for their participation in the ad and its attendant anti-gun violence campaign.

The spots were directed by filmmaker and longtime NBA fan Spike Lee, who serves as a member of Everytown's creative council and who reportedly proposed the ad campaign to ESPN president John Skipper, who brought the idea to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. From Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...-to-gun-violence-in-new-nba-ad-165043760.html - More about it on the link.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lPcZo-f...WI1uS_OHlqbgBnusGdp-9LXGmr1qsCC3Gvz89AosFhmYQ

Kudos to the NBA Commissioner for approving this as well as the NBA players for participating.

Oh but uhh, I advise people here to not read the comments section in that article...

 

[Chichikov]

They couldn't get Gilbert Arenas?
He's an expert.

But seriously, good on the NBA.

 

[GrantDaNasty]

Curious to see what effect it will end up having, I imagine many people will see this as yet another "they're taking our guns" angle, but this stuff has to be regulated at some point, if not on a federal level, then state-by-state.

 

[Eos]

Good effort by the NBA

 

[Psychological Intellect]

best league

 

[cdyhybrid]

They couldn't get Gilbert Arenas?
He's an expert.

But seriously, good on the NBA.

Gilbert might not be the first guy the NBA is looking to have represent them right now.

 

[Miracle]

best league

And best commissioner.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

Emperor Obama's foot soldiers waging their war on Christmas and freedom.

 

[The Faceless Master]

A SPIKE LEE JOINT

 

[Vire]

NBA continues to be the best league in the world.

 

[entremet]

Gilbert might not be the first guy the NBA is looking to have represent them right now.

You forgot that he destroyed his career on gun charges?

 

[TheSlySoul]

Give NBA mad respect for this.

 

[Cheebo]

It is remarkable just how leagues ahead Adam Silver and the NBA are compared to the NFL here in America. NBA runs their organization like actual grown-ups and uses their huge platform for good stuff like this often.

 

[Future PhaZe]

NFL would never do this

 

[Cheebo]

NFL would never do this

It's a sad state of affairs. All the other major sports should be as above the board, fairly drama free, and just out there doing the right thing like the NBA. If the NBA can do this year after year why is it so difficult for the NFL to not be such a corrupt selfish organization It baffles me.

 

[Disxo]

Just saw an ad in Youtube, Its pretty good and the best part is that there is no comment or like/dislike allowed.

 

[Stat Flow]

NBA >>>>>>>>>

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Gilbert might not be the first guy the NBA is looking to have represent them right now.

You don't get it. Look up "Gilbert Arenas gun."

 

[Pillville]

And I've already seen people bitching about this on Facebook. "How dare someone question my 2nd amendment rights blah blah blah"

 

[theignoramus]

So are they still referred to as " thugs" by right wingers when they denounce gun violence or are they just uppity n***ers now?

 

[JustenP88]

I'd like to see the NFL or NASCAR (lol) do this.

 

[The Albatross]

For many casual fans, the annual Christmas Day marathon marks a sort of unofficial beginning to the NBA season

Yep. Only 6 and a half more months into the end of the NBA season ... GREAT TIME TO TUNE IN FOR THE HOME STRETCH

But good on the NBA and it's players

So are they still referred to as " thugs" by right wingers when they denounce gun violence or are they just uppity n***ers now?

Jesus christ

 

[Vire]

NFL would never do this

That's because the NFL is a piece of shit league who just pulled the funding of head trauma research.

NFL doesn't give a shit about anything other than the funds rolling into their bank account.

 

[jaxpunk]

So are they still referred to as " thugs" by right wingers when they denounce gun violence or are they just uppity n***ers now?

Yeeeesh man.....

 

[theignoramus]

Yeeeesh man.....

We'll I just read a comment on that article talking about black thugs needing gun control, not good Ole boys.
So I guess their still thugs.

 

[Mesousa]

It is remarkable just how leagues ahead Adam Silver and the NBA are compared to the NFL here in America. NBA runs their organization like actual grown-ups and uses their huge platform for good stuff like this often.

A major difference is the NBA has worldwide reach. You get a better quality with worldwide appeal. The NFL is, by and large, an American only affair.

 

[Cheebo]

A major difference is the NBA has worldwide reach. You get a better quality with worldwide appeal. The NFL is, by and large, an American only affair.

David Sterns deserves a ton of credit for that. The fact that the NBA is huge in China the biggest growing market in the world was a smart strategy.

 

[Marauder Shields]

David Sterns deserves a ton of credit for that. The fact that the NBA is huge in China the biggest growing market in the world was a smart strategy.

Yao deserves a lot of credit for that.

 

[jaxpunk]

We'll I just read a comment on that article talking about black thugs needing gun control, not good Ole boys.
So I guess their still thugs.

OH a comment, wow welcome to the internet. People with anonymity have terrible opinions, buckle up it's clearly going to be a rough ride for you....

 

[entremet]

David Sterns deserves a ton of credit for that. The fact that the NBA is huge in China the biggest growing market in the world was a smart strategy.

He did a great job, but the product still needs work. The foul fests near the end of close games is a serious buzzkill.

 

[EthanC]

A major difference is the NBA has worldwide reach. You get a better quality with worldwide appeal. The NFL is, by and large, an American only affair.

When your fans are global, you can get away with ad campaigns like this one. When the majority of your fanbase are Americans, you can't. The NFL won't ever risk their standing in the US by potentially pissing off gun nuts. They have pretty much the only sport in the US (outside of college football) where fans care about every single game, regular season and playoff. They're not going to risk that. It's a shame, because the same message from them would reach more people that need to hear it.

He did a great job, but the product still needs work. The foul fests near the end of close games is a serious buzzkill.

I don't blame them for fouling when the state of free-throw shooting is so dismal in the league. You have a sport where a huge number of players don't think it's important to learn how to make the easiest shot in the game. An uncontested free throw.

 

[Apathy]

He did a great job, but the product still needs work. The foul fests near the end of close games is a serious buzzkill.

The last 2 minutes of a game end up turning into 10-15 cause of fouls. So boring.

 

[Cheebo]

He did a great job, but the product still needs work. The foul fests near the end of close games is a serious buzzkill.

As a Detroit fan watching my boy Drummond get fouled to hell and back at the close of every close game I am in 100% agreement. It's nuts. I am optimistic there will be a rule change there sooner rather than later though.

 

[entremet]

The last 2 minutes of a game end up turning into 10-15 cause of fouls. So boring.

As a Detroit fan watching my boy Drummond get fouled to hell and back at the close of every close game I am in 100% agreement. It's nuts. I am optimistic there will be a rule change there sooner rather than later though.

I've been watching the game since the Jordan years and it's been a problem for a while. I just wish it was fixed.

It really kills the anticipation. Sure, it makes every free throw attempt very meaningful, but it slows the game down during the time it should be the most compelling.

When your fans are global, you can get away with ad campaigns like this one. When the majority of your fanbase are Americans, you can't. The NFL won't ever risk their standing in the US by potentially pissing off gun nuts. They have pretty much the only sport in the US (outside of college football) where fans care about every single game, regular season and playoff. They're not going to risk that. It's a shame, because the same message from them would reach more people that need to hear it.



I don't blame them for fouling when the state of free-throw shooting is so dismal in the league. You have a sport where a huge number of players don't think it's important to learn how to make the easiest shot in the game. An uncontested free throw.

As a coaching strategy it's genius.

But as a consumer product, it's a terrible.

The NBA needs to fix it so the incentives please both for the teams and the fans.

 

[The Albatross]

That's because the NFL is a piece of shit league who just pulled the funding of head trauma research.

NFL doesn't give a shit about anything other than the funds rolling into their bank account.

While I agree that the NFL is a piece of shit... The bolded actually didn't happen. Thread got closed because the article was just false. ESPN didn't do their home work, misreported the story, and because Gaf isnt a news service, that post wasn't updated.

From the NIH (the group funding the BU study) press release:

Through the Sports and Health Research Program (SHRP) —a partnership among the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Football League (NFL), and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH)—multiple studies have been and will continue to be funded to examine traumatic brain injury in athletes. The NFL funding commitment to SHRP remains intact. NFL was willing to contribute to the Boston University CTE study headed by Dr. Stern. NIH made the decision to fund this study in its entirety and to issue a Request for Applications (RFA) early next year to support an additional study on CTE using funds from SHRP, which will double the support for research in this area.

I've been watching the game since the Jordan years and it's been a problem for a while. I just wish it was fixed.

It really kills the anticipation. Sure, it makes every free throw attempt very meaningful, but it slows the game down during the time it should be the most compelling.



As a coaching strategy it's genius.

But as a consumer product, it's a terrible.

The NBA needs to fix it so the incentives please both for the teams and the fans.

Agreed here. And regarding the bolded, I don't think anybody wants to match meaningful free throws decide a game... A missed free throw is definitely less exciting than a missed 3 pointer, and likewise, a game being won by free throws is a terrible product. It's definitely part of the game and makes sense, but it's just a lousy part of basketball.

The NBA is trying to make it better though which is good.

 

[EthanC]

As a coaching strategy it's genius.

But as a consumer product, it's a terrible.

The NBA needs to fix it so the incentives please both for the teams and the fans.

I don't disagree. The NBA is pretty much impossible to watch during the regular season, but they've also made the most important games a struggle to watch in the playoffs. Their answer appears to be "learn to shoot", which we all know is never going to happen. So the ends of all these games are going to continue to be a long, boring slog whenever a team with stars that can't shoot are involved. Sadly that's a lot of teams.

 

[theignoramus]

OH a comment, wow welcome to the internet. People with anonymity have terrible opinions, buckle up it's clearly going to be a rough ride for you....

I don't have a thin skin about it,I just call it like it is when those sort of comments get hundreds of thumbs up.

 

[chuckddd]

 

[Ninja Of Chaos]

A major difference is the NBA has worldwide reach. You get a better quality with worldwide appeal. The NFL is, by and large, an American only affair.

Don't the soccer organizations have worldwide reach too? In fact, even more of a worldwide reach? And they're still shit.

 

[Mesousa]

I don't disagree. The NBA is pretty much impossible to watch during the regular season, but they've also made the most important games a struggle to watch in the playoffs. Their answer appears to be "learn to shoot", which we all know is never going to happen. So the ends of all these games are going to continue to be a long, boring slog whenever a team with stars that can't shoot are involved. Sadly that's a lot of teams.

I think, with the advent of new technology, it is pretty easy to watch every NBA game these days. You can even stream it on your phone. I have been out on dates, and been able to pull out my phone to catch a 4th quarter, then go about my business. Tickets are also much cheaper.

I live in Atlanta, and any given night you can get Hawks tickets for like 10-15 bucks. The falcons right next door to them, while giving a much inferior product, charges much more. The NBA seems try to make it as easy as possible to follow your team throughout their a million game season.

 

[Cheebo]

The learn to shoot excuse really doesn't hold. Every position and player has their own things they are good at and things they are not good at. Drummond is the best rebounder in the league right now but he can't shoot free throws. It's not part of his game. It would be like trying to force Steph Curry to do monster dunks over and over if he got fouled. It just isn't going to work out well.

I mean you don't make kickers play as quarterbacks in the NFL because they got fouled. NBA players aren't catch-all's that can play every part of the game well, everyone has aspects that isn't part of their game. Forcing players to endlessly do an aspect of the game that they are not good at is not good TV at all.

 

[Mesousa]

Don't the soccer organizations have worldwide reach too? In fact, even more of a worldwide reach? And they're still shit.

Are they? The premier league has worldwide reach now and they have restructured tv deals to where the smaller clubs are able to afford bigger players now. Made a much better product.

 

[The Faceless Master]

The learn to shoot excuse really doesn't hold. Every position and player has their own things they are good at and things they are not good at. Drummond is the best rebounder in the league right now but he can't shoot free throws. It's not part of his game. It would be like trying to force Steph Curry to do monster dunks over and over if he got fouled. It just isn't going to work out well.

I mean you don't make kickers play as quarterbacks in the NFL because they got fouled. NBA players aren't catch-all's that can play every part of the game well, everyone has aspects that isn't part of their game. Forcing players to endlessly do an aspect of the game that they are not good at is not good TV at all.

then they should git gud. announcers should shame them for making the game boring.

 

[squall211]

So are they still referred to as " thugs" by right wingers when they denounce gun violence or are they just uppity n***ers now?

Excellent choice on your username.

 

[EthanC]

I think, with the advent of new technology, it is pretty easy to watch every NBA game these days. You can even stream it on your phone. I have been out on dates, and been able to pull out my phone to catch a 4th quarter, then go about my business. Tickets are also much cheaper.

I live in Atlanta, and any given night you can get Hawks tickets for like 10-15 bucks. The falcons right next door to them, while giving a much inferior product, charges much more. The NBA seems try to make it as easy as possible to follow your team throughout their a million game season.

I don't mean it's hard to find their games. I mean the product they put on the floor during the regular season is generally a shit-fest. And it's an 80+ game shit-fest. And then their playoffs last for months. This ad campaign is cool and all, but they need to do something about the quality of the product they're putting out. Contracting a bunch of teams and shortening the season would help.

The learn to shoot excuse really doesn't hold. Every position and player has their own things they are good at and things they are not good at. Drummond is the best rebounder in the league right now but he can't shoot free throws. It's not part of his game. It would be like trying to force Steph Curry to do monster dunks over and over if he got fouled. It just isn't going to work out well.

I mean you don't make kickers play as quarterbacks in the NFL because they got fouled. NBA players aren't catch-all's that can play every part of the game well, everyone has aspects that isn't part of their game. Forcing players to endlessly do an aspect of the game that they are not good at is not good TV at all.

Sorry, but that's a terrible analogy. Every single player in the league should be great at shooting uncontested free-throws. It's the one thing every single player has to do.

 

[Mesousa]

I don't mean it's hard to find their games. I mean the product they put on the floor during the regular season is generally a shit-fest. And it's an 80+ game shit-fest. And then their playoffs last for months. This ad campaign is cool and all, but they need to do something about the quality of the product they're putting out. Contracting a bunch of teams and shortening the season would help.

I kind of agree with the quality of some teams being awful. Like I think the 76ers have won once so far this season...that is unacceptable, and pretty much unwatchable by any objective fan. The playoffs are pretty good though. With the NFL it just feels like chance. A better team can drop the ball once and get some bad calls, and the entire season is for nothing. A series of games means, more often than not, the better squad goes through.

 

[Pastry]

The learn to shoot excuse really doesn't hold. Every position and player has their own things they are good at and things they are not good at. Drummond is the best rebounder in the league right now but he can't shoot free throws. It's not part of his game. It would be like trying to force Steph Curry to do monster dunks over and over if he got fouled. It just isn't going to work out well.

I mean you don't make kickers play as quarterbacks in the NFL because they got fouled. NBA players aren't catch-all's that can play every part of the game well, everyone has aspects that isn't part of their game. Forcing players to endlessly do an aspect of the game that they are not good at is not good TV at all.

lol of course it holds up. By the time these guys make it to the NBA they've been playing basketball for at least like 13 years. That's 13 years to learn how to shoot the easiest shot in the game. 13 years. There is no excuse for being under 50% at free throws.

When there are guys with better 3 point percentages than your FT percentage you need to buck up and spend the entire off season shooting free throws.