Rumblings surfaced back in March that the NBA is searching for an increase on their next media rights deal. The question was how do they get the $75 billion price tag they are searching for?
A midseason tournament.
At least that’s what league executive Byron Spruell is championing ahead of the negotiations. CNBC’s Jabari Young dove into the details of the executive’s plan to inject new life in the regular season. Young described how it might mirror the “Commissioner’s Cup” being played for the first this season in the WNBA.
“WNBA players will divide a $500,000 prize pool,” Young wrote. “The winning team gets $30,000 per player, runner-up $10,000 per player, and the MVP of the Commissioner’s Cup title game takes home $5,000. Google is a major sponsor of the WNBA tournament. And Amazon is the media partner that will stream the games on its Prime video service. The NBA wanted the concept for its 75th anniversary, but the pandemic changed things. So this year, league executives will study the fanfare of the WNBA’s format.”
The added sponsorship is a boost for the WNBA, but if there is no clear difference between a regular-season game and a “Cup” game besides added money in the player’s pockets, fans won’t care. The various tournaments in European soccer matter because they have a built-in history and importance through decades of play.
That kind of tradition can’t be built in one summer marketing campaign by the NBA. Former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson is more bullish, especially if there is something on the line for the viewer, like an added draft pick.
“It’s more quality programming,” former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson said to Young. “I can’t imagine the viewer would object or not watch. The idea of the mid-season tournament has an appeal in terms of creating more exciting and competitive games that might otherwise not exist during the regular season.”
People within NBA circles told Young they are split on the idea, but if the All-Star Game and Play-In Tournament are any indications, it could be good for the league to keep switching things up.