Somebody Tell Lebron (And Greenie) That The NFL Fucking Smashed The NBA's Ratings Yesterday, Lapping Them About 5 Times.

Front Office Sports - Netflix took some time to commit to streaming live sports, but the long game has proven to be the right strategy as its partnership with the NFL got off to a stellar start on Christmas.

The two NFL games (Steelers-Chiefs and Ravens-Texans) averaged 24.1 million and 24.3 million viewers respectively on Netflix, the streamer announced on Thursday. They are the most-streamed NFL games in U.S. history, according to Nielsen. The previous record was 23 million, set by Peacock for a Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game in January. The regular-season high was 17.92 million, set by the Lions and Packers on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month. U.S. viewership peaked during Beyonce’s halftime show in the latter game, with over 27 million viewers streaming the performance. Nielsen also said 65 million total U.S. viewers watched the stream.

I normally wouldn't care about this, and would let sleeping dogs lie. But Greenie has turned this into a thing and here we are. 

The last thing in the world I want to do is go to battle with a fellow Worcesterian, especially in defense of the NFL. Because I fucking hate the NFL. I love football. I love the Patriots. I love gambling on football. But I hate everything the NFL- ie. "The Shield", Roger Goodell, and the sleazy NFL owners stand for. The last thing I want to do is take their side on anything. 

But facts are facts. 

And facts are the NBA stinks right now. (As I innocently wrote about Shaq himself saying, HERE) And The NFL is trouncing it this year ratings wise. 

Lebron, doing the most Lebron thing ever last night, decided to draw even more attention to the fact, by telling the world that "Christmas is the NBA's day". (Don't get me started on what Baby Jesus would have to say about that). But Greenie made sure the world of Barstool knew he said it. 

This was after he drafted his best application submission to be Adam Silver's official mouthpiece- spinning the ever loving shit out of NBA team's jacking up 50+ three-point attempts per game. And it not being a problem.

To be fair, the NBA also had a massive day yesterday, putting up impressive numbers of its own. As it should. 

However, the NFL’s decision to play a two-game slate instead of what was a tripleheader for the last two years—and perhaps the decision to shift to a streaming service rather than traditional TV—helped the NBA secure its most-watched Christmas day slate in five years. 

The NBA, whose declining viewership has been a topic of conversation for most of the season, averaged 5.25 million viewers on Christmas this year, an 84% increase versus 2023. (All five games were simulcast on ABC this year, compared to just two last year.) The viewership is also the highest in five years, or since the NFL returned to scheduling games on Christmas. 

All five of the games were decided by ten points or less, including a last-second win for the Lakers over the Warriors in a game that drew 7.76 million viewers, the league’s most-watched Christmas game since 2019.

This single day had a transformative effect: the league’s total year-over-year viewership decline is now down to just 4% compared to what was an 18% deficit before Christmas.

The NBA has been forcing its players, their families, and and all the people who work at NBA arenas to miss time with their families on Christmas for decades. Lebron was right. It technically is their day. 

But he's delusional if he thinks they're going to put up a ratings fight with the juggernaut that is the NFL. 

You could stream the NY Giants at the Las Vegas Raiders at 7am eastern, on Discovery Channel +, with buffering issues that made your parent's 56k dial-up modem from the 1990's look blazing fast, and you'd still trounce any other sports viewership numbers. 

I don't like it, but it's a fact. 

There's five things men in this country will always love and that will never change: tits, ass, guns, beer, and physical freaks of nature smashing into each other at top speed. Until the NBA lets its players return to being physical, and actually play defense, it's just a glorified shooting contest.