Have you ever noticed that the basketball season is getting longer and longer? It used to be that the NBA season started right around the time the NFL season began and ended right around the beginning of baseball season. Now, that 6 month stretch has expanded to 8 or 9 months from the preseason games to the last game of the NBA Championship Series.
The phenomenon is not unique only to professional basketball. College teams and even High School basketball teams have longer seasons and the playoffs seem to go on forever. Intramural and other organized leagues including woman’s basketball make the sport an almost year round exhibition.
When it comes to professional and even college basketball, one of the biggest reasons that the season is so long is that there is a tremendous amount of money involved in the sport. The more games that are played and the more opportunity to get fans in the seats of the arenas and watching on TV, the greater the revenues will be. In order to pay the tremendous salaries commanded by the best professional players, revenue from TV, live attendance, advertising and other sources must be maximized.
Colleges also benefit from an extended season. While the players do not get paid while in college, the schools and their athletic programs certainly benefit from the extra revenue generated by more games and more fans. Eventually, the added exposure also pays off for a few of the best college players who get a chance to play in the NBA or other professional basketball leagues.
Local teams also play all the time because the players love to play and the fans love to watch them play. It is not always just about the money, particularly in high school and college. Competition is a motivating force that keeps teams wanting to play and fills the rosters of all teams in organized leagues.
