Limited national TV appearances speak volumes about the state of the Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls were once the elite of the league, winning six championships in the 1990s with Michael Jordan leading the way. However, they have struggled to remain relevant and competitive in the NBA since then. This is particularly evident when it comes to their national television appearances. This upcoming season, the Bulls will be on ESPN and TNT a grand total of four times.

Lack of interest

Once considered must-see TV in the days of His Airness and then Derrick Rose, the Bulls have failed to capture the imagination of the NBA's TV partners since. This meager number of four national television appearances is a clear sign of the state of the Chicago Bulls in recent years. The team's current struggles to make the Playoffs and build a championship-contending squad have resulted in extremely limited interest from fans outside of Chicago.

"The national networks apparently weren't interested in the Bulls' continuity," Darnell Mayberry wrote. "Chicago has only three games scheduled for ESPN and just one scheduled for TNT. Three more are currently are set for NBA TV."

Profound indictment

Despite possessing a formidable "Big 3" consisting of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls fell short of securing a postseason berth last year. Furthermore, with the team retaining many of the same players from that underperforming season, it seems that the league's TV partners are hesitant to showcase the Bulls on national television.

"It's among the loudest indictments of the Bulls' place in the NBA hierarchy. Only failing to make the playoffs last season ranks higher. It's another reminder that this storied franchise, sitting in the NBA's third-largest market, is often reduced to an afterthought nationally," Mayberry continued.