President Donald Trump Tweets 'People Are Tired Of Watching The Highly Political NBA'
President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that fewer people are watching the NBA because it's so politicized.
"People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA," Trump tweeted. "Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!"
After the Jacob Blake shooting, the Milwaukee Bucks decided not to take the court in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic on Aug. 26, leading to a three-day stoppage in play.
According to Sports Media Watch, the stoppage did not affect television ratings much. The Lakers' Game 5 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday averaged 2.92 million viewers on TNT, down 1 percent from Game 4 on Aug. 24, which averaged 2.98 million viewers.
That being said, the website reported that Game 5 was down 16 percent in viewership compared to a comparable window in last year's playoffs, when the San Antonio Spurs played the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series on April 27, 2019. Also, NASCAR's Cup regular-season finale at Daytona on Saturday blew away Game 5, averaging 3.87 million viewers.
The vast majority of players have knelt during the national anthem during the NBA restart at Walt Disney World in protest of racism and police brutality. Many players are wearing social justice messages on their jerseys and the words "Black Lives Matter" are written on the courts.
In an appearance on Fox and Friends on Aug. 5, Trump called NBA players kneeling during the national anthem "disgraceful" and said no one has done more for the Black community than him, other than Abraham Lincoln.
LeBron James said no one is going to be sad that Trump has stopped watching games.
“The game will go on without his eyes on it," James said Aug. 5. "I can sit here and speak for all of us that love the game of basketball: We could care less."
