Ad Disclosure
Well Golly, There Seems to be a Common Thread in These NHL and NBA Ratings Posts
Published:
There’s been a lot of NBA and NHL playoff rating stuff on the timeline and there seems to be a common denominator in most of these releases:
The Flyers are in pretty much every NHL ratings graphic. No doubt people were HUNGRY for the Fly Guys in the postseason after a five-year absence. Penguins fans will try to tell you that there was interest in Sidney Crosby’s old ass, but everybody knows the Flyers carried the Battle for Pennsylvania. There cannot be little brother without big brother. That’s just the way it goes.
Throw the Sabres into the mix after they ended their long postseason skid and it’s no surprise that NHL playoff ratings have been up across the board. There’s probably some lingering Team USA Olympic interest that has people tuning in as well.
As for the NBA, of course the Sixers and Celtics Game 7 did big numbers. That’s two big markets and two historic franchises. And the neutrals wanted to see Joel Embiid eliminate the Cs on their home floor. No doubt about it. What other Eastern Conference team is generating those numbers anyway? The Hornets? The Wizards? Please. Whether the Sixers win or not, they create compelling matchups with other big market teams like Boston and New York, and that’s good for business.
The NBA and the NHL playoffs are better when the Sixers and Flyers participate. It can’t be disputed.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com