1. Because the football season is over and hardly anything of importance is going on in sports these days, people seem to be grasping at straws more than ever in their hot takes.
With the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament drawing big ratings and generating positive buzz while the NBA’s All-Star Weekend was nothing but an utter disaster, many have decided to compare the two events and use them as a referendum on both sports.
However, the truth is simple: The NHL doesn’t compare to the NBA in terms of viewers and profits. It seems everyone is in tatters about “WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE NBA?” and “NHL PLAYERS CARE, NBA PLAYERS DON’T.” The truth is, there’s plenty wrong with the NBA, but making comparisons to the NHL makes zero sense.
Maybe people compare them because they are both winter sports and they both play meaningless regular seasons and they both feature postseasons where half the league makes the playoffs. But the NBA’s success versus the NHL’s success is apple to oranges.
While the NBA has a major problem on its hands with quality of play and perception of the league, I’d just like to lay out some facts.
The NHL is currently in the middle of a seven-year TV deal worth $4.4 billion. The NBA just signed new television deals with ESPN, NBC and Amazon to the tune of 11 years, $76 billion.
So that’s $76 billion vs. $4.4 billion.
And while the NBA has suffered massive declines in recent years, it’s not like the NHL has become a ratings juggernaut by comparison:
NHL Finals ratings:
2024: 4.1
2023: 2.6
2022: 4.6
2021: 2.4
2020: 2.0
2019: 5.3
2018: 4.7
2017: 4.6
2016: 4.0
2015: 5.5
NBA Finals ratings:
2024: 11.3
2023: 11.6
2022: 12.4
2021: 9.9
2020: 7.4
2019: 15.1
2018: 17.5
2017: 20.3
2016: 20.2
2015: 19.9
And if you’re one of these people who are lamenting the NBA’s regular-season ratings, just read this piece about the NHL’s regular-season ratings.
I give you these numbers for one reason: While the NHL may have blown the NBA away when it comes to their respective All-Star breaks, that has zero relevance to how each sport performs with fans.
2. Way, way, way back in my days of writing Hot Clicks for SI, I got to know Andy Isaac, aka @WorldofIsaac on X (formerly Twitter), a little bit through the cyber world because he would submit links for me to use in the column.
Then Twitter came along and Andy became a popular figure on Sports Twitter thanks to his sense of humor and lighthearted personality. The guy used a picture of Isaac from The Love Boat as his avatar for Pete’s sake! Andy also loved to tweet about food, which is probably what we’ve interacted about the most on social media.
Andy also represents a pleasant reminder of the good times of Twitter. Back in those early days, it was all innocent and fun and a positive experience. The complete opposite of what it is now.
Sadly, in recent years, Andy’s health has deteriorated because of cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2006. He shared an update on social media Tuesday that hit hard for anyone who has followed him over the years.
Some final thoughts pic.twitter.com/KFC3FUXCXI
— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) February 18, 2025
One of the weirdest things about social media is how you have all sorts of relationships with people whom you’ve never met or even spoken to voice-to-voice. Maybe, because you only interact through the internet, they don’t seem like real human beings to you, so you never expect anything bad to happen to them. I don’t know. I’m not smart enough to really explain it. But I do know that I was hit hard by reading Andy’s message.
He has obviously been in terrible pain, physically and emotionally. As he said, his quality of life has been stripped. It hurts to hear that. Hopefully Andy can find some comfort at this point and take a moment to reflect on how he made people happy with his presence.
3. Shohei Ohtani channeled his inner Meadow Soprano on Monday when he attempted to parallel park at a Buffalo Wild Wings.
Video #TMZSports obtained shows #ShoheiOhtani isn't the world's greatest parallel parker. 🚗
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) February 19, 2025
#Exclusive story HERE: https://t.co/k6o71CXZV9 pic.twitter.com/lhD0mX0KfT
4. I have always been pro celebration and always will be, but this might have been a little much from Georgia pitcher Brian Curley on Tuesday night after closing out a win against Kennesaw State. I’m not saying it was too much. I’m just saying it might have been too much. I’m not sure. But I did love it.
Watch Georgia’s pitcher 😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/kvYm6ybtBT
— Chris Phillips (@CPhilly19) February 19, 2025
5. WWE announcer Michael Cole says that he once yelled at Pat McAfee in front of people about wearing shorts, which caused McAfee to almost leave the show that he was supposed to broadcast.
MICHAEL COLE TELLS A STORY ABOUT YELLING AT PAT MCAFEE AND ALMOST MAKING HIM ALMOST QUIT THE SHOW 😭
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) February 18, 2025
(IMPAULSIVE) pic.twitter.com/b2vtHP4T4W
6. The latest episode of SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with golf insider from Skratch, Dan Rapaport.
Rapaport talks about his new weekly show, Dan on Golf, how golf media has changed over the years, the explosion in golf’s popularity on YouTube and gambling’s role in the increased interest in golf.
Rapaport discusses what the TGL needs to fix, the relationship between LIV and the PGA Tour and the contract issues LIV will soon face. Rapaport also drops a very early Masters prediction, explains Bryson DeChambeau’s turnaround and much more.
Following Rapaport, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York, joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment.
This week‘s segment kicks off with a discussion about the Super Bowl halftime show, the overall Super Bowl telecast and the end of the NFL season. Other topics discussed include Hubie Brown’s final game as an NBA analyst, Dick Vitale’s return behind the mic, Bill Maher’s take on watching the NFL on streaming services and the report about the Jets telling Aaron Rodgers he could no longer appear on Pat McAfee’s show. We also have a follow-up conversation on Sal’s “ratty” sneakers.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: I’ve been on a major Saturday Night Live kick since the 50th anniversary special this week. That means watching A LOT of Eddie Murphy’s old work. It’s just crazy how good he was on the show.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The NBA vs. NHL Argument Makes No Sense at All.
