It was just five years ago that empty arenas were all the rage in sports. But while we can likely all agree that sports are better with fans in the stands, Dan Le Batard believes they also aren’t necessary.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, the show’s crew discussed the Unrivaled basketball league’s successful first season. And while guest co-host Greg Cote expressed skepticism regarding the league’s ability to continue to grow with its current 850-fan capacity at Miami’s Wayfair Arena, Le Batard dismissed the Miami Herald‘s columnist’s point as antiquated.
“I will keep saying to you guys that the future of sports doesn’t require fans to be in attendance,” the Meadowlark Media co-founder said. “And it doesn’t even require fans to be watching on television. It’s just all programming. And the television streamers need the programming. Sports is one of the few places where people tune in at the appointed time. Like there’s so few right now. What are they?”
Le Batard’s primary point is that television rights deals — especially with regard to streaming — have reached the point that previous indicators such as attendance are ultimately irrelevant when it comes to evaluating the financial health of a league. It doesn’t matter whether your event is attracting 850 fans or 85,000 fans; what’s most important is what a network is willing to pay you in an attempt to fill its offerings and keep pace in the streaming wars.
Of course, circumstances can quickly change and while a league might be able to get by with lackluster or unproven ratings at the moment, that might not be the case a decade from now. Ultimately, factors such as attendance and ratings might not be as important to a league’s bottom line as they were even five years ago — pre-COVID, at least — but they are still indicators of interest. And having a product that people care about will surely still matter if/when the streaming bubble inevitability bursts.
Still, Dan Le Batard’s larger point stands, especially with regard for made-for-TV products such as Unrivaled. But for the love of God, please don’t let us go back to arenas filled with cardboard cutouts, which seems much stranger now than it did in real time.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.