Add Mike Francesa to the list of sports media personalities with big feelings about the NBA In-Season Tournament.
The longtime radio gabber can’t stand the idea of NBA games having an extra incentive in November. And he’s so utterly turned off by the idea that he has gone dark on the league altogether early in the season.
“I think it is probably one of the worst … decisions that any major sport has made in years,” Francesa explained. “I have turned completely away from the NBA at this point in the season because I think this is such an outrageous, foolhardy reach to add some importance and to get their star players to stay on the court.”
Mike Francesa loves the NBA's in-season tournament!
Just kidding… he hates it, along with everyone else. pic.twitter.com/E5H7RNce0D
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) November 22, 2023
Francesa even added another foolhardy for good measure later in his response.
“This in-season thing is one of the colossal, foolhardy jokes I have ever seen,” Francesa said. “And I am actually surprised the NBA went forward with it, because to me it’s a disgrace. It’s a joke. It’s a competitive joke.”
Even the biggest Francesa fan would have to admit this wasn’t his best work. First, Francesa is commenting on the failure of an experiment he admits he has not watched. Second, he completely peters out by the end. And third, he’s doing exactly what he’s railing against by devaluing the actual NBA games each night by dedicating time to a diatribe against a little competition baked into normal action.
If Francesa were so determined to make the NBA season more meaningful, he could do it. Francesa may not realize he has a national sports show, and that he is ignoring basketball action to focus on junk. Guess it’s too late.
[The Mike Francesa Podcast via Funhouse on X]
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.