The Milwaukee Bucks have inadvertently fueled a debate about the NBA’s regular season with three words on social media.
The Bucks’ X/Twitter account posted the following message Sunday morning: “What happened in 82 games, nobody really cares. It’s what you do now. #FearTheDeer”
The intent was to generate hype ahead of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.
Yet the NBA community has now seized on those three little words, “nobody really cares,” and is questioning their meaning.
If those “82 games” mean nothing, why should anyone care about the regular season? Why are teams charging for tickets? Why are the NBA’s TV partners playing up the importance of nationally televised games?
Surely, fans asked, those 82 games mean something.
The post drew only a few negative comments throughout the day, until a mention by New York Post reporter Ryan Glasspiegel, who pointed out the problem with that statement.
After Glasspiegel’s comment, the floodgates opened.
“Great selling point for season ticket holders paying thousands for seats, not to mention parking, concessions, etc.,” tweeted X user Johnny Premier.
X user Spanky, who has more than 40,000 followers as host of the @BeBetterBettors, noted, “Glad to see that even an official NBA team can confirm the regular season is a meaningless joke.”
Was all the blowback an overreaction? After all, no NBA fan can dispute that players turn up the intensity in the postseason. The games clearly mean more. The spotlight is bigger, the TV ratings higher, everything is amplified.
Yet to imply “nobody really cares” about the regular season is a mistake. It was a poorly worded tweet, to be sure.
[@Bucks; Photo Credit: Milwaukee Bucks via X/Twitter]
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.