In case you were thinking the NBA would disperse to its fans some acts of good will after a five-month lockout that ranged from depressing to pure lunacy, think again. Apparently, while commissioner David Stern was busy destroying the league’s image while alienating Chris Paul and his suitors around the country, he was also looking at new ways to further piss off his loyal customers.
NBA League Pass, the league’s cable product that allows fans the opportunity to watch non-national TV and non-local games, will retail for $169 this season for TV, broadband and mobile viewing. In 2010-11, the NBA charged customers $189 for the full package. The difference between last season and the upcoming one isn’t all that substantial until you let in the certain logic that there will be 16 less games per team this year.
Last season, with about five more weeks of games compared to 2011-12, fans paid a little over $8 a week for a full League Pass package. This year, fans will pay around $10 per week, with 480 less games, starting after Christmas Day.
At this point, David Stern not only doesn’t care that he’s antagonizing you, he’s fully expecting that you’ll get over it rather quickly.