You often notice that every NBA team and player have tiring schedules, and you wonder sometimes, how do they play so good while having this schedule?
Even though having a tight schedule, NBA players still managed to play well inside the court because their body is ready for tough battles. They train very hard to make their bodies robust and bulk. But, how come they still have time for training if they have a long schedule?
NBA players manage their time wisely so that they can still have time for training and time for their families. Sometimes they hit the gym after the season is done, or if their team has been eliminated early from the playoffs.
How tiring is the NBA player’s schedule? Why NBA season is long? How many total games do they play? Today, we are going to answer those questions. We are also going to inform you what is behind the modern NBA schedule. Let’s go!
How Many Games In One NBA Season?
The NBA today has a total of 82-games per season and this was established last 1967-68 NBA season. The past number of games played in one season before the 1967-68 NBA season was a little bit messy. There is no exact number of games, and the number of games per season varies.
Luckily everything has been put to order in the 1967-68 NBA season. The 82-games per season decided back then are the ones used today in the NBA.
But what is behind the modern NBA 82-games per season? Let’s see what are the reasons.
Reasons Behind The NBA 82-Games Per Season
These are the reasons why the NBA wanted to have an 82-games per season:
1. It Is A Tradition
The modern 82-games per season in the NBA was established a long time ago. They wanted to preserve the tradition to keep the basketball spirit alive. Changing the number of games in one season could result in a lot of work.
It may be good to keep the tradition of the game but it can hinder the thought of better ideas to protect the health of the players while each season is still exciting.
2. More Revenue
Money is especially important for sports organizations to run well each season. The NBA team owners, players, broadcast stations, news stations, and arena owners, will get a lot of monetary benefits by using the 82-games per season format. They can thank the 82-game season for giving them a lot of revenue throughout the year.
Let’s say, for example, the Lakers have 30 home games in a season. Of course, we all know that the Lakers are the most famous team in the NBA right now. During a home game in their arena, they are making many dollars through the tickets and seats bought, food and beverage sales, merchandise sale, advertising sale, and broadcasting sale. It’s interesting to know how much money can arena owners and team owners earn in one home game.
The organization talked about reducing the number of games per season, but they came to the thought that if the number of games per season is reduced, this could cause financial problems for the beneficiaries.
These are the two main reasons behind keeping the 82-games per season schedule. They have discussed modifying the structure of the league schedule to make the season shorter. Many players have agreed to reduce the number of games each season. They have the same reason and valid arguments. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why they agreed to modify the league’s schedule.
Why Do Most NBA Players In Favor Of Reducing The Number Of Games Per Season?
1. Player Health
One of the main reasons why most NBA players are in favor of reducing the number of games each season is because of their health. Players believe that good health is essential and should be taken care of.
Imagine playing 82 games per season and playing 30 minutes per game. That would tear down the bodies of each NBA player, leaving them tired, and more prone to injuries. Let’s try to compute the total minutes of games played in a season of a player having 30 minutes per game.
- Player A played 30 minutes per game in the whole season: 30 minutes per game x 82 game season = 2460 minutes total played
See how many minutes that is! That sounds tiring when you think about it. That’s why most players want to reduce the number of games in a season because the number of minutes they played hurts.
2. More Time For Families
NBA players have a more meaningful life outside the court. They are also people who love their family. One reason they want to reduce the number of games each season to have more time with their family.
NBA players are always outside their home and are always flying every game. They only get a chance to be with their family every time after the season. Decreasing the number of games played in a season means extended vacation, and extended vacation means more time with their family
3. Better Performance
There are two factors a shortened season could help NBA players to have better performance. First, and probably the most essential, if players play less, they are less tired and less prone to injuries. They could play better throughout the season if they are given more rest
Second, if players have more vacation time, they can hit the gym most often. Hitting the gym could make their bodies robust and ready for the next NBA season.
Coaches use the idea of load management, which is a program by NBA teams and coaches to monitor the physiological stress or workload of a player. Coaches strategically let their star players sit and reduce their workloads in an insignificant game. They use this to ready their star players for more essential games, and to avoid getting injured.
If the duration of the season is reduced, then there is less use of load management, which will keep players on the floor more often. If the best players of each team are on the court more, each gameplay would be exciting to watch.
Conclusion
Although Money is the number one reason why the NBA can’t shorten their games per season, the league also preserved the tradition that made them keep the 82-games season.
The argument between keeping the 82-games seasons and shortening it isn’t going anytime soon. Because of the many demands of shortening it, we could see a change in the upcoming years.
Do you like to shorten the number of games in one season? If so, why? Let’s hear your opinion in the comments section below!
