Tigers toppled again, but where was Fox Sports?

The stage was set. The game was scheduled on a Wednesday night. The two title favourites were playing. So just where was Fox Sports last night?

In case you missed it – and I wouldn’t blame you for that – the Perth Wildcats, facing three road games in just the one round, upset a team touted as one of the best ever, the Melbourne Tigers, 105-101 last night at The Cage.

The game itself wasn’t so bad. The Tigers, despite being outplayed for the majority, rallied in the fourth to close out a 15-point deficit and take the lead with two minutes remaining. But like any good contest, the Wildcats weren’t going to give up that easily.

The boys from Perth fought back and took the game at the death.

Then it all happened again tonight. The previously-undefeated New Zealand Breakers were brought down by the Cairns Taipans in a high-scoring affair, 122-111. 

It all sounds like a pretty decent advertisement for an NBL struggling for exposure. Or at least it would’ve been, had the game been placed in the spotlight it deserved.

The makeshift television deal drawn up between the league and Fox Sports provides significantly less coverage for the game for a significantly less amount. It does not come into effect until October 22 – in round six, which simply isn't good enough.

Sure, the league had a tumultuous off-season and uncertainty reigned supreme, but this deal had been nutted out over a month and a half ago. And the argument that Fox is waiting for the footy finals to finish is, as of this week, meaningless.

Fox Sports’ cameras should’ve been at the Tigers-Wildcats game, especially considering it was in Fox’s usual Wednesday night timeslot. The same logic could be applied to tonight’s game, given Breakers home games are covered by Maori TV in New Zealand – Fox wouldn’t have to foot the production bill.

But this is just the world the NBL has chosen to live in. The Fox delay is one of many instances where the game’s exposure has been crippled. Earlier in the season the league was criticized for not having a season launch. The combination of these two events are particularly concerning because they are not media-driven, they mostly stem from the NBL office.

It has got on the nerves of many – from Boti Nagy to John Rillie – who think that the cut back discredits the quality of the league this year. Which is fair enough, the NBL does deserve more.

However the NBL/BA perspective is similarly understandable. This is a time when resources are stretched, and Chuck Harmisson is no Rick Burton when it comes to promoting.

Secondly, the focus on next year (with this year being an afterthought) makes some sense. It is imperative that the decisions made over the next 12 months are the right ones for taking the game to greater heights; the spotlight should not be taken off them.

Another, albeit concerning, factor may be that the NBL brand is unlikely to see action from next season onwards, meaning there is little motivation to pump it up too much. If that's the case, then that's where this blogger draws the line. The NBL’s brand isn’t going to boom any time soon, so what’s wrong with at least propping it up so it can stay afloat?

Overall, the balance between being exposed and not exposed could be managed better.

You never know, with games like last night’s, you might pick up a few fans to follow the game through to the new league.

Think how happy Fox would be then.