The TV ratings for one of the Finals were absolutely atrocious when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat to open the series. , the Wednesday night only averaged 7.41 million viewers on ABC. That’s “the lowest rated and least-watched Finals on record (dates back to 1988),” according to the same report. Viewership is down 45% from one of the Finals in 2019. There’s literally no way to spin this in favor of the . There’s no way anyone on the planet can make these numbers appear positive. People literally didn’t care at all about one, and it featured and the Los Angeles Lakers. When you have and the Lakers in the Finals and the ratings tank, then you have a major problem on your hands if you’re the . When LeBron can’t get people interested, then I’m not sure who can. There are probably a lot of reasons why the ratings are down, but we all know people are tired of the nonstop politicization of sports. The s aren’t about winning or losing anymore. They’re about lecturing regular Americans about why we’re all terrible people. Focus on winning basketball s and not being political activists and fans might return. At the very least, it’d be a step in the correct direction.