Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry’s injury has to be one reason for NBA’s declining ratings

The NBA television ratings have been down, and the collapse of the Golden State Warriors and injury to Stephen Curry are obvious reasons why.

NBA ratings are down this season, and for what’s likely their most notable avenue of revenue, getting these back up will be of utmost importance. While the situation in China could be one issue, the collapse of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are just as obvious.

NBA ratings are down 22%, 19% and 7% on TNT, ESPN, and RSNs respectively. The RSNs are regional sports networks.

Golden State’s NBC Sports Bay Area is reportedly down 53%.

After a drama-filled offseason, things weren’t expected to this way. However, Kevin Durant‘s departure and Klay Thompson injury were two huge reasons that ratings could’ve been down, but D’Angelo Russell’s addition was hopefully going to offset those.

The wild card was Stephen Curry.

If Stephen Curry put together an MVP-like season, the ratings, at least in the Bay Area, would be sky-high, as would the attendance for the recently-opened Chase Center. Curry’s presence would also be a factor on mainstream networks as many have already or will cut Warriors’ games due to fans’ uninterest this season.

Curry was injured in the fourth game of the season. He was driving and went up against the Suns’ Aron Baynes. The center fell on Curry’s arm, breaking his left hand. It was a brutal diagnosis for the Warriors, but many consider it a blessing in disguise.

While ratings are down, the Warriors will be back. Sitting at 5-21, the Warriors will have a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, assuming the lottery doesn’t completely screw over Dub Nation. On top of that, Curry and Klay Thompson will both be fully healthy.

This team is still a dynasty in the making, but this season is certainly going to be a step backward. Finally, the injury bug has hurt Golden State, but they’ll be back.