The NBA is innovating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For much longer than I\u2019ve been alive, there has been but one objective in American professional sports: rings. All other accomplishments are meaningless in the face of a crown; all are varying levels of consolation prizes that earn the same ire as the others that don\u2019t meet the quota of championship or bust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I hate it. It makes for wonderfully passionate playoffs, with teams desperate to crawl forward in the format to reach the only and ultimate goal, but it also makes for regular seasons that drag, it penalizes averageness harsher than atrociousness and encourages tanking. It invalidates genuine milestones, like winning a division or reaching a deep round in the playoffs, and turns unbelievable displays into objects of ridicule. It is a simple, binary way to view what I consider a physical expression of human art, and that peg won\u2019t fit in that hole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is core to my life-long passion for European soccer and American college sports compared to American pro sports. Soccer clubs in Europe contend in multiple competitions in each season, adding layers of distinction beyond their domestic leagues. <\/strong>In college sports, there is real emphasis placed on reigning supreme in your conference and reaching other markers, like triumphing in a major bowl game in football or reaching the Sweet 16 in basketball. You don\u2019t have to win the biggest prize to do something memorable and impactful in a given season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n