The Loop
The Disney Bubbleleague will reportedly cost the NBA $1.5 million dollars PER DAY
On average, how much do you spend a day? 50 bucks? 75 bucks? 150 bucks? This is kind of a rude question and the answer depends on a lot of factors. Do you have kids? Are you a homeowner? How enticing do you find free shipping? Hopefully, however, it helps to drive home the following point: The NBA has A LOT riding on its Disney Bubbleleague next month. How much, you ask? Well, according to Brian Windhorst, in the range of $1.5 million dollars . . . per day.
From tip to tail—COVID-19 testing, the Disney World rental, housing, food, etc.—the NBA restart is estimated to run Adam Silver and co. a cool $150 million, which doesn’t seem that crazy on paper. If the freakin’ Clippers are worth billions, then this is just a drop in the bucket. But when you break down the operating expenses by day, the absurdity of the circus really comes into focus. It also makes you realize why Silver spoke of finding “mutual respect” for China and accepting that we have a “different view on how things should be done” after reports of the Uighur genocide surfaced this week:
He needs the money to pay for this sh*tshow.
So how much is basketball worth to you? Or perhaps the more pertinent question is how much is basketball worth to ESPN and Sprite? $1.5 million per day seems like a lot of dough just for a giant asterisk . . . until you realize how much the NBA stands to make from their partners if they can put a semi-safe product on the floor (not to mention how much their partners stand to make from the NBA in return). In fact this could end up being the steal of the century for the Association, especially if they get a few more drop outs with families to worry about that they can dock pay from. Here’s hoping that Mickey Mouse doesn’t try to unionize, however. That might break the NBA bank for good.