How HBCUs Could Revolutionize Sports Media Rights by Borrowing a Page from the NBA’s Playbook
Funny how everyone’s got an opinion on TV ratings these days—especially when it comes to sports. The NBA’s been the subject of relentless chatter online, with fans dissecting every dip and surge in viewership like it’s the fate of basketball itself hanging in the balance. But here’s a curveball: while some cry “decline,” the NBA is quietly orchestrating a multi-billion-dollar media rights symphony, spreading its wings over traditional TV, cable, and streaming giants like Prime Video and Peacock. So, is the NBA really sinking, or are we just not reading the scoreboard right? Now, take that playbook and look toward HBCU athletics—particularly football. There’s a treasure trove of untapped potential, cultural richness, and excitement waiting to be leveraged through smarter media rights deals. Yet, outdated contracts and limited exposure keep these vibrant stories locked away from the wider audience they deserve. When a marquee event like the Orange Blossom Classic gets shuffled off to ESPNU—known to be a viewership dead zone—it’s more than a scheduling quirk; it’s a wake-up call. How long will HBCUs let the media landscape dictate their reach and revenue, when the NBA model screams opportunity? Time to remix the game plan and put HBCU sports in full, well-deserved spotlight. LEARN MORE.It’s always funny when I see people talk about television ratings, especially sports TV ratings. For the past few months, the NBA social media fandom has been obsessing over the rise and fall of NBA TV ratings relative to the matchups that are shown. A lot of people are using the ratings to say that the NBA is in decline because of the style of play or the lack of intensity and things of that sort. A lot of people don’t understand how to look at ratings, and we see it often in NBA conversations.
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