It wasn’t too long ago that the prevailing thought in the NBA was that players needed to end up in New York or Los Angeles to get the kind of television exposure they needed to cash in on endorsement deals.
While it’s still true that playing for the Knicks or Lakers will get you on national television regardless of how good your team actually is, there has been a bit of a shift in how this all works. The NBA is a perfect social media sport because a lot of action can be packed into short clips and shared. The NFL is much more popular than the NBA in general, but the NBA has nine million more followers on Twitter, and 72 million on Instagram. The NFL has 25.1 million.
Whenever a basketball player does something awesome, his face is always clearly seen on the reaction shots and in replays, making him clearly identifiable. This is partly why Russell Westbrook became a megastar while in Oklahoma City, or why Ja Morant is rapidly ascending into favorite player status for kids everywhere. It’s leveling the playing field.
Still, there's nothing like being on television to enhance that social media following. Kids want to see the players whose clips have been filling their feeds. And the more times a player is on TNT or ESPN, the more chances he’ll get to have his highlights truly go viral. There's also nothing like national television exposure to help build a player’s resume.
The Celtics will find their way onto national television for 45% of their regular season games, putting them on screens around the country and the world much more often than usual. The Celtics are not only a big market team, they are clearly viewed by the league as championship contenders this season, and the league is trying to capitalize on that combination to draw in the national ratings.
On top of that, the Celtics have a very marketable young star in Jayson Tatum. He is sought after by advertisers, and he’s been very willing so far to put his face on major products. He was a first-team All-NBA player last season, which makes him a player to watch heading into this upcoming season’s MVP race.
The added national exposure could be a boon for Tatum on a personal and professional level. Not only does this mean he could be up for more endorsements, he will be seen by more voters for things like All-NBA and MVP.
Tatum has been a notoriously slow starter to seasons, even noting himself that if he started last season better he might have been an MVP candidate. That knowledge, plus the added eyeballs, could push Tatum to emphasize a better November.
With the Celtics flat-out saying a better start to the season is a priority, this could be the little something extra that pushes Tatum into a more focused opening run.
It could also be something that pushes Jaylen Brown, who has incentive to make an All-NBA team. He will enter free agency in two years, and if he makes an All-NBA team before then, his next contract can start at 35% of the salary cap instead of 30%, and Boston can offer five years at 8% raises versus four years and 5% from other teams. After what ended up being quite a team-friendly contract, Brown can really cash in.
He’s also trying to build a brand, using his celebrity to push his “Juice” line of apparel. He recently signed a marketing deal with Kanye West’s agency, and the additional television exposure will certainly give him a platform to show that off and sell some merchandise.
This is where some of you are rolling your eyes and saying “focus on basketball,” but players have outside interests that don’t interfere with the game. There can be some reason to worry that Tatum and Brown will push the team goals aside to focus on their individual stuff, but this is where Ime Udoka comes in to keep the team on message.
As immediate contenders this season, there is an expectation of winning. Udoka has already proven that he will call guys out if they start to run counter to that expectation, but there should be one very strong message from the beginning: winning benefits everyone’s goals.
If Tatum and Brown go off on their own in pursuit of their individual goals at the expense of the team, they and their precious brands will suffer. Greedy individual basketball won’t fly, not with the fans, not with the voters, and certainly not with their coach.
However, winning, especially in these marquee national television games, will brand these guys as stars leading their team to another Finals run. You know, the proverbial rising tide and whatnot.
If the Celtics can keep winning while Tatum and Brown personally benefit from all the national TV exposure, then everyone will have a lot of incentive to keep this wagon rolling for as long as possible. From the owners spending money, to Brad Stevens in the front office, to the players and the coaching staff.
There's a unique opportunity in front of these Celtics. There is a combination of talent on the court, on the bench, and in the front office that could make this a special run. There are outside factors that could make it a lucrative one for the players, too. There's a delicate balance to all of this that could change things in a blink, but there's a real chance for sustained greatness here for everyone if they do it right.
This topic was discussed on the latest Locked On Celtics podcast. You can check it out below, or by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts.