Yesterday, ESPN's stat affiliate Five Thirty Eight posted an article ranking NBA teams by how much web traffic they generated on ESPN.com. The headline and main thesis of the article was that the Golden State Warriors are flying off of the charts in terms of fan interest and page views. Buried in the article was that the Denver Nuggets rank dead last.
This content is no longer available.
The last place ranking in web traffic mirrors the Nuggets last place ranking in attendance and follows a trend of the last five seasons of waning fan interest. This season the Nuggets were one of four teams without a nationally televised game, probably due to data like this that shows the Nuggets just don't draw much interest nationally. Even the lowly 76ers drew more interest.
The dwindling Nuggets fanbase is certain to become a major issue for the organization in the years to come. The Nuggets appear headed in the right direction for a healthy rebuild that may or may not require another season without making the playoffs. We'll see if the continued decline in attendance, tv viewership, and overall fan interest continues to decline or remains near the bottom of the league as the team looks to turn a corner. Fan bases are usually a year behind in terms of what is happening with the team so it might mean that the Nuggets need to make a big splash in free agency or make the playoffs before fans start paying attention again.
This content is no longer available.
