Is the NBA Scripted?

The NBA is one of the most popular basketball leagues in the world. Featuring some of the best basketball players in the world, the NBA is in the business of entertainment, providing both casual and avid fans alike an outlet to watch some of the greatest basketball plays, players, and dynamics.

However, it has long been asked just whether or not the NBA is scripted. That is, fans and skeptics alike have long wondered whether or not the NBA is fake and whether or not the NBA, and its games, championships, and dramas, are scripted and pre-planned.

Below, we are going to look into just whether or not the NBA is scripted and fake and discuss just why the NBA is not fake nor scripted.

What is a Scripted Sport?

Many fans and skeptics wonder whether or not the NBA is scripted. Looking to professional wrestling, these fans and skeptics wonder whether or not the NBA follows a similar formula, looking to capitalize on drama and controversy for additional revenue.

But, just what is a scripted sport?

When discussing whether or not the NBA is scripted, it’s important to step back and understand just what a scripted sport is.

A scripted sport, as with the example of professional wrestling, is a sport that is pre-planned and staged for a certain outcome.

That is, the NBA owners and league management would pull certain strings and levers to ensure a favorable outcome and one that would increase the leagues overall revenue.

And, as with the example of professional wrestling, a scripted sport is one that looks to capitalize and take advantage of certain fan favorite plays, players, and teams. By ensuring a certain outcome, scripted sports are able to ensure fan engagement and participation, whether via success, failure, or controversy of a certain player or team.

Why Are Certain Sports Scripted?

As mentioned above, certain sports are scripted. In particular, it has been long known that professional wrestling, via the WWE, is fake and scripted, with the management team planning and directing the outcome of the show.

But just why are some sports scripted?

In general, some sports are scripted as a means to appeal to their fanbases. With many fans expecting and hoping for a certain outcome, those management teams are typically happy to provide them with those outcomes.

Similarly, within some scripted sports, there is a greater appeal towards entertainment than athleticism. And while we won’t deny the physicality involved in professional wrestling, it is, overall, appealing to a fanbase looking for entertainment over athleticism.

And lastly, some sports are scripted due to the risk of injury. With many sports having a higher probability of injury, scripting the show and the game leads to a safer working environment for the players and fans alike.

Is the NBA Scripted?

Throughout the history of the NBA, casual and avid fans alike have wondered whether or not the games are scripted. For many fans, the NBA appears to run a near-perfect league, one that must be scripted and pre-planned.

However, the NBA is not scripted nor is it pre-planned. The games, players, drama, and outcomes are all real and are direct outcomes of natural occurrences of the sequence of events of the game.

For the league and its franchise teams, the NBA is simply a professional basketball league and one that is decided on the court, with players athleticism, skill, and ability determining the outcome of the games.

Why Isn’t the NBA Scripted?

While for other sports leagues which are scripted, determining the outcome of the games helps to ensure a certain level of engagement from fans and helps to avoid serious injury, the NBA has opted, since its inception, to not be scripted or pre-planned.

And the reason for this is because the NBA values the integrity of the league and the trust of its fanbase.

If it were to be found that the NBA is scripted, the league would suffer an immense amount of backlash and criticism from avid and casual fans alike.

In addition, if the NBA was scripted, there would be a mass exodus of fans, many of whom enjoy the games due to the fact that, really, anything can happen.

A top seeded team can lose to a lower seeded one and a great player can play poorly. A team with poor prospects for the season can make a comeback and a superstar assembled team can disintegrate. These unknowns make the NBA an interesting league and one that attracts fans of all ages.

And lastly, the NBA is not scripted due to the sheer difficulty in scripting the games. Due to the basic rules of the game, from shooting the ball, to grabbing the open rebound, to making the difficult outlet pass, the NBA would simply be unable to control the flow and outcome of the games and what happens when the players set foot on the court.

NBA Referee Scandals

While the NBA is not scripted nor is it pre-planned, there has been one notable controversy surrounding an NBA referee attempting to manipulate the outcome of the game.

Dubbed the ‘2007 NBA betting scandal’, it involved the NBA accusing a referee, Tim Donaghy, of using his knowledge and relationships between other referees, players, coaches, and owners to bet on NBA games.

The accusations by the NBA were eventually admitted by Donaghy and he would plead guilty to two federal charges in relation to the investigation. This admittance led to a 15 month sentencing with three years of supervised release.