After NBA ratings have cratered to all-time lows, NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league will make changes next year to remove social justice messages.

In an interview with ESPN, Silver said the NBA will leave it to players to make their social justice statements off the court, and cater to viewers who say, “I’m on your side, but I just want to watch a basketball game.”

“The NBA has certainly been the most visible billion-dollar organization championing social justice and civil rights. As you noted in your press conference the other day, though, that has not been universally popular. How committed are you to being that going forward?” asked ESPN’s Rachel Nichols.

Silver responded, “We’re completely committed to standing for social justice and racial equality and that’s been the case going back decades. It’s part of the DNA of this league,” but, he added, “How it gets manifested is something we’re gonna have to sit down with the players and discuss for next season.”

“I would say, in terms of the messages you see on the court and our jerseys, this was an extraordinary moment in time when we began these discussions with the players and what we all lived through this summer,” he said.

“My sense is there’ll be somewhat a return to normalcy, that those messages will largely be left to be delivered off the floor. And I understand those people who are saying ‘I’m on your side, but I want to watch a basketball game.”

While coronavirus could account for some viewers tuning out, it’s clear the NBA commissioner knows virtue-signaling on the court is also a big factor.

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