Michael Jordan‘s announcement on Tuesday that he will return as an NBA
player this season was being hailed by NBA officials and NBC executives
alike. “The outlook for NBA TV ratings this season brightened,”
Broadcasting & Cable magazine observed on its website. TV
audiences for the hoop contests have dwindled since the 38-year-old Jordan
retired as an active player in 1998.
With ratings down and advertisers
retrenching generally, the NBA had faced the prospect of having to lower its
demands for a contract renewal next year. Broadcasting & Cable
quoted NBA Commissioner David Stern as saying of the Jordan
announcement, “In these difficult times, we can all use a little more joy in
our lives.”
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