How charter flights and Tinder helped reduce home court advantage in NBA
If you played on an NBA team on the first night of a road back-to-back around 1990, your schedule went something like this: Game ended around 10:30, after that you showered and grabbed a beer in the locker room (the team provided them), then you and some teammates went out and got a bite to eat, then likely hit up a club looking for some drinks and a one-night stand. You probably left the club at 2 a.m., got to sleep whenever if at all, then at 5:30 a.m. you were on a bus to the airport to catch a commercial flight to the next town. You got almost no sleep before you took to the court for that second game, and you were not going to play near your peak.
Today, right after the game the bus heads to the airport for a charter flight to the next city that lands an hour (or whatever) later. Once there a hotel room is waiting for you. You likely don’t drink anything, and if you’re looking for a tryst you just head to Tinder or another social media app and find one. Either way, you get plenty of sleep at night, plus likely a nap the next afternoon.
Charter flights, Tinder, and guys taking care of their bodies (because of how much money they make) has lessened home-court advantage in the NBA. Tom Haberstroh of ESPN broke it all down in a must-read story for their magazine.
One general manager calls it the “Tinderization of the NBA….”
Indeed, various apps have done for sex in the NBA what Amazon has done for books. One no longer needs to leave home to find a party. The party now comes to you. And lifestyle judgments aside, the NBA road life is simply more efficient — and less taxing — when there aren’t open hours spent trolling clubs.
“It’s absolutely true that you get at least two hours more sleep getting laid on the road today versus 15 years ago,” says one former All-Star, who adds that players actually prefer Instagram to Tinder when away from home. “No schmoozing. No going out to the club. No having to get something to eat after the club but before the hotel.”
Let’s not pretend for a second that NBA players don’t go out and party. They do. Just less than they used to. Along those same lines, you can be sure they find a way to altered states plenty of nights. But they don’t drink like they used to. Alcohol is dehydrating and impacts athletic performance for days after getting drunk. None other than George Karl – who used to drink with players at halftime in the 1970s — said you don’t see near as much alcohol around teams now.
However, the biggest change was chartered flights.
“Home-court advantage was huge because of commercial flights,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers says. “It was the travel. And nightlife was a little different back then. You knew you were staying overnight, but you were also at the airport at 5:30 in the morning.”
Do yourself a favor, go read the entire story.
This season, home teams are winning 57.4 percent of home games, an all-time low and 10 percent less than three decades ago. Players are better prepared to win on the road now than ever before, because they are better rested.
And they’re still finding plenty of ways to have their fun on the road.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35750 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:25 pm Post subject:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married? _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
I'm pretty sure todays athletes are far more focused than say ten or twenty years ago. Part of it has to do with the education that has been passed along that everyone today has a phone and can record and distribute their misgivings to the nearest internet tabloid website. Also there is a lot more money on the line nowadays that any screw up will cost these athletes much more in future earnings. You won't see any NBA players throwing dudes thru a plate glass window.....
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35750 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:09 pm Post subject:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
I'm pretty sure todays athletes are far more focused than say ten or twenty years ago. Part of it has to do with the education that has been passed along that everyone today has a phone and can record and distribute their misgivings to the nearest internet tabloid website. Also there is a lot more money on the line nowadays that any screw up will cost these athletes much more in future earnings. You won't see any NBA players throwing dudes thru a plate glass window.....
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
1. I don't know that hooking up for one-night stands after games affects an athlete's performance. It's not like they're going to work out and study film 18 hours a day, every day.
2. Lots of married professional athletes fool around on the road.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35750 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:39 pm Post subject:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
1. I don't know that hooking up for one-night stands after games affects an athlete's performance. It's not like they're going to work out and study film 18 hours a day, every day.
2. Lots of married professional athletes fool around on the road.
1) Not the having sex part, the fact that they're only getting two hours of sleep because of it.
2) I know. Makes it even weirder that everyone bashed Kobe so hard for adultery once it was determined that he was not a rapist. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Joined: 10 Jul 2009 Posts: 12111 Location: Bay Area
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 6:43 am Post subject:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
1. I don't know that hooking up for one-night stands after games affects an athlete's performance. It's not like they're going to work out and study film 18 hours a day, every day.
2. Lots of married professional athletes fool around on the road.
1) Not the having sex part, the fact that they're only getting two hours of sleep because of it.
2) I know. Makes it even weirder that everyone bashed Kobe so hard for adultery once it was determined that he was not a rapist.
I would like to think the vast majority of NBA players would have enough self discipline to not go looking for hook ups when on a back to back schedule _________________ (bleep) Kawhi
Joined: 18 Dec 2015 Posts: 5234 Location: So what's the uh...topic of discussion?
Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 2:19 pm Post subject:
audioaxes wrote:
I would like to think the vast majority of NBA players would have enough self discipline to not go looking for hook ups when on a back to back schedule
>be young
>much taller than average
>rich beyond a wage slave's wildest dreams, guaranteed $millions even if I stink it up for the rest of the year
>can dunk a basketball
>in the 95th percentile of physical fitness
>guaranteed genital size proportionate to my larger skeleton
>that's 6 forms of elite sexual capital plus I'm (bleep) famous and have my own wiki; I'm a walking cheat code
>should I go out and smash on God mode or get some sleep because coach said he really wants to beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow?
I would like to think the vast majority of NBA players would have enough self discipline to not go looking for hook ups when on a back to back schedule
>be young
>much taller than average
>rich beyond a wage slave's wildest dreams, guaranteed $millions even if I stink it up for the rest of the year
>can dunk a basketball
>in the 95th percentile of physical fitness
>guaranteed genital size proportionate to my larger skeleton
>that's 6 forms of elite sexual capital plus I'm (bleep) famous and have my own wiki; I'm a walking cheat code
>should I go out and smash on God mode or get some sleep because coach said he really wants to beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow?
i get it but its not like they are doing that 365 days a year. _________________ (bleep) Kawhi
Don't forget the honeys also would like to procreate with a rich professional athlete so they can cash in and participate in their lifestyle as well. I would imagine they would like to use a weapon like child support to fund a lavish lifestyle for 2 decades.
Don't forget the honeys also would like to procreate with a rich professional athlete so they can cash in and participate in their lifestyle as well. I would imagine they would like to use a weapon like child support to fund a lavish lifestyle for 2 decades.
And I'm pretty sure most of today's players have figured out Shawn Kemp did not do himself any favors fathering two dozen kids.
I would like to think the vast majority of NBA players would have enough self discipline to not go looking for hook ups when on a back to back schedule
>be young
>much taller than average
>rich beyond a wage slave's wildest dreams, guaranteed $millions even if I stink it up for the rest of the year
>can dunk a basketball
>in the 95th percentile of physical fitness
>guaranteed genital size proportionate to my larger skeleton
>that's 6 forms of elite sexual capital plus I'm (bleep) famous and have my own wiki; I'm a walking cheat code
>should I go out and smash on God mode or get some sleep because coach said he really wants to beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow?
I would like to think the vast majority of NBA players would have enough self discipline to not go looking for hook ups when on a back to back schedule
>be young
>much taller than average
>rich beyond a wage slave's wildest dreams, guaranteed $millions even if I stink it up for the rest of the year
>can dunk a basketball
>in the 95th percentile of physical fitness
>guaranteed genital size proportionate to my larger skeleton
>that's 6 forms of elite sexual capital plus I'm (bleep) famous and have my own wiki; I'm a walking cheat code
>should I go out and smash on God mode or get some sleep because coach said he really wants to beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow?
i get it but its not like they are doing that 365 days a year.
You guys can't be serious?
they travel to cities once a year. forget tinder.. maybe the rookies but after a couple seasons your PM box is already full of:
"coming to NYC next week?"
"having another crazy night in miami this friday?"
blah blah blaah..
so your night in miami happens to be on a back-to-back and you wont return to miami for at least 6months. No you're not getting sleep.
Anyone that travels for work can relate.
But the sex sells the article. It's the flights that make a difference. and the married guys likely facetime/skype if their wives are smart/care about what they're up to. _________________ KOBE!!!
Joined: 07 Jun 2002 Posts: 9674 Location: San Diego
Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:51 am Post subject:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
1. I don't know that hooking up for one-night stands after games affects an athlete's performance. It's not like they're going to work out and study film 18 hours a day, every day.
2. Lots of married professional athletes fool around on the road.
1) Not the having sex part, the fact that they're only getting two hours of sleep because of it.
2) I know. Makes it even weirder that everyone bashed Kobe so hard for adultery once it was determined that he was not a rapist.
It's like fake news. People wanna believe what they wanna believe. Truth be damned! _________________ Never argue with stupid people! They will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience!! - Twain
I'm probably going to get ridiculed for this, but is it really too much to ask athletes getting paid millions of dollars per year to prioritize optimizing their performance rather than just having constant one-night stands?
Also, what if they're married?
Boys will be boys. And if they are married, they are likely even more ex starved.
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