This past week the NBA kicked off it's preseason games in an array of countries as the Orlando Magic played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Shanghai, China. The new and improved Boston Celtics played the Toronto Raptors in Rome, Italy, which was a part of the Europe Live tour put on by the NBA. In addition, the Minnesota Timberwolves played an variety of European teams in different European countries, including a team from Turkey. Although this might only be the pre-season, consumers are starting to realize to global possibilities that the NBA has started to explore.
Basketball is arguably the one sport that has taken off across the globe, even though some argue it's lost its luster here in the US, it is the fastest growing sport in China, and has seen some significant promise in Europe. No sport has shown the same global success as basketball and no league has shown as much global promise as the NBA; some may argue that soccer is the world's most popular sport, and I wouldn't disagree, but I would argue that basketball is not far behind especially with all of the marketing efforts being put behind the NBA in the international market. Soccer, unfortunately, even with David Beckham playing for the LA Galaxy has never reached it's expectations in the US, and the NFL folded it's NFL Europe League and as much as commissioner Godell wants to have the Super Bowl played in Europe, the sport will never attract the same passion from it's fans in Europe as it does from consumers in America.
The NBA just recently announced it's new subsidary, NBA China, that will be owned by the NBA and a few other parties. This should come as no surprise as China has a market that is on the rise, and was the second largest grossing country for the NBA last year only to the US, generating $50 million in revenue. This move makes a great deal of sense and I applaud David Stern for taking the initiative to explore this market
It will be interesting to see what road the NBA takes in this current expansion and how successful they actually are, but that question can't be answered till years down the line. It is obvious that the NBA will most likely be the first league to incorporate a team that does not call a North American city home. If the international appeal of the NBA can continue to grow, it should not surprise anyone that the NBA could potentially be the best International professional sports league.
3 comments:
I feel NBA Global Expansion is an excellent idea. I don't know if the league is ready for teams from each continent to play each other yet, maybe in the future. An idea like NBA China similar to what the NFL Europe was would be a good start. Something like this would only help the increasing foreign talent the NBA already has.
I too believe that the NBA's expansion across the globe is a terrific idea. Not only will this provide for a new source of entertainment in other nations, but it will enable countries to become closer to one another. From a marketing standpoint, the NBA is certainly taking a giant step forward in promoting the sport and the brand. I admire Stern and can't wait to see the results of such a bold move.
I agree that this is a good move on Sterns part, the NBA has great potential overseas. There's already evidence that there is a great passion for basketball in Europe and Eastern Asia, unlike American Football. The Dolphins game played in London was just a stupid idea, which is why decisions involving other countries must always be carefully examined. I feel like this is a good expansion and as long as they don't rush their expectations they'll be destined for success.
Post a Comment