NBA Lockout effect on the globalization of Basketball

Until recently, the idea of an NBA season this year was very unpromising.  Just a few days ago, a proposed deal was reported that the players union and the administration agreed on the season starting christmas day.  Although this is not a definite deal (to my knowledge), it has sparked hype about the season and gave NBA enthusiasts something to look forward to.  Prior to this promising deal, I started to think about the future of the NBA players if they did not have a season here in the United States.  If big name players such as Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James were to "take their talents" to other parts of the world, would this globalize the sport of basketball at an exponential rate?  I believe if big marketed players were to play on teams oversees, there would be no doubt about the increase in population of the sport in other countries.  This would give Europeans/Asians the opportunity to see elite talent in person in their own backyard for a fraction of the price that is charged in the NBA.  Not to mention, many players would have no choice but to reside in the country in which they are playing, which would increase tabloid coverage, which in return would increase popularity.  Although NBA players would have not been forced to play somewhere during the lockout, I believe many of them would choose to do so in order to stay in shape and play the game they love in order to prepare for upcoming seasons.  However, now as it looks as if the lockout will finally come to a close, the opportunity of globalizing the sport exponentially is looking as it is slipping away for now.

Disembarkment of Icons- Gretzky and Beckham

The last two classes were held online via blackboard, with the topics of discussion including Wayne Gretzky and David Beckham leaving their home countries to play sports in the United States.  I found it very interesting to learn how much of a gut-wrenching and heart-breaking event the Gretzky trade was in 1988.  As one of the few canadian teams in the NHL, Edmonton had become head over heals for Canada Native and superstar Wayne Gretzky.  In fact, the whole country flourished with his success on the ice and felt a sense of pride that "one of their own" played at such an exponential level from his competitors.  After breaking numerous NHL Records and winning 4 Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, Canadians were heart broken to learn that Gretzky was to be traded to an American NHL team, the Los Angeles Kings.  This trade could be in comparison with the more current Lebron James migration to Miami, however, Gretzky was seen as more of a victim and praised for his accomplishments.

At the time of the trade, David Beckham was one of the most household soccer names in the world.  He was a very good looking and physically appealing male athlete with a celebrity spouse (former spice girl {popular American vocal group in 90's}).  These attributes made him a very popular star to recognize by name and face, even in the United States where soccer was not flourishing.  Therefore, I believe the MLS picked up David Beckham in order to try and increase interest in the sport.  At first, there was a lot of media hype and brief coverage of LA Galaxy news.  However, the hype wore off quickly, due to Beckham being injured and not able to play when he came to LA.  In my opinion, this put a huge damper on what could have been a deciding factor in the MLS success.  If more companies would have endorsed Beckham in advertisements, maybe interest would have sparked more even when he was not playing.  However, I don't remember Beckham being in many big name commercials for a long period of time.  I think the idea was great, however, it did not play out due to the lack of interest and bad timing of injury.  Beckham was past his peak in his soccer achievements.  It would have been better for him to just finish his career over in Europe where he was a cultural icon and beloved by many.