Monday, November 28, 2011
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.
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Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteYour point about the NBA lockout creating hype and interest prior to the season is on target. It was concerning to think about the possibility of no NBA basketball in the United States this year. While this may have resulted in big name players finding teams in other countries, this would certainly have been a huge loss for our country. Basketball has been one of the most popular sports for years. Many businesses would have suffered financial consequences had they not worked towards a deal everyone could live with. I agree with your thought that many players would choose to relocate outside the US rather than give up playing the sport they love. I am personally thrilled that it looks as if they will finalize a deal allowing professional basketball to once again be played throughout the country this year.
Stephen
Looking at the lockout from the younger player perspective, playing oversees was an option because some of them wouldn't have been able to maintain their lifestyles. Unfortunately, one of the major problems young players have is budgeting. Granted the players do make a substantial amount of money but find themselves spending it faster than getting it. I wrote my journal on this topic and the most positive aspect of the lockout was seeing the NBA grow globally. Of course, I would much rather watch the NBA, but a championship oversees would have been fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of your statements about the NBA popularity levels would rise if the players played overseas mainly due to the fact that the popularity level would have no other option but too raise higher due to the fact that other parts of the world haven't had the opportunity to witness first hand the talents of some of these big name players. Furthermore some big name players such as Kobe Bryant would embrace the opportunity to play overseas such as in Italy where he spent a part of his life growing up. However, as Brad pointed out many players that are only a couple years into the league are not financially stable to pick up and move overseas and live their comfortable lifestyle the have become accustomed to.
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ReplyDeleteKelsey,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if that many of the top talents would have taken their talents overseas. Many of the top players have a busy schedule and can focus their time on other aspects besides playing competitively. They played many charity games which raised a lot of money for those in need. I could see more of the mid-level talents going overseas. A lot of them need the money more and can make an impact on a team in another country
Players going overseas would be so different to the game of bball than anything us as fans have ever seen. So many players would go to so many teams across Europe and Asia. These teams have more money to offer than NBA teams and would create a competitiveness that we haven't really seen in the NBA with the recent formations of super teams. It'd be crazy to see Kobe playing with 10 random players we've never heard of (whom are still very good players).
ReplyDelete-Bobby