On the 6th October 2009 the Chicago Bulls took on the Utah Jazz in a pre-season game held at the O2 Arena. I was at the game and was slightly disappointed.
The first reason was that there was no Derrick Rose, which was nobody’s fault really.
The second reason was that the game had a pre-season feel to it, trying to do the right things instead of entertaining the crowd. Which in a showcase of your sport, you should try to do.
I read that some of the players went to watch Arsenal’s 6-2 victory over Blackburn, I’m sure they are taking back great reviews of the English Game. On the other hand they did also watch Chelsea vs Liverpool, which wasn’t so great.
This does lead me to the third reason, over the teams selected to play. I understood Chicago, two Brits (when chosen, Gordon has now left), rookie of the year Rose, and the lasting effect of Michael Jordon on Chicago Bulls’ popularity.
But the Utah Jazz? No real fan base in the UK, no outstanding talent. The only objective for the NBA in Europe should be to sell the game. Maybe a game like Cavs vs Magic would have been better with LeBron and Carter on show. You’d be slightly embarrassed if the Premiership took Bolton and Blackburn over to America to showcase football.
The game was closely fought but lacked flair and failed to capture the imagination. The buzzer-beating winner (I’m not sure he actually beat the buzzer) masked an all together average game. The sad fact was that many in the crowd showed signs of boredom.
In sharp contrast to the NFL games at Wembley, the crowd was on edge for the majority of the game and there was general interest throughout. This might be a credit to Wembley Stadium, but I think the main reason came behind the fact that it was a regular season game and everybody felt like they were watching something real.
It was funny watching the highlights back, as it was quite telling that every time there was a block or a shot made the crowd would applaud, the severity of which would determine how impressed they were. Compare that to the American crowds jumping out of their seats when something impressive happens.
I like the idea of Team USA having a warm up game here next year, but even then the mood will be quite serious and without the intensity.
My suggestion would be to have the All-Star Weekend in the UK. It is a fun filled, entertaining product, which doesn’t have an effect on the regular season, yet it still matters. Most importantly, it gets the very best of the NBA under one roof.
The process of igniting a big interest in a particular sport could take generations.
Bear in mind that the sports schoolchildren participate in, determines the popularity of a sport in a particular region of the world.
Even if the whole NBA came, I think the impact would dwindle away quickly.
The Premier League thrives in Asia, I can not say for sure if the popularity comes from the non-playing public, but there must be a intersection. Basketball itself is a sport which lends itself to a fanbase to the non-playing public as it is quite clear that it is a 6 foot plus club. The NFL product had 80000 at Wembley two years in a row and is set to do the same this year, the fan base is growing.
I expect the local leagues to grow in popularity, but not to the extent to which it can compete. The task of growing UK’s talent pool will be much tougher than growing the UK’s fan base. It was an objective of London 2012 to do the former, but I have my doubts.
80000 “fans” two years in a row is a good start, but how much is that to do with novelty and how much about genuine interest in NFL?
The most interesting thing about the NFL games are that the players geniunely like playing in the UK. The problem over it being a regular season game doesn’t seem to matter, and in a 16 game season you’d think it would be a bigger deal. The players have reported that the atmosphere is like the Superbowl and teams are lining up to play in the UK. My bet is that the fans will oblige.
Basketball has the same problem here that soccer has in the States – the game is played, but there is too much competition from more popular sports. I just don’t think there is room for mass affection for another sport here. Basketball is not new – I remember you could watch highlights from top UK matches on Grandstand back in the day, plus Harlem Globe trotter tour matches, and that didn’t ignite it either, so what’s different now? nothing, I’m afraid.
Good point.
I think particular sports are somewhat woven into the fabric of a society.
It takes something special to change that, e.g if USA won the World Cup but even then football may not become popular in USA
The slow resurgence of the NFL in the uk has shown that these sports do have legs, it will come in cycles. I think a massive promotion around playoffs time can get interest going. Imagine a campaign led by Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and D-Wade…If you don’t know basketball you probably just said “who?”
But the sport has got a real clutch element to it which is similiar to the Champion’s League. So given the right promotion, people will watch a couple of games, and my bet is that many would enjoy it.
Perhaps an attack on college basketball during march madness would be better as it is more open and exciting.