Thursday, December 17, 2015
Why the NBA is the best run sports league
Just hear me out, okay? I personally feel that the NBA is the best run and most beneficial of the four major American sports leagues. And yes, I have reasons. Soccer is the world's most popular sport, but the NBA has also become a global league. The NBA has had two Canadian franchises: the Vancouver Grizzlies (who have since moved to Memphis) and the Toronto Raptors, who unlike some Canadian franchises in American leagues have a strong and passionate fan base as well as a good roster. Players like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have brought national attention to the league, and NBA games are televised in all corners of the world. If you don't believe me, read this: 70 percent of NBA-related social media traffic comes from outside the United States. Other dominant sports leagues simply do not have the global reach of the NBA: the NFL still remains unpopular in other countries, the MLB statistically receives most of its viewers from the US, Japan and South and Central America, and European Soccer still doesn't have a consistently strong audience in the US (most only watch European Soccer during the world cup). And foreign countries don't just produce viewers. They produce players. Of the past 15 NBA MVP awards, 5 have been given to players who were not born in the US, and foreign players like Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Pau and Marc Gasol (Spain), Yao Ming (China), Ricky Rubio (Spain), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia), and Steve Nash (Canada) have been some of the most exciting, talented, marketable, and admirable players in both recent and past years. The NBA doesn't have issues with steroid use like the MLB because basketball a game that requires athleticism and also incredible skill, so pure strength doesn't give you too much of an advantage. The NBA has some issues with foot and ankle injuries (especially in 7-footers), but it doesn't have the issues with injuries or violence that the NFL and NHL are criticized for. The last thing that I think sets the NBA apart is that Commissioner Adam Silver and the league are always looking at different ways to make the game better; they fix problems when they come up and they don't cling to tradition. This post is not made to berate the other leagues; I enjoy football myself and even baseball and hockey to an extent. I personally feel that the other leagues, mainly the NFL (Roger Goodell cough cough deflate gate cough cough domestic violence issues cough cough) could learn something from the way the NBA operates.
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I will have to disagree. Although I am a fan of the NBA before any other sport, I believe that the NFL is the best run sport in the world. For one, it has dominated a day of the week, something that no other sport can. On top of that, despite the controversies regarding concussions and domestic violence, the NFL has still managed to rake in millions of dollars. It is not only a very successful industry, it has gained a strong reputation as perhaps the most legitimate sports league in the world, from sponsors for each individual team to the maintenance of every public even associated with it. As great as the NBA is, there are still some places where its legitimacy falters, especially in low-market cities.
ReplyDeleteI think you have exagerated the global outreach of the NBA in comparision to other sports. You mention how the NBA has had two non-US franchises, well so has the MLB, and the NHL has 6! Also maybe NBA MVP means something else but as far as I can tell, in the last 15 seasons the only 2 non-americans to win NBA MVP's are Nowitzki and Nash. Im not sure how you found those other names. That being said, you main arguement is that the NBA is the best run organization out of the major U.S sports and I would have probably agree with you. The NFL is a complete joke, and the MLB has a rampant steroid problem. Apart from the Donald Sterling inncident a few years ago, you rarely here about problems with the NBA. That's a good thing.
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