Krangodnzr
Captain of Team Conner
Global game
Will foreign-born players bring U.S. fans back to the NBA?
Posted: Monday June 30, 2003 2:50 PM
There were so many international players in last week's NBA draft that it was almost impossible to follow the proceedings without an atlas at the ready. (Darko Milicic, the No. 2 overall selection, is from Serbia and Montenegro? Is that anything like William and Mary?) Commissioner David Stern and his minions are no doubt thrilled with the increasing globalization of the league, and the beaucoup bucks from overseas fans that comes with it.
Though Argentines may be wearing San Antonio Spurs jerseys and sales of Dallas Mavericks gear may be booming in Germany, the popularity of the NBA here in the U.S. is on the wane, as indicated by those Discovery Channel-sized TV ratings for the Finals. General managers don't care if their shooting guard is from Pittsburgh or Poland, but the guess here is that a significant portion of the U.S. public does, even if it's subconsciously. It's hard to believe that importing foreign-born players is the best way to recapture the attention of American fans.
If nothing else, the new international flavor of the league is setting up a fascinating sociological experiment: What is more important to the American sporting consumer -- race or culture? Clearly, some fans have been turned off by the urban, hip-hop, go-for-the-dunk-and-damn-the-fundamentals feel of the predominantly black NBA. Will those people like the league better if it's populated by more Caucasians whose names they can't pronounce? If Antoine Walker and Jermaine O'Neal don't suit your taste, will you really prefer Zarko Cabarkapa or Sofoklis Schortsanitis?
The subtext of all the complaining about the NBA's new generation of stars, the Allen Iversons and Rasheed Wallaces, is that mainstream (read: white) America just can't warm up to African-American men with tattoos and 'do rags who scowl as often as they smile. The question now is, will those fans be more receptive to European players who are more similar to them in appearance but are worlds apart culturally? Sports such as hockey and soccer have spent decades trying to recruit more U.S.-born players in the hopes of drawing more attention from American fans. The NBA seems to be going in the opposite direction
The flip side of the issue is that the NBA has been capitalizing on its cool factor for years. If it hasn't been able to hold the interest of the businessman and the soccer mom, it has at least attracted their children, especially those who identify with inner city youth culture. But no matter how good a player someone like Milicic becomes, it's hard to imagine that a teenager in, say, Chicago will ever turn as many heads walking down the street sporting Darko's signature sneakers as he would in a pair of the latest Tracy McGradys.
Coaches may find it refreshing to deal with foreign players who haven't been pampered since grade school because of their basketball talent the way many American NBA stars have, but the league may discover that those individuals don't carry the street cred that keeps younger fans tuning in.
There's no longer any doubt about whether players from other continents are good enough to play in the NBA. Stars like Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic have answered that question. The issue now is whether those guys can help the league reconnect with American fans. If they can, it will be a strong indication that the popularity of the NBA is as dependent on the complexion of the players as it is on the quality of the play, and that's not the answer anyone is looking for.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button topic every Monday on SI.com.
Will foreign-born players bring U.S. fans back to the NBA?
Posted: Monday June 30, 2003 2:50 PM
There were so many international players in last week's NBA draft that it was almost impossible to follow the proceedings without an atlas at the ready. (Darko Milicic, the No. 2 overall selection, is from Serbia and Montenegro? Is that anything like William and Mary?) Commissioner David Stern and his minions are no doubt thrilled with the increasing globalization of the league, and the beaucoup bucks from overseas fans that comes with it.
Though Argentines may be wearing San Antonio Spurs jerseys and sales of Dallas Mavericks gear may be booming in Germany, the popularity of the NBA here in the U.S. is on the wane, as indicated by those Discovery Channel-sized TV ratings for the Finals. General managers don't care if their shooting guard is from Pittsburgh or Poland, but the guess here is that a significant portion of the U.S. public does, even if it's subconsciously. It's hard to believe that importing foreign-born players is the best way to recapture the attention of American fans.
If nothing else, the new international flavor of the league is setting up a fascinating sociological experiment: What is more important to the American sporting consumer -- race or culture? Clearly, some fans have been turned off by the urban, hip-hop, go-for-the-dunk-and-damn-the-fundamentals feel of the predominantly black NBA. Will those people like the league better if it's populated by more Caucasians whose names they can't pronounce? If Antoine Walker and Jermaine O'Neal don't suit your taste, will you really prefer Zarko Cabarkapa or Sofoklis Schortsanitis?
The subtext of all the complaining about the NBA's new generation of stars, the Allen Iversons and Rasheed Wallaces, is that mainstream (read: white) America just can't warm up to African-American men with tattoos and 'do rags who scowl as often as they smile. The question now is, will those fans be more receptive to European players who are more similar to them in appearance but are worlds apart culturally? Sports such as hockey and soccer have spent decades trying to recruit more U.S.-born players in the hopes of drawing more attention from American fans. The NBA seems to be going in the opposite direction
The flip side of the issue is that the NBA has been capitalizing on its cool factor for years. If it hasn't been able to hold the interest of the businessman and the soccer mom, it has at least attracted their children, especially those who identify with inner city youth culture. But no matter how good a player someone like Milicic becomes, it's hard to imagine that a teenager in, say, Chicago will ever turn as many heads walking down the street sporting Darko's signature sneakers as he would in a pair of the latest Tracy McGradys.
Coaches may find it refreshing to deal with foreign players who haven't been pampered since grade school because of their basketball talent the way many American NBA stars have, but the league may discover that those individuals don't carry the street cred that keeps younger fans tuning in.
There's no longer any doubt about whether players from other continents are good enough to play in the NBA. Stars like Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic have answered that question. The issue now is whether those guys can help the league reconnect with American fans. If they can, it will be a strong indication that the popularity of the NBA is as dependent on the complexion of the players as it is on the quality of the play, and that's not the answer anyone is looking for.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor writes about a Hot Button topic every Monday on SI.com.
