Commissioner Knows Best
David Stern was typically vague in his comments yesterday about the NBA’s expansion out of the United States and into cities in Europe, Asia or perhaps even Africa, but did profess his belief that the fan-base is there. Sure, there’s still work to be done — such as creating new arenas — but if the 13,000 Taiwanese citizens who left their jobs making cheap yo-yos to watch the Nuggets vs. Pacers last night is any indication of foreign interest in the game, Stern isn’t wrong.
“We’re going global, bitches!!”
But does the NBA really need another developmental league? If watching a Grizzlies vs. Clippers game these days is the opposite of fun, watching those teams’ foreign D-League squads could actually qualify as punishment. What’s the draw for a foreign-based team that’s a third-tier development squad? Maybe DJ Mbenga could be a superstar for his hometown team, the Brussels Sprouts, but any tech savvy Asian teenager is going to choose to watch highlights of LeBron and Kobe on Youtube for free.
Similar to the leaders of EuroDisney, NFL Europe and the many other American entertainment products that have failed to go global, Stern seems steadfast in his belief that foreigners are dumb enough to be happy with a half-assed product tagged with the NBA insignia. But this time, knowing Stern’s track record, he may not be wrong…
Category: Basketball