The major stakeholders in the expansion and growth of basketball in Europe met recently in Switzerland. FIBA, Euroleague, and NBA were all in attendance at the meeting in Geneva. The aim was to discuss the plans to grow the sport of basketball in a continent that has struggled to embrace the sport. The NBA has seen a vast number of players emerging from Europe who have dominated the NBA. The Europeans have a different skill set than their American counterparts and are a hot commodity in the NBA overall.
Why have the European countries struggled to embrace the sport of basketball?
One major hindrance in the European acceptance of basketball has been the vastly different cultures around the sports entertainment world. In the United States, a sporting event is seen as a customer-based experience, with the emphasis on the entertainment and overall grandeur of the spectacle. The Europeans have a slightly different approach.
While basketball is growing in Europe, the fans find it hard to reconcile a loss for their favored team with the high ticket prices. Leading to limited game attendances and support for teams. This creates a problem for the NBA and other organizations to market the sport effectively in those countries. Nobody wants to pay top dollar just to watch their team lose.
However, the biggest problem by a mile for the NBA has been the fact that Europe has a high number of countries in a small geographical area. And every country has its own broadcasting agencies that want exclusive rights to broadcast their local games. Creating an environment that is difficult for the different broadcasting companies to navigate. Not to mention the fact that they are attempting to compete with soccer, which is the most popular sport in the world.
What have the NBA, Euroleague, and FIBA been discussing at this meeting?
The NBA has plans for Europe. They have stated that they aim to create an NBA for Europe of sorts. Yes, we know that the Euroleague is their version of the NBA; however, the teams in the Euroleague have been experiencing year-on-year losses equating to millions of dollars. So the major stakeholders in the sport have met in Switzerland to discuss some possible solutions.
If the NBA were to establish a league in Europe, like they did in Africa with the Basketball Africa League, the teams in the Euroleague would have to pay a joining fee in order to compete in the new league, something that will surely not sit well with the Europeans. However, when one considers how much money the Euroleague is hemorrhaging at the moment, it could only benefit their bottom line.
The biggest and best players in the NBA are not Americans. One wonders if stars like Luka Doncic or Victor Wembanyama would have made the move to the NBA if there were a European league that offered them the same financial rewards that the NBA does. Regardless, the stakeholders in attendance have stated that the overall mood was positive and discussions are ongoing.
Will the Europeans finally embrace the sport of basketball?
The sport of basketball is growing in Europe, as is evident with the rookies in the NBA this year. The NBA is the pinnacle of the sport and offers huge financial rewards for the top players in the league. The discussion taking place in Geneva between the NBA, FIBA, and the Euroleague is evidence that the NBA is not content with just America. They want the whole world to embrace basketball. With players who have played on both sides(Tony Parker) giving their valued opinions, we can only hope to see some sort of NBA league appearing in Europe soon.
