Do Fans Still Favor the NBA?
With a hip slogan that assertively states, "I Love This Game!" the National Basketball Association (NBA) has a lot to live up to. While the league apparently presumes its fans' undying affection for the game of professional basketball, a relevant question remains is the game as well-liked as in previous years?
The official attendance numbers answer positively. By most measures, the 2005-06 season was a rousing success. The league finished the season with the best average attendance in history and the top total attendance, surpassing the previous records established in 2004-05. The average attendance of 17,558 fans per game bested the 2004-05 record of 17,314 fans per game, and the 1995-96 average of 17,252. The 2005-06 total attendance record of 21,595,804 eclipsed the past record of 21,296,497 established in 2004-05, and the 1995-96 total of 20,513,218 fans going to regular season games. Overall, NBA stadiums were filled to 91.4 percent capacity.
NBA Commissioner David Stern, when asked about the league's growth in popularity said: "Our attendance record demonstrates the extraordinary connection that exists between players and fans, and we are thankful for our fans continued support and passion for the game."
Rated as the most powerful commissioner of any major American sport, Stern garnered the #1 place on the 2006 Sporting News "The Power 100" survey.
The sport of basketball has erupted in popularity around the globe in the last 20 years. The league now has 11 offices in locations outside the United States, and during the 2005-06 season sent out programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages, according to their official Web site. League games now reach an audience of 3.1 billion viewers globally, and branded products are sold in more than 100 countries on six continents. The second-largest market after the U.S. China.
Reflecting the global aspect of the game, opening night team rosters for the 2006-07 season featured a league history best 83 international players from 37 countries and territories, marginally surpassing last season's 82. Twenty-eight of the 30 teams employ at least one international player. With a total league roster of 440, non-U.S. players account for a full 19 percent.
So, it seems that the NBA is headed in the right direction as the league continues to gain more fans around the world, drawing young would-be ballplayers from all corners of the planet. It seems fully in keeping with the current trend to predict that the number of international players will continue to expand for the foreseeable future. Along with more participants from different locales will naturally come more national interest from the people in those places.
In answer to the query posed in the title, as it turns out a multitude of fans all around the globe would indeed say, "I love this game!"
Matt Paolini is a Tampa, FL-based consultant for the Citybook Online Yellow Pages. He specializes in city-related business research.
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