NBA: still minor in the UK?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most reputable and biggest sports organizations in the world with the highest percentage of fans living in the US. Besides the more local fans that avidly watch every game, the number of fans around the world has also skyrocketed, especially after the initiative of the sports organization to build the brand across Europe and in the UK. It is not surprising that the North American basketball competition has gathered millions of supporters and avid followers considering the fact that basketball is still minor in Europe and the UK after football. In fact, professional basket in the UK comes after football, cricket and rugby, so as far as the winner of the battle for popularity is concerned, basketball occupies a small role. However, if the number of people attending to a local basketball game is insubstantial, the tickets for NBA matches held in London get sold out immediately, not to mention that the NBA shop is raided before the games by supporters that wish to create a great atmosphere and support their favourites. Winning over British fans is not accomplished just through extraordinary games and legendary players, but also through carefully organised marketing campaigns.

It is almost painful to compare the level of professionalism and talent between NBA players and the local basketball teams, but this is only because this sport is not practiced as much in the UK, not to mention that all great basketball players in the world strive to play in the NBA, so even the few local stars prefer to play on bigger stages. The attempt made by the National Basketball Association to raise the popularity of this sport in the UK is not without fruit. Starting with organising matches between colossal basketball teams in London, which are a pleasure to watch no matter how many times you would choose football over basketball, the NBA has launched a long term campaign to popularise this beautiful sport across Europe. If the success of the campaign can be measured by counting the number of NBA jerseys sold in the past year, you could claim that indeed NBA and basketball in general has become a hotter topic in the UK than in the past. However, the interest for the local team is still dwelling and basketball players from the UK are not optimistic about their chances of winning over a large public considering the fact that football is almost a religion in this country.

Nevertheless, the NBA has started its campaign under the impression that UK is a market capable of helping them to grow the brand. Whether this wish will become reality remains to be seen, but the start is promising. The first games played outside the US by the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors in London were big hits and this result in not surprising considering the fact that these two teams can pull out a show easily. Basketball is an exciting and interesting sport, so NBA marketing seniors are playing all their cards on the fascination this sport can exercise over people.

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