The NBA is going back to Mexico. Should they stay there?

Posted on May 26th, 2009. Written by Emmett Jones.

Hola! Que Tal?

The NBA is headed to Mexico, for a pre-season game of EPIC proportions!  Well, maybe not epic, but two of the leagues, better than average teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers will vie for Mexican preseason greatness, in Monterrey, on October 18th, 2009.

The game marks the NBA’s 18th trip into Mexico, and the first trip back to Monterrey since the classic Warriors/Nuggets Monterrey battle in 2006. (Yes, that one. I know you remember it. The teams were scoring baskets and stuff, and playing defense)

All jokes aside though, this idea of “basketball in Mexico” still goes back to the NBA trying to expand its market. Everyone and their mom has to realize by now that the NBA, along with every other sport, is trying to globalize itself.  In fact, a little over a year ago, there was talk about the NBA expanding into Europe,

The current idea would be to create five new teams in major markets to form a “European” division within the NBA. The teams would play the full 82-game schedule and compete for the NBA championship. But the proposal is new and many factors will influence the eventual outcome, the league source said.

Why not go to Mexico instead?  Mexico wouldn’t have one of the larger hurdles you’d encounter with a European NBA (namely, travel all the way to Europe), and it seems like a more natural fit to use American commercials/advertising propaganda with our neighbors to the south.  You also would encounter less of the politically-charged, old-world basketball federations which seem to exist all over Europe.  The issue that would still be encountered, of course, is whether or not the market can sustain an NBA franchise (remember when the Sonics were in Seattle?).  Sure, you may sell out one pre-season game, but can you sell out 40 regular season home games and 10 other preseason games as well?

If David Stern is hell-bent on expansion, and he is, why not spend the marketing and advertising dollars on Mexico first, instead of immediately crossing the ocean to get to Europe or China?  Doesn’t it just make more sense to build a successful model in your back yard before you travel down the street to your friend’s house to try to impress him with something that may or may not work?  And, on the other hand, if the experiment fails…why not fail close to home, in an effort to possibly save some money?

The NBA…where expansion happens. Well, maybe…if we can get people to come to the games on a regular basis and spend their money….then, yeah, expansion all the way.

(It’s amazing…so amazing…so amazing…so amazing…)

Sports Business Digest — 2014 NBA All Star Game to be held in Frankfurt, Germany

1 Responses »

1. 

   SportsCardGirl

   July 26, 2010 • 10:16 am

   If there would be a decrease for the players, it might have great impact on them and their performances is at stake. I hope that the passion would still be there.
   Regarding the declared lost, there might something wrong. But i still don’t want to judge. Lets just hope that this will be settled and hope that the life of NBA will still remain.

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