The international growth of Basketball

ChiliPepper · #1 11-06-2009, 03:10 PM

Hey guys, I've found an interesting article about the globalization of sports and notably the popularity of basketball in China.

Here are some excerpts :

The meteoric rise of basketball in China almost certainly means basketball has now surpassed football as the world's leading sport, in terms of the number of active players. The international football body, Fifa, estimates there are 270 million people around the world playing football. Its basketball equivalent boasts 450 million. That again may be an exaggeration, but even conservative estimates put the number at 300 million. The demographics suggest that dominance is likely to grow. One in three Chinese youths plays the sport.

Most importantly of all, the Chinese government declared its intention two years ago to turn basketball into the national game by building a court in every single one of China's 800,000 villages - part of the "sunshine policy" of making its increasingly sedentary population take some exercise.

In his new quarters high above Beijing's business district, Chen reels off polling figures showing that 350 million Chinese people either watch or play basketball.

A statue of Shaquille O'Neal, a star for the LA Lakers now playing in Phoenix, overlooks Chaoyang Park and is 12 metres high, the sort of size formerly reserved for chairman Mao.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...ina-basketball

Basketball has been an established global sport for decades but the scope of growth in China is definitely something new. btw about 20 % of the player in the NBA are foreigners.

jrthebassguy · #2 11-06-2009, 03:17 PM

This doesn't surprise me - from what I understand superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are just as huge in China as they are here, and the NBA makes some serious cash from that country.

Basketball also has a certain amount of flopping involved - I guess that's why Europeans are catching on to to that rather than other American* sports.

*(Yes, basketball was technically developed by a Canadian native, but didn't create the game til after he became an American citizen. Bite it Canada.)

ChiliPepper · #3 11-06-2009, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrthebassguy

This doesn't surprise me - from what I understand superstars like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are just as huge in China as they are here, and the NBA makes some serious cash from that country.

yep and "serious cash" is quite an understatement

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrthebassguy

*(Yes, basketball was technically developed by a Canadian native, but didn't create the game til after he became an American citizen. Bite it)

He was a instructor at a YMCA in Springfield, MA

TrooperFarva · #4 11-06-2009, 03:33 PM

There's a 40 foot tall statue of Shaq somewhere in China?

Ah, China. I once respected thee.

MatticusMania · #5 11-06-2009, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

There's a 40 foot tall statue of Shaq somewhere in China?

Ah, China. I once respected thee.

And I bet his neck is bent from eating too many double decker tacos.

Bob Lee (QSC) · #6 11-06-2009, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrooperFarva

There's a 40 foot tall statue of Shaq somewhere in China?

Yup. Life-size.

Nedmundo · #7 11-06-2009, 04:03 PM

Based on my experiences, I'm not surprised. When I was in China in 2003, I couldn't believe the amount of NBA jerseys, hats, etc. on sale, and I grabbed an Iverson t-shirt for a few bucks. This year, one of my students from China is a basketball fanatic, and he tells me that's not unusual.

Bob Lee (QSC) · #8 11-06-2009, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepper

He was a instructor at a YMCA in Springfield, MA

His name was William Naismith, and he wanted to create a winter activity in the gym, so he mounted a peach basket up high at each end. (The gym had a raised running track around it about 10 feet up.) The original game reportedly didn't involve dribbling or even running with the ball; it was all passing.

The Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum is in Springfield and is really a fun place to visit. It takes about a full day to see completely. Plus, there's a big court where you can shoot baskets as much as you like.

ChiliPepper · #9 11-06-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Lee (QSC)

The Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum is in Springfield and is really a fun place to visit. It takes about a full day to see completely. Plus, there's a big court where you can shoot baskets as much as you like.

Sweet, I hope I can visit it some day. Is it close to Boston ?

Nedmundo · #10 11-06-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepper

Sweet, I hope I can visit it some day. Is it close to Boston ?

It's at the other end of the state, probably a two hour drive from Boston.

Bob Lee (QSC) · #11 11-06-2009, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiliPepper

Sweet, I hope I can visit it some day. Is it close to Boston ?

About an hour and a half drive west of Boston, and about two and a half hours northeast (or about 3 hours by Amtrak) of New York. It's an especially pretty area in autumn.

http://www.hoophall.com/

DigMe · #12 11-06-2009, 10:13 PM

There are some pretty good ballers in China too. I played often when I was there in '96 and still in college. Played a few times in 2001-2002 but not that much. Every school has basketball courts and they are always busy during break times. There were even makeshift basketball courts inside the Forbidden City. They know all the big players and you see a lot of jerseys.

bc