#360Business: Why the Middle East remains an untapped market for the NBA

Steve Brenner 08:54 16/03/2015
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    Soccer may be the global game but the NBA are trailblazing towards their very own version of world domination. 

    The suits who run the National Basketball Association see themselves representing a sport which is undoubtedly the second most popular team pursuit behind those who prefer to kick the ball rather than throw it through a hoop.

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    Of course, the number of cricket lovers on the sub-continent will beg to differ. Yet one only has to look at the global outreach of basketball and its NBA devotees to realise what a monster commissioner Adam Silver has on his hands.

    During All-Star weekend last month, an estimated 1,800 members of the media were accredited with vast swathes of TV, radio and print journalists descending on the Big Apple from all corners of the Earth. Europeans were out in force, yet considering the popularity of basketball in Spain, Greece, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and France, it was no surprise.

    Indeed, the Germans are second – behind Australia –  in most sales of the NBA’s all-encompassing TV League Pass which gives the viewer access to all live matches. For the Spaniards in particular, the sight of two of their very own – Pau and Marc Gasol – becoming the first brothers to start against each other in the annual jamboree, was rightly the cause of much celebration.

    Hakeem Olajuwon (L), Kobe Bryant (C) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (R) have all made charity visits to Dubai over the last five years.

    Yet what of the countries – like those in the Middle East – who have a passion for basketball without the professional infrastructures which have helped create the likes of the Gasol brothers?

    Well, according to Benjamin Morel who is the NBA’s senior vice president and managing director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, they care about everyone.

    Great news indeed for Dubai and Abu Dhabi fans and players alike.

    Mirrored by Silver’s forward thinking approach in an organisation whose stars installed Michele Roberts as the first ever female players association chief , the NBA  is desperate to build on its fanbase by ensuring the next generation embrace the game like never before.

    School leagues have already been created in the UK with great success. And, soon enough, a similar plan will be unleashed in the ‘untapped’ area of potential of the Middle East.

    “Every region is important to us but particularly in the Middle East,” Morel told Sport360. 

    “We have a great relationship with our TV partner beIN Sport which covers the Middle East and French market. They are very important partners for us and are  doing a tremendous job in producing NBA content for us. 

    “It’s a region where we want to do more. There is a great appetite for basketball, in some countries indoor sport is very popular because of the climate but we would say it is an untapped opportunity. It is a region we are looking very closely at. 

    “So while we are still working on trying to get an in-season or pre-season game to those areas, for us, it is imperative that we ensure content is readily available. Whether it is through digital platforms, social media, YouTube is a  key priority as is merchandise.

    “Because it is so simple, how do we work with the local NBA stakeholders on junior programmes? We have such agreements in France, Spain, the UK, Slovenia, we are talking to many other markets. We want to expand so the NBA, together with the strength of its brand and the existing programmes that have the reach to get to hundreds of thousands of kids we can make a real difference.”

    A junior league involving 30 schools in London was introduced in October 2014 which saw 11-12 year-old’s do battle for the chance to compete in the finals which were staged before the New York Knicks took on the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the Global Games staged at the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

    “The t-shirts are bit long but they are having a great time, “ Morel insisted.  

    “Now let’s try to go to Manchester, Birmingham, other cities in the UK, Athens, Barcelona. We want to introduce the common action of just bouncing the ball. It is such an easy game to get, it’s not complicated. 

    “Kids get it very quickly. If we can force participation through the appeal of the NBA, we are happy to partner with anyone. Some markets’ club system are stronger than schools. Doing it in India which shows that every country is different. It’s a global platform with local implementation.

    "Everyone wants a game. If we can find the right time, we will definitely consider it" – Morel on holding a pre-season game in the UAE

    “Dubai and Abu Dhabi are key areas for us and the governments are very much behind fitness, healthiness, there are key messages to be put out there. The plan is ongoing but there is an opportunity for us to do great things there. Nothing has happened as yet but we would love to do it.”

    As the questions flew around the table at the NBA’s gloriously memorabilia filled HQ just off Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, one theme recurred with great frequency: When will you bring a match to our country?

    In 2011, Duke University – led by US Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski and featuring soon-to-become NBA players Austin Rivers and Mason and Miles Plumlee – played in Dubai while the UAE over the last five years has seen charity visits by NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kobe Bryant. 

    At present, in-season games take place with huge success in London and Mexico – the last at the O2 between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks sold out in the blink of an eye – while pre-season contests have been fought out in China, Brazil and beyond. Will Dubai be welcoming the likes of LeBron James and Russell Westbrook any time soon?

    “There is demand from every single country so I wouldn’t rule it out,” added Morel. “Everyone wants a game, everyone wants to see it. If we can find the right time we will definitely consider it.

    “The teams love it. It’s a great experience for them, certainly in pre-season where they can use the trip to get to know the other players etc. It gives them an idea to see just how popular the game is outside North America.

    “For the first time this year we will be doing a charity game in Africa. It is the start of a key initiative for us. Merchandising is booming too. Last year we had a 65 per cent increase on our year sales which is unprecedented. 

    “Perhaps one aspect which held back the development of basketball a few years ago, was that you needed good buildings. It’s a game which offers the best seats in the world of sports. And now there are developments all over the world. These are exciting times.”

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