Sports Betting Articles
Is the NBA a Fan Favorite?
By: Matthew Paolini
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 seemingly presumes its fans' undiminished affection for the sport, a relevant question remains is the NBA as well-liked as in previous years?
The quoted attendance statistics answer that it is. By most standards, the 2005-06 season was a rousing success. The league finished the season with the highest average attendance in history and the highest total attendance, surpassing the previous records in 2004-05. The average attendance of 17,558 fans per game surpassed the 2004-05 record of 17,314 fans per game, and the 1995-96 average of 17,252. The most official recent total attendance record of 21,595,804 eclipsed the previous record of 21,296,497 established in 2004-05, and the 1995-96 total of 20,513,218 fans buying tickets to regular season games. Overall, NBA stadiums were filled to 91.4 percent capacity.
NBA Commissioner David Stern, when asked about the league's increase in popularity said: "Our attendance record is further evidence of 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 authoritative commissioner of any major U.S. sport, Stern garnered the #1 spot on the 2006 Sporting News "The Power 100" survey.
The game of basketball has tremendously increased in popularity around the globe during the last two decades. The league now has 11 offices in cities outside the United States, and during the 2005-06 season sent programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages, according to NBA.com. League games now reach 3.1 billion viewers worldwide, and branded products are sold in more than 100 countries on six continents. The second-largest market after the U.S. China.
Reflecting the internationalization of the sport, opening night team rosters for the 2006-07 season featured a whopping 83 international players from 37 countries and territories, barely surpassing last season's 82. Twenty-eight of the 30 teams have at least one international player. With a total league roster of 440, international players account for a full 19 percent.
So, it looks like that the NBA is moving smartly in the right direction as the league continues to expand around the world, drawing young would-be ballplayers from all corners of the planet. One would hardly be faulted for predicting that the number of international players will continue to grow 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 inquiry posed in the article title, as it turns out a large number of fans all around the planet 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.
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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