Have you ever been a basketball lover? You should know that the National Basketball Association dates back to the early 90s. It is the most popular basketball league in the United States and in the world.
It is one of the few sports with a huge fan base of around 2.3 billion worldwide, comprising of both male and female gender. Generally, the NBA contributes around $10 billion in annual revenue.
Basketball is considered a male dominated sport due to its physical nature just like football and soccer. The growing interest in the game has forced this league to be the most watched sport in the world.
We will share some reasons for the popularity of the NBA, which even impacted the chances of winning the NBA Finals.
That being said, let’s get started!
Global reach
The NBA is a diverse league with players from various countries around the world. It also has fans all over the world and its global reputation has made it such a rich league.
The rise of superstar player Michael Jordan propelled this league to world tier status. The NBA saw Michael’s growing popularity in the 90s as what was needed to be a dominant league on the world stage of basketball and world sport. This prompted the league organizers to continue to promote themselves internationally to make it happen.
Additionally, the Olympics is another major sports platform that promotes basketball. When NBA stars perform on the world stage, it gives basketball fans reason to tune in and watch NBA games.
Shorter lead time
Football has been America’s favorite sport for some time, but the game is too long compared to basketball. In a world where things tend to move fast with the help of technology and social media, spending more than three hours watching the football match to the end seems tiring.
Basketball, on the other hand, only takes two hours to complete; it’s exciting to watch due to its end-to-end nature.
This exceptional factor tends to attract new spectators to the basketball game, especially in the 18-49 age bracket. Tickets to basketball games are selling out easily, citing an example from last season where 95% of the entire ticket was sold, with 741 stadiums sold out.
Branding
When it comes to branding, the NBA does more than other sports. The league markets its star players, making them household names. Endorsements are major sources of revenue for players as they add value and make leagues and players marketable.
This league attracts top companies such as State Farm, Verizon, and other popular technology companies such as Microsoft as sponsors. Big companies want to associate themselves with the NBA brand because they see it as profitable. Not only does the NBA serve as a means of generating revenue, but it also contributes to the rich portfolio of the league.
Additionally, the NBA dominates the seasons with events such as Christmas Day matchups and quality opening nights. The NBA also gets high ratings in the playoffs.
Rating
This is one of the reasons for the popularity of the NBA. First, the gameplay and the scoring system make basketball the most successful league among other major sports.
Consistent scoring in the game makes the NBA quite exciting to watch. Here, the action is constant, which makes it more different from other sports. The latest trend is three-point shooting. In most games, teams score at least 100 points each.
Generally, the scoring system and the priority given to offensive performance make the NBA very popular.
Athletics
Some of the sportiest players in the world are NBA players. They are considered world-class athletes proven in the end products, with their wild and exciting moves in almost every possession. Basketball players sprint, juke, jump and shoot the ball falling backwards.
No other sport can compete when it comes to physical activity in the game of basketball. The physical nature of the game is much more different from other sports. Players can be physical in the form of supporting another player, taking a foul, and a few others. In post-season football games, the physical game tends to be heightened, making it the most exciting to watch.
Conclusion
Every basketball player wants to join the NBA compared to other leagues in the world. It is undoubtedly the premier basketball league in terms of quality, endorsements, and salaries paid. The few reasons given above should make you realize that the NBA is the most popular league in basketball.
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