Pop Culture of the game of basketball in global context.
...e first professional league was formed in 1898, and even women got into the game before 1900. The game of basketball’s popularity grew and spread throughout the United States very rapidly. Now it is a world wide game. It is not uncommon for teams in the United States (be they collegiate or professional) to have major players from other countries. Many of these European players have made a career playing in the NBA and have had a huge influence on the game itself. Names like Tony Kukoch, Detlef Schrrempf and Rik Smitz have become household names (those who even partially follow the game are familiar with these names). Here in the United States we have the NBA, the elite of basketball, the professionals. We also have the WNBA; the women are making quite a name for themselves and play in the summer months so we actually have year round basketball. We also have the CBC, which are the minor league basketball teams. Players on their way up or down (like Bo Kimbal) are usually found in the CBC. Then there is the European League. Often former and future NBA players can be found in the European league. With the growing popularity of basketball over the years it has spilled over into European countries and is on the rise there. An example of this is the European Basketball Championships. In the event held in 2001 there were only seven players who played in the NBA. In 2003 the total rose to 17. That is an increase of 143%! (Simpson, 2003). It is not uncommon for NBA players to join the European Basketball league. Thurl Baily of the Utah Jazz has played in European Basketball. The NBA has recruited some very strong players from Europe. Among these are: Tony Kukoch, Detlef Schrempf, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic, just to name a few. In future years there will be more major players that have come from foreign nations, both professionally and in the collegiate arena. (Simpson, 2003) Why has the NBA turned to international players that have been trained in the foreign leagues for their future prospects? This is because they often have skills developed more thoroughly than American players. They seem to have had a better development of the fundamentals, form and follow-through than many American players. (Bonnell, 2003)) “There is no doubt that the NBA is superior to every other basketball league in the world by a huge margin, but it is still a margin that is decreasing. Who could have thought that a German team containing one of the top NBA players in Dirk Nowitzki could be beaten comfortably by a Lithuanian team, whose names are about as well known as they are easy to pronounce. The talent is constantly developing and if the NBA can keep itself easily available in Europe, and all around the world, then it should not be long before an enormous talent pool exists that stretches to every corner of the globe.” (Simpson, 2003) The NBA isn’t the only organization tha...