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 Posted: Wed 14:02, 04 Sep 2013 Post subject: Basketball in Britain-spun2 |
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Basketball in Britain,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani (7) is defended by Johan Petro in a 116-103 Nets win at O2 Arena in London, England. (Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images) Don't sweat it NBA. So there weren't many stories - make that NO stories - in most of the 13 daily papers you can buy in London in the leadup to the two-game series between the Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets.
The NHL didn't fare any better when it held a couple of regular-season games here in 2007 between the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, and the NFL didn't exactly monopolize the sports pages back in October when the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers played at Wembley Stadium.
I often use the "London Taxi Driver Test" to gauge interest in these things. I took one of the iconic London black cabs back from Canary Wharf on Thursday night after catching up with a few of my old NBA colleagues. I asked the driver if he was a basketball fan,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
"You gotta be jokin' mate," he said in a thick East London accent. "It's all football here, innit?
"Spurs [Tottenham,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], not San Antonio], that's my team,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], that's what I follow. There's too much scoring in basketball."
What about American football or hockey or baseball or any of the other North American sports,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I asked. He quickly rattled through the usual response that you'll receive from most Brits towards those sports: American football? Not enough action; Hockey? Can't follow the puck but the fighting is good; Baseball? Not as good as cricket.
There you have it. In terms of British interest, there isn't much of it.
However,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], general interest and press coverage may not be the best way to measure success. Sure, getting minimal coverage from the British press and drawing a blank stare from most Londoners when you ask them whether or not they are aware of the NBA being in town is a drag.
But it is worth noting that all of the above mentioned events have been - or are in the midst of being - big successes at the box office. Ticket sales for the two NBA games have been excellent,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with 18,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],689 fans on hand Friday and Saturday's game reportedly close to a sellout. ex-pats in Britain - most of them living in Greater London - and,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], crucially for the NBA, countries with more of a basketball culture - Spain, Italy, France - are well connected to London through frequent and cheap flights.
"It's close to home,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Raptors point guard Jose Calderon, a Spaniard. "So a lot of my friends and family are going to be here.
"It's a lot easier for them than going to Toronto,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. I think it's exciting and a good thing for us to do."
'A bit of an experiment' I met a couple from Spain in Central London on Friday and the man had a Jose Calderon jersey pulled over his sweater. They had flown in from Madrid to make a weekend of it. People like them are the biggest reason why the NBA, NHL and NFL are so attracted to London for their out-of-country experiments - you can come and operate in an English environment and still have the rest of Europe at your doorstep.
"A franchise in London isn't out of the question within the next decade,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said. "The world changes so quickly and part of the reason we're here now with these regular-season games is a bit of an experiment.
"We want to see how the players react to the travel,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], how they react travelling back to the United States … see what the market is for ticket prices and television rights for these games. There's a lot to look at, but we're hopeful."
Two well-attended games,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a little coverage in the European media and a nice break from the usual mundane road trip for the staff of both clubs - from their perspective and regardless of the fact that the two games haven't managed to capture the attention of the average London sports fan, coming across the pond to dip a toe in the water has been a worthwhile exercise for all involved.
Kyle Turris scored twice and Craig Anderson made 31 saves Monday as the Ottawa Senators shut out the Florida Panthers 4-0 in their home opener of the lockout-shortened season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
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