Will the NBA Finals spark a new UK following?

Chris Cox assesses the impact that the recent NBA Finals have had on UK interest in the NBA.

Asking the questions: how popular are both the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs?; and, will we see more of an interest in the NBA from UK fans as a result of increased NBA coverage?

How popular were the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs in the UK, prior to the NBA Finals?

In true Hollywood fashion, Miami are all about the superstar, complete with star names – specifically LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – that are recognisable to both the casual and dedicated basketball fan. The two superstar players even transcend the game and are known to those who don’t actively follow the sport.Miami are a very polarising team, with many fans objecting to the way in which the Heat were brought together. If nothing else, this has helped create an interest and spark fan interaction on social media, which may not have existed without the showbiz formation of the Big 3. There seem to be as many fans online that want to see the Heat lose as there are people who want San Antonio to win!

You won’t see any Harlem Shakes in the Spurs dressing room; there aren’t too many guys in San Antonio worried about their online presence. As such, since they’re not the most glamorous team, the Spurs don’t have the international cache that teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat now garner.

How has the increased media coverage of the Finals helped expand the UK audience?
UK-based fans have better access to NBA action than ever before, with the Finals broadcast live on Sky Sports and ESPN and streamed live on the web, via the NBA’s International League Pass. No longer do fans on this side of the Atlantic have to settle for online write-ups and two-minute highlight packages.

The British basketball blogging network is increasing all the time, with excellent unique NBA content that is being read by an ever-expanding domestic audience. Twitter and other forms of social media have allowed once isolated members of the basketball community to join forces and discuss hoops. On more than one occasion, over the last week, the NBA Finals have trended on Twitter.

The casual British sports fan has never been more exposed to the game, with access to some of the most talented and explosive athletes in the world. NBA basketball is made for TV, it’s 48 minutes of pure entertainment. I’ve no doubt that as a result of the increased media coverage, surrounding the NBA Finals in the UK, the association has picked up many a new UK-based hoops fan!

Will we see more interest in the NBA in the UK?

It’s an exciting time to be a basketball fan in the UK: in the past year we’ve had excellent showpiece events including the BBL, Olympics, Euroleague Final Fours and of course the NBA Live events.It appears as though the world’s leading basketball organisations, leagues and teams are intent on exploring the UK market. Perhaps a change of branding could help: American sports are often perceived, by large sections of the UK public, as being slow, with excess advertising and a ridiculous amount of stoppages. NBA basketball can at least dispel the former concern! Of course, making tickets to the NBA Live events available at prices which the regular basketball-loving public can afford and not reserving the best seating for corporate parties would also help to increase interest in the sport at ground level.

Getting more people involved and playing at the grassroots level is key to the NBA’s growth in popularity, as players’ interest will naturally gravitate to the pinnacle of the sport. The latest participation figures for basketball, released by Sport England, revealed a 16% increase in the number of people playing once-a-week over the past twelve months (172,300) with an increase of 9.5% in those playing monthly (301,000) – which can only be a boost for the chances of increased investment.

Continued British involvement in the NBA will also help to sustain and increase the popularity of the league. Luol Deng, of the Chicago Bulls, has done wonders for the sport, and the recently drafted Joel Freeland, of the Portland Trailblazers, will be hoping to have a similar effect. If more players can break into the NBA, interest will follow.Ultimately, the NBA is already a highly polished, glamorous, entertaining product that is ready to be shipped across the pond to the UK. It’s growth on UK soil will largely depend on the media’s willingness to continue to broadcast games live and to replay the action during peak time slots.

NBA in the UK is on the way up and the Sky’s the limit to its potential reach.

Listen to me talk about the subject on Sky Sports Radio.