How about a thread to talk about basketball for all the basketball lovers out there. I want to make it NBA specific partly b/ I want to discuss some things I see wrong with the league as of late.
I’d have to say that my number 1 grievance so far, highlighted by frequent visits to NBA.com is the uncensored admiration by the nba organization to shove and promote the Los Angeles Lakers. Yes, if you’ve noticed this too you’ll know that it started at the beginning of this decade (and what a better time to talk about it than now (twenty ten (2 thousand ten)). It can be argued that the Lakers are the most valuable team in the org. but to what end does this seemingly enormous commercial expansion and promotion extend to.
When talking about that however all the blame should not be placed on the NBA itself, b/ lets face it the NBA runs like any other company does with a product; it follows demand. In my opinion I think the demand side of the NBA has plummeted greatly over this last decade, following the rapid globalisation of western culture. The NBA has fans all over the world now, from the Philippines to China and Great Britain. In the face of commercialism these fans are clinging to certain individual products and one in particular who overshadows any professional athlete in the world except for Tiger Woods. That cyclonic force is known as the Black Mamba: Kobe Bryant; my new enemy. Its nothing personal between me and Kobe, he was one of the players I emulated my game from, I liked his on court swagger and cool hairdo in 2001 but I wasn’t a scumbag like some today. I had my team; the SacTown Kings and I was real enough to admire the actual game of basketball not just one ‘superstar’ where I’d buy his jersey and clap every time he hit a shot. Now you have kids buying Kobe shit, thinking Kobe is better than LeBron, thinking Kobe is basketball and the NBA. Its like if Kobe’s not in the Finals; there isn’t any finals. These kids don’t appreciate the TEAM, they buy the merchandise because some poster boy is affiliated with it.
Listen I know that every since Michael Jordan picked up an NBA Spalding that NBA commercialism has been through the roof. MJ created the player franchise. Fuck Steve Franchise. But MJ delivered, he was the best at what he did. In a year where Kobe isnt even the best in the league (3rd next to 'Melo and LeBron) people are saying hes the best in the league.
Kobe is still great but he isn’t promoting basketball.