The NBA is one of the most popular professional
sports leagues in our country. The league is currently full of amazingly
talented players with tons of exciting teams to watch. Yet these players
aren’t just NBA All-Stars, they are hugely famous celebrates that are known
worldwide. Through the power of
marketing and mass media, NBA athletes have become bigger than ever. Media outlets such as television, the
Internet, magazines, and video games have been used in many ways to market the
NBA and have had a huge contribution in making NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant
and Lebron James some of the most famous athletes in the world.
Back in the late 1970s, the NBA was not very popular in the U.S and had very low television ratings. However the 1980s brought the dawn of Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson rivalry with the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. In order to hype up the rivalry the NBA began to televise the games between Bird and Magic on national television and the media constantly put them in the spotlight, which brought in more NBA fans and made Bird and Magic some of the most well known athletes in sports. This sparked the age of mass marketing in the NBA. Not only did NBA games become more regularly televised on cable networks, but also major sporting brands such as Nike and Adidas began to revolve advertising campaigns around NBA players to help promote their products to the public. Nike teamed up with Michael Jordan in the 1980s to create Air Jordan, their own line of basketball shoes and apparel using Jordan’s name in the brand and making him the center of all their ad campaigns. Air Jordan has become one of the most popular basketball shoes in the country and now currently sponsors over 21 NBA players. Nike also comes out with different lines of basketball shoes each year and is named after various NBA stars, each with unique designs and features for each player. So not only has marketing NBA players helped increase their fame, but it also has had positive results for companies like Nike in successfully marketing their products.
Due to the ever-growing popularity of the NBA, players have a constant presence in the media. Sports News shows such as Sports Center and other various sports talk shows are constantly covering the NBA. Games are on aired on cable at least 3-4 times a week on channels such as ESPN and TNT. The NBA also has its own network covering the NBA 24/7 even during the offseason.
The NBA has also gotten much more popular in foreign countries such as China and the Philippines. The NBA is one of the most popular brands in China and is the NBA's second largest market outside the United States, generating $150 million of revenue in 2012. NBA commissioner Adam Silver predicts that the league will generate $5.5 billion in global revenue with Asia being a huge factor. Nike and Adidas have sent NBA stars to China every summer to promotional tours, which has made these NBA stars just as big of celebrities in China as they are in the United States. Kobe Bryant in particular is huge in China. He is featured in Chinese advertisements and sells out arenas when he come to play.
The NBA has been around for over 60 years and has seen some amazing talent throughout those years. NBA Hall of Famers such as Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor, who played during the 1960s, may be considered some of the greatest players to play the game. However they played in an era where the NBA was not nearly as big as it is now and never came close to being as internationally known and famous as the NBA stars of the 21st century.
Back in the late 1970s, the NBA was not very popular in the U.S and had very low television ratings. However the 1980s brought the dawn of Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson rivalry with the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. In order to hype up the rivalry the NBA began to televise the games between Bird and Magic on national television and the media constantly put them in the spotlight, which brought in more NBA fans and made Bird and Magic some of the most well known athletes in sports. This sparked the age of mass marketing in the NBA. Not only did NBA games become more regularly televised on cable networks, but also major sporting brands such as Nike and Adidas began to revolve advertising campaigns around NBA players to help promote their products to the public. Nike teamed up with Michael Jordan in the 1980s to create Air Jordan, their own line of basketball shoes and apparel using Jordan’s name in the brand and making him the center of all their ad campaigns. Air Jordan has become one of the most popular basketball shoes in the country and now currently sponsors over 21 NBA players. Nike also comes out with different lines of basketball shoes each year and is named after various NBA stars, each with unique designs and features for each player. So not only has marketing NBA players helped increase their fame, but it also has had positive results for companies like Nike in successfully marketing their products.
Due to the ever-growing popularity of the NBA, players have a constant presence in the media. Sports News shows such as Sports Center and other various sports talk shows are constantly covering the NBA. Games are on aired on cable at least 3-4 times a week on channels such as ESPN and TNT. The NBA also has its own network covering the NBA 24/7 even during the offseason.
The NBA has also gotten much more popular in foreign countries such as China and the Philippines. The NBA is one of the most popular brands in China and is the NBA's second largest market outside the United States, generating $150 million of revenue in 2012. NBA commissioner Adam Silver predicts that the league will generate $5.5 billion in global revenue with Asia being a huge factor. Nike and Adidas have sent NBA stars to China every summer to promotional tours, which has made these NBA stars just as big of celebrities in China as they are in the United States. Kobe Bryant in particular is huge in China. He is featured in Chinese advertisements and sells out arenas when he come to play.
The NBA has been around for over 60 years and has seen some amazing talent throughout those years. NBA Hall of Famers such as Oscar Robertson and Elgin Baylor, who played during the 1960s, may be considered some of the greatest players to play the game. However they played in an era where the NBA was not nearly as big as it is now and never came close to being as internationally known and famous as the NBA stars of the 21st century.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/business/international/nba-looks-to-asia-for-next-growth-spurt.html?_r=0
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