Emergence of Yao Ming as a starting point of globalization of NBA Han Si Hun(Jake)

Emergence of Yao Ming as a starting point of globalization of NBA

Han Si Hun(Jake)

             Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian are all players who fit this topic and bring to mind the new global face of the NBA. These players are from China and they have led to a new trend of globalization in sports. Economics are often the crucial point of globalization as the World Bank defines it as “the integration of growing economies and societies around the world”. [1] It is also important to look at the cultural side of globalization though, as another organization classified it as “a rapid increase in cross-border social, cultural and technological exchange”. [2] Mostly, An economic view on globalization ignores the cultural benefit, coming loose a negative light on globalization and even causing America to be viewed as imperialists. However, there are situations in which globalization has benefited both America and the foreign country involved. This is mainly related to the globalization of sports, specifically in the NBA. While whether the NBA is a positive model of globalization remains to be seen. However, for the past fifteen years in the league provide a good example of how economies and cultures can come together in a positive way.

Before we go on, let’s see how much the international players have been raised in the NBA. The 20 foreign-born athletes on NBA rosters in 1989 can be seen. Fifteen years later, the 2004-2005 NBA season saw an unbelievable 81 international players, a rise of over 300% in only fifteen years, as the graph above shows. These international players now make up over 20% of the NBA. In 2012, it even rises to 84 players of international players that are stepping foot on the NBA court. Significantly, If you see the graph carefully, the 2002 can be told as a starting point of rising of international players in NBA. [3]

NBA draft in 2002 is a fundamental historical event that leads to the globalization of NBA. First reason is that when the Houston Rockets drafted Chinese 2.29m Yao Ming as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft, it ensured many peoples’ belief that globalization will be the future of the NBA and with the selection of Yao Ming and it really did a lot of impact on globalization of NBA.

Second, due to Yao Ming’s draft in the 2002 NBA draft, China rises as a crucial point in the globalization of NBA. For the first time a Chinese star was in the spotlight of the NBA and as a result Yao Ming became a world-renowned celebrity and the new face of the NBA and globalization. As a result Chinese interest in basketball became an all-time high and so a new market was born for the NBA. Even though Yao Ming was not the first international player to play in NBA, he definitely was the biggest influential international player ever because he opened up a new market like no players had ever before.

             As a result of the ever expanding globalization of basketball, the NBA has hardened its spot as the third most popular sport in the world only next to football and baseball. World viewership is at an all-time high with over 1 billion viewers and as you can see the graph, it takes over the spot of MLB. It has been estimated that over 1 billion viewers, 300 million viewers per week watching NBA games on television, it can be said that China has become something of a basketball-crazed nation.[4] The NBA has had great success in developing strategic partnerships in China. Over 290 games are broadcasted on Chinese TV per year and NBA related content can be readily found online on Chinese websites. This means that giving the open bow to admire the Chinese most amazing former NBA superstar Yao Ming. He became the reason why 30 million Chinese people watch the NBA each week. He had helped to make China the biggest market for the NBA outside the U.S. The NBA made a total of $2.3 billion worth of profit on the Chinese market. The emergence of Yao Ming brought the spring board of the china market of NBA. The league also launched NBA.com/china, a comprehensive internet website, written entirely in Chinese. [5]

In cultural side of impact, Yao’s success in the NBA is largely believed by Chinese to have reduced negative racial stereotypes of Asian men in Hollywood. No longer are Chinese described as short, smart, and academic. We could additionally predict that other nations will put a similar burden on their own future NBA stars. Not only are they playing for themselves, but also the betterment and progress of an entire nation.[6]

As you can see Yao Ming as tremendous affect to the world, it means that NBA can affect not even just America, but the world. Only just 10 years ago, NBA belonged to America, but now I think NBA belongs to the world since the emergence of Yao Ming.

Reference

1. World Bank. “Globalization - the Growing Integration of Economies and Societies Around the World”. Article Base.(2006). Retrieved from http://www.articlesbase.com/article-marketing-articles/globalization-the-growing-integration-of-economies-and-societies-around-the-world-47206.html

2. ASED. “Asia-Europe Dialogue on alternative political strategies.” 2005. ASED. 

 (25 Oct 2005). Retrieved from  http://www.ased.org.

3.Interbasket. “Record 84 international players as 2010-11 NBA season opens”. Interbasket.(2010).            Retrieved from http://www.interbasket.net/news/7229/2010/10/record-84-international-players-as-2010-11-nba-season-opens/

4. Brad Friedman. “Growth Spurt”. NBA.(2012) Retrieved from http://www.nba.com/fedex/eng/china.html

5.Netease sports.Yao retired effects to show NBA’s $ 2.3 billion market in China hit _ NetEase sports.Two entertainment network.(July.14.2012) Retrieved from http://erji.yu-le-xiu-xian.info/?p=3024

6. Wang, Chih-ming. “Capitalizing the big man: Yao Ming, Asian American, and the China Global.” Inter-Asia Cultural Studies 2004, Vol 5 Number 2, 263-278.