THE GLOBAL EXPANSION MODEL
NBA LONDON MLB LONDON
Over the last ten years the NFL (National Football League) has
set a precedent for any American sport aiming to cross the
pond and expand into Europe. Hot on the NFL’s heels are the
NBA (National Basketball Association) who set out to cement
themselves in the UK market in 2011. Again, the time has come
for the NBA to light up the capital for yet another year as the
New York Knicks play the Washington Wizards, giving
Londoners a game to look forward to. For the British basketball
community it is always a delight, for seven years now the
annual New Year treat of seeing two stateside teams duking
and dunking has gripped the nation. Major League Baseball (MLB) is another American sport
looking to follow in the footsteps of the NBA and NFL. Despite
its roots in the US, baseball has struggled to cross the Atlantic
into Europe. Since 1996 the league have staged international
games and now have regular-season games in Mexico, Puerto
Rico, Australia and Japan.
The NBA have been making a push to expand its global reach
by playing overseas games for decades. The league is another
American rooted sport which has adopted the global
expansion model, reaching out to a new set of fans in Europe.
In the early days the league mostly focused on the Chinese and
Japanese markets but in 2011 it made a dual push into Europe
and Latin America.
So the real question is, are the British warming to the NBA?
And without a doubt the answer is a resounding YES. The pre-
sale tickets for January’s game went live during October and
sold out within thirty minutes. Seats can still be purchased
through third-party ticket websites such as Stubhub where
where back row seats are on sale for a whopping £340 each –
6 times the face value price! With large amounts of money
being spent on tickets, fan’s expectations will be high for
January’s game. However at the moment the Knicks and the
Wizards are currently rooted to the bottom of the American
Eastern Conference table.
There is a huge potential for the NBA to improve their product
by increasing the number of games in London and selecting top
tier Basketball teams with high caliber players. Adam Silver,
Commissioner of the NBA, has hinted that they could open the
door for Champions- League style mini-tournaments against
Europe’s top clubs. With room for further expansion it’s an
exciting time for the NBA!
Now 20 years after setting out on their global adventure, the
MLB is now ready to take the next step. It’s preparing to host
it’s first UK fixture in London. In 2019 the MLB plan to take over
the London stadium, home to West Ham and originally built for
the Olympics in 2012. This may be ground breaking for the
MLB, but as we know other American sports have been doing
this for years! Which leads us to ask, what will set the MLB
apart? Culture.
As part of the 12 month build up to the game the MLB have
launched a project called 108, the number believe it or not
reflects the number of stiches on a regulation baseball. The
108 project is set to bring a slice of American culture to the UK.
Celebrating and highlight the diversity of baseball, creating its
own mark and introducing an experience that appeals to a new
type of fan. This month the MLB hosted a free zine (magazine)
and a live music night at Mick’s Garage in Hackney Wick geared
towards the young millennial market.
First impressions are everything and the league have defiantly
taken note. The MLB will be bringing arguably their most
recognizable franchises, the Yankees and the Red Sox to
London in a top of the AL East table clash. With their sleek intro
video on their website featuring London born grime artist Loyle
Carner its seems the MLB is set to make a huge impression in
June with its ‘Old rivalry, new ground’ campaign. This week
Mitel, have been named as the MLB’s first title partner for the
next two years.
Will the UK audience warm to the sport? Your guess is as good
as ours. One things for certain, we’re on the long list of
Londoners looking to buy tickets.