While the NBA has had the most recent increase in international players, baseball is doing the most to keep their talent coming in from other countries by establishing baseball academies to help train potential athletes. I feel that America is behind in the globalization of sport because they have yet to fully accept soccer, while every other country in world has embraced it. Because of this America will not be able to call itself a globalized country until we realize that soccer is a way to reach other countries in the arena of sport.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Globalization of Sport
The Globalization of sport has been greatly influenced by the increase of the Olympics. The Olympics have always been a world-wide event (obviously) but sports as a whole have been gaining world wide attention from the NBA to the world cup of soccer. Even though there has been the World Baseball Classic the NBA has grown the most as the result of the Olympics as shown through the increase in international players in the NBA. Even though soccer is not too big in the United States, it has seen its interest grown as a result from the world cup. Baseball has already seen its increase in international players and is only going to increase as a result of the popularity of the World Baseball Classic.
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You are probably right about the growth of the NBA being linked to the Olympics. I think the 1992 Dream Team had a great impact on the growth of the international sport, and the influx of international players into the NBA. I also think you are right about the U.S. needing to embrace soccer in order to truly become a participant in globalized sport.
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