Opinion NBA pitch misses team connect

Hardcore basketball fanatics in India don’t wake up to the rattle of alarms set at 5.30 am because the NBA is some American entertainment behemoth. Team loyalties are the primary,and only,reasons why anyone would tune into the NBA in this part of the world. Hence the NBA’s hard-sell in India over the last few years is missing out on a trick by ignoring this franchise-connect and focussing instead on the umbrella organisation.

The NBA remains an aspirational league for Indian ball players — and there’s no certainty of an Indian poster boy cranking up sudden patriotic interest in the league here in the immediate future. Till then,pockets of fandom will wake up at unearthly hours to follow the fortunes of their chosen franchise — the centrepiece of their hoops passion in this distant league,played at super-human speed and by super-fit specimens. It’s about Heat and Spurs and Lakers and Bulls. At all times. NBA India’s failure to cash in on this loyal ‘team’ fan-base,therefore,remains most curious.

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The NBA has held over 450 events across Indian cities — coaching clinics,ball jams,junior events,and they are even prepping for a fancy song-and-dance-filled 3-on-3 extravaganza in September. They’ve flown down Muggsy Bogues,Steve Smith,Brandon Jennings,Pau Gasol,Dwight Howard,Dikembe Mutombo,Kevin Garnett and Miami’s red-hot Chris Bosh in the league’s ambassadorial capacity.

But what might work better is for individual franchises to launch their own drives. They could look at how the top English Premier League football clubs such as Manchester United,Liverpool and Arsenal have marketed themselves in India — with academies,training opportunities for talented young players,merchandise,even sports bars — in order to extend their already vast fan-base. This in turn has increased the popularity of the EPL as a whole. Maybe,the NBA could nudge the Heat or Spurs to reach out to their distant,loyal and sometimes sleep-deprived fans.

Shivani is an assistant editor based in Mumbai

shivani.naik@expressindia.com