31
Jul
2010
Business and the NBA Basketball leagues
There are the cynics that say that it is all about money. Then you get some unique sports people that remind us that sport is a lot more than the business models that have been used by the entrepreneurs to make money from sport. It is this mixture of opposing objectives that is now running the NBA Basketball system. When you want Durant at the very top of his powers you can see that he is really determined to win. It is not some sort of cynical plot to extract funds from the unsuspecting fans. Rather it is the utter commitment to the game by a professional that is determined to do the very best that he can in order to help his team to a win. That is the noble side of the NBA Basketball league. It is the reason that people pay good money to see the games. If that side is lost then the league will cease to have meaning for those that supported it for a very long time.
Each time might also have this sort of spirit that rescues NBA Basketball in the eyes of the public. For example you can see how hard Oklahoma City has worked in order to maintain its position in the series. That is a lot more than getting money. They have put together a team that is committed to the goal of winning and so far the indications are that the strategy is doing very well indeed. When they meet the Lakers the old rivalries come back and we see the contests that make NBA Basketball what it is. Of course at the end of the day they will share the spoils of the ticket sales but fundamentally this is more than just a scheme for making money. It is a way for the team spirit to bring tangible results for the people that have supported it all these years. The fans are at the heart of any team in the NBA Basketball league. They can ruin a game by just not turning up or turning up and behaving badly.
