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I really don't know many people who care too much about baseball...basketball, at least, people have something to say about it.
Maybe it's a regional thing..
It must be because I dont know anyone that watchers or cares about the NBA. If people watch basketball here, it is college basketball but baseball is far more popular with people even though the Royals are terrible.
It must be because I dont know anyone that watchers or cares about the NBA. If people watch basketball here, it is college basketball but baseball is far more popular with people even though the Royals are terrible.
Yeah, I probably live within 30 miles of you and you make a keen observation and are correct that KC is not an NBA town.
The Royals are the poster child for what happens when you have a small payroll and aren't not a perfectly run organization. They haven't won their division since Back to the Future was in the theatres.
However, they have cheap tix and a gorgeous ball-park. I will tell you that a number of transplants like myself go to the games to root for the visiting team.
Prior to 1991 the Royals often had >2mil in attendance. (7 years in a row ending in 1991). Since then they hover around 1.6-1.7mil. Look at the average AL attendance, stagnant for 20 years now. Kansas City Royals Attendance Records by Baseball Almanac
Let me assure you, in the african american community, the black latino players are not considered "black". right or wrong, that's just what it is. Hailing from the Dominican republic, Panama, and all the other latin spots is not the same as being American. Heck many of the black latin players struggle speaking english! How exactly can they relate to the african americans here? They cannot, and they don't.
I was actually talking about the MLB organization itself using the black latin players to keep color in the sport. The NBA organization does the same for white players by going overseas. The only difference is I think it is for a different reason. I don't think there is a lack of white people's interest in the NBA. The talent pool is just not a wide in the US for white players as it once was because more black kids play basketball than 30 years ago and they are just better athletes in general.
Since you are speaking of the AA community view of black latin players, I will address that as well. I disagree with "in the african american community, the black latino players are not considered "black"...
I am black. My friends and I NEVER referred to Sammy Sosa or Julio Franco as "latin". Or Big Papi as "latin". They are just black to us. They are just black from another country. There are white latin people and there are black latin people. It's that simple. Latin is not a true race, its a region! Dominican is a Nationality its not a race. They have black and white races just like the United States. Hell they have Asians in those countries sometimes. Ask any black person from those Latin countries and they will tell you that there is racisim there. The white Cubans discriminate against black Cubans. So on and so forth.
As black Americans, WE don't care that they are not American, they are still black. Their ancestors were slaves just like ours. Now, I am not saying we don't wish there were more American Black players but then again... We don't really care about baseball that much so we are perfectly ok with the Black guys from the Latin countries representing. If we cared more we would play the sport more. Black guys dont play baseball because its after Football, Basketball, & Track in our heirarchy.
I was actually talking about the MLB organization itself using the black latin players to keep color in the sport. The NBA organization does the same for white players by going overseas. The only difference is I think it is for a different reason. I don't think there is a lack of white people's interest in the NBA. The talent pool is just not a wide in the US for white players as it once was because more black kids play basketball than 30 years ago and they are just better athletes in general.
They aren't going to europe looking for *white players*, they are going to europe looking for GOOD players.
The Bulls stole Toni Kukoc years ago with a deep crappy draft pick and since then everyones radar has been up looking for the euro players.
Dirk, Gasol(s), Toni Parker....doesn't matter as long as they can play.
I'd say the NBA if they were trolling for foreign players would be more interested in them for helping expand the league to the players country moreso than any desire for ethnic marketing.
Trust me, as a big Bulls fan I'm not sitting around hoping they can get some sub-par white players to fill the roster. I want the best guys they can get.
hmmm, reading comprehension is lacking here I said, the NBA needs more HOME GROWN white stars. Last I checked, most of the NHL guys are from Europe/Canada.
I am observing thinking skills lacking up here. There are more American born white players than in any other major sport in the USA. It is by far the least popular major sport in the USA. The most popular sport in the USA by far is far and majority black. To get around the facts you latch around the fact that there are a few positions where there are a large amount of white players? When there are more black players at this position are you going to tell us football is so popular because white people are latching on to the white punters and field goal kickers?
The last sport you brought up in as proof of your theory is college basketball. You mentioned the reason college basketball is "perceived" to be more popular(whatever that is supposed to mean or prove) is because there are alot of white players? Which of course is also false, college basketball is far and away majority black as well.
I was actually talking about the MLB organization itself using the black latin players to keep color in the sport. The NBA organization does the same for white players by going overseas. The only difference is I think it is for a different reason. I don't think there is a lack of white people's interest in the NBA. The talent pool is just not a wide in the US for white players as it once was because more black kids play basketball than 30 years ago and they are just better athletes in general.
Since you are speaking of the AA community view of black latin players, I will address that as well. I disagree with "in the african american community, the black latino players are not considered "black"...
I am black. My friends and I NEVER referred to Sammy Sosa or Julio Franco as "latin". Or Big Papi as "latin". They are just black to us. They are just black from another country. There are white latin people and there are black latin people. It's that simple. Latin is not a true race, its a region! Dominican is a Nationality its not a race. They have black and white races just like the United States. Hell they have Asians in those countries sometimes. Ask any black person from those Latin countries and they will tell you that there is racisim there. The white Cubans discriminate against black Cubans. So on and so forth.
As black Americans, WE don't care that they are not American, they are still black. Their ancestors were slaves just like ours. Now, I am not saying we don't wish there were more American Black players but then again... We don't really care about baseball that much so we are perfectly ok with the Black guys from the Latin countries representing. If we cared more we would play the sport more. Black guys dont play baseball because its after Football, Basketball, & Track in our heirarchy.
I apologize. I used a poor choice of words in my prior post. Yes, there are people of african descent in the latin american countries. As black as me or any other african american here in the US. My point was that for the typical kid, they tend to follow those they can identify with. Allen Iverson resonated so powerfully with black people because he was "from the hood" it wasnt just that he was a good basketball player. Plenty of them around from all colors. But his story, coming from a single parent household, brushes with crime, etc, plus his "style" which was pretty much hip hop ghetto fabulous. Black folks that I talk to respect MJ for all that he has done. But they LOVE Iverson, because he is "just like them".
Take any black non american, say Tony Parker, or Leandro Barbosa. I dont care how much they achieve as basketball players, they will never have the following of an home grown black american player. Simply because, it's much easier for a poor black kid from South Dallas to identify with Chris Bosh, someone who made it to the NBA from Dallas, than it is to identify with Nene, a black guy from Brazil. Most black kids probably couldnt find Brazil on a map, never mind following the guy.
This example I just gave carries over to all races and walks of life. Yes there are white kids who idolize black players, just like there are black people who like Steve Nash, Dirk and Jason "White Chocolate" Williams. But it helps a whole lot more when the idol is someone they can relate to on an every day basis. JMO
I am observing thinking skills lacking up here. There are more American born white players than in any other major sport in the USA. It is by far the least popular major sport in the USA. The most popular sport in the USA by far is far and majority black. To get around the facts you latch around the fact that there are a few positions where there are a large amount of white players? When there are more black players at this position are you going to tell us football is so popular because white people are latching on to the white punters and field goal kickers?
The last sport you brought up in as proof of your theory is college basketball. You mentioned the reason college basketball is "perceived" to be more popular(whatever that is supposed to mean or prove) is because there are alot of white players? Which of course is also false, college basketball is far and away majority black as well.
I never said college basketball was white. I did say that the college game has more white stars at some of the biggest schools that get the most public exposure, for example Duke.
In football the face of the franchise is not the kicker or the punter. It's typically the quarterback. And that is a position that has a healthy proportion of white american players. It's why I also mentioned that even though the NFL has way more "black thugs" than the NBA does, it gets to avoid that "thug league" description because the most visible players to the public, are for the most part, white. And to be brutally honest, the NFL has been fortunate that those most visible players have kept their noses clean and out of trouble. At the end of the day, black people are our own worst enemy. As long as our big stars act stupid, whether its Kobe, Vick, or anyone else then the "thug" description will continue to get put out there.
Heavily white NBA markets like OKC, Portland, and Utah are doing just fine. Conversely, heavily black NBA markets like Atlanta, Philly, and Detroit are not doing as well. I don't believe race is the issue.
Basketball is not enjoyed nearly as much as football (which appeals to both urban and rural populations alike), nor does it have the familial nostalgia and tradition of baseball. The NBA isn't doing anything wrong. It just needs some more time to develop. As much as we like to root against Miami, the Heat winning would be great for the NBA because it would capture the South Florida market at a time when the Dolphins are irrelevant (and I'm not sold on the Marlins' rebranding efforts). Dallas is also an up-and-coming franchise, although unfortunately the Rangers might be on the verge of overtaking the Mavs as the #2 team in DFW. And it's a damn shame that Rubio had to go down, as the Wolves had a good shot at making the playoffs this year.
What needs to happen IMO for the NBA to continue to build on its recent surge in popularity:
1) Miami needs to suffer (again) this year, as people would tune in in droves to watch LeBron fall short (again). If Miami wins it this year, then it will feel too predictable.
2) New York has to replace Boston as the third elite team in the East. Chicago, Miami, and New York battling each other would be a ratings bonanza and would resurrect the rivalries from back in the '90s. This is the one major advantage MLB has over the NBA -- New York is the top dog.
3) Small market teams with homegrown talent need to succeed in order to give off some semblance of parity and eschew the false notion that the league is dominated by the big markets. The Spurs have perfected this to a tee; OKC is next. I'm hoping Minnesota will follow.
4) You need more miracle runs/upsets like what Dallas and Memphis did last year or what the Knicks did in 1999. This is one reason why MLB is billed as having more parity. The last two World Series winners snuck into the playoffs and got hot at the right time.
5) You have to somehow clamp down on PR disasters like the one unfolding in Orlando or last year's Melo-drama. Sure it gets people talking, but it's negative publicity. The NBA is a star-driven league, but you can't have the inmates controlling the prison, so to speak.
Sadly baseball will go the way of boxing. BOxing has about 84 days left, baseball is not to far behind
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I said, the NBA needs more HOME GROWN white stars. Last I checked, most of the NHL guys are from Europe/Canada.
