Essay on The Commercialization of Basketball

Basketball is one of the most popular which is beloved sports that is played today. Michael Jordan, who played for the Washington Wizards and the Chicago Bulls once said, “Just play, have fun, and enjoy the game” (BrainyQuote 2016). Whether playing with friends for fun or by professionals for entertainment or simply watching from home, basketball is very enjoyed all over the world. Beginning with a unique history, basketball has evolved over time from a simple idea into a professional career choice for those with the unique skill set.

“For a promotion to be successful, it must be profitable. And to be profitable, it must enhance some, if not all, of the following goals: 1. Paid attendance, 2. Corporate tie-ins, 3. Sponsor value, and 4. Media coverage” (Helitzer 317). Promotions must increase the number of people at the event, or paid attendance, it also must enhance corporate tie-ins, which are signs or give-a-ways at the stadium. Sponsor value, or the value perceived by the sponsor must also be enhanced along with media coverage. Media coverage is enhanced by sending the local or national media sources bulletins about the events or by having press conferences. A strategy that a sports marketer must use is to stagger the promotional gimmicks throughout the event. If one staggers the promotion, then the audience is always aware of the event and looking out for the promotions.

When we see a commercial on our T.V. screens today, we always see in print or hear the narrator telling us that their product or the service they are promoting to us is one of the best of its kind. They use all types of appeals and techniques to reel us in, making whatever they are trying to sell to us either pretty, shiny, worth-buying, or they use bold simple states telling us things such as, “Once you get it, you won’t be able to live without it.” By using these statements and methods of gaining viewers, the ad or commercial gains what it truly aspired for; attention and the need and/or desire to buy the product. In the ad “Bounty Big Spills” the bold statement and exaggerated visuals are created to

“According anywhere from Australia to the United States and everywhere in between the game of basketball is played.” (Faurschou, “History of basketball”). The game is played anywhere where you can get a ball and something to throw the ball through. “G.L Pierce patented basketball on June 25, 1929.” (Bellis, “Basketball-James Naismith”). Basketball became an official Olympic sport in the 1936 game.

In sociology, there are 3 paradigms. There is the conflict theory perspective, the symbolic-interaction perspective and the structural-functionalist perspective. From a conflict paradigm point of view, the essay would focus on gender and how the assumption that girls lack the same level of strength and stamina as men. The WNBA (Women National Basketball League) doesn’t get the same amount of respect as the males do in the NBA (National Basketball League). Another issue could be that the NBA players have a higher annual salary than an average teacher. A structural-functionalist approach could be focused on how it creates jobs (the NBA) and academically too. Basketball could also be focused on how

We can all agree that basketball is almost becoming popular around the world. So many people play this sport but do people know how basketball started and how it evolute throughout the years since basketball was borned? So like every other sports and creations, there has to be a inventor and in basketball there was a man by the name of Dr. James Naismith. “Created in 1891 in a Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA gymnasium has grown into a game played worldwide by more than 300 million people”(historybits.com). So this game has been out for a very long period of time with many changing of the rules in basketball throughout the history. When it was first played in the late 1800s, there were different rules and even different looking basketball. As for the rules, originally there would be 10 people on the court but it first started with 18 people on the court which after couple of years it changed to only 10 people. Substitution was also different and the rule for this was at first no one can enter until the next game. “The rule was changed in 1920 to allow a player to re-enter the game one time. In 1934, the rule was expanded to allow players to re-enter the game twice, and, in 1945 the rule was finally changed to permit players to return to the game an unlimited number of times”(hooptactics.com). The first basketball looked very alike a football but round. The backboards were made out of straight wood and the baskets were made out of peach baskets or square boxes. There was only

One of the key things for the National Basketball Association during the Playoffs is their marketing strategies. For the NBA it’s important to give out an incentive for their followers to watch the games. They spent millions on their public image and how to display it but why and how does this tie into IT? Well the whole concept is IT related as well as the people working their magic behind the screens.

The use of athletes’ images for broadcasting earns the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) more than half of its income (Sanderson & Siegfried, 2015, p. 120). From 2012 to 2013, seven hundred and sixty-nine million dollars out of the nine hundred and thirteen million dollars the National Collegiate Athletic Association made came from the men’s March Madness Basketball tournament (Garda, 2014, p. 1). While college teams celebrate a national or a state title, the people who are the actual winners of the games and tournaments are the corporate sponsors of the team, broadcasters, and in the long run, the National Collegiate Athletic Association itself. Most of the remaining amount of those organizations’ income came from Division I

The use of specific athletes in marketing campaigns really began to show promise when athletes like Jordan began wearing their own brands of shoes. The idea to consumers or fans of the NBA that they could wear the same shoes as Michael Jordan, and somehow play like him was an easy sell by Nike. Today it is now common for marketable athletes in almost all sports to wear their own style of shoes, spikes, or skates. An interesting point to make is that through Nike Michael Jordan eventually launched his own clothing line called Jumpman23 that makes everything from socks and underwear to winter coats. Even though Jordan has been retired since 1999 the Jumpman23 company has continued to release a new shoe every single year that are simply called “Jordan 24”, an increasing corresponding number to the number of years the shoes have been produced. The new Jordan shoes still retails at over $150 a pair even though Mike hasn’t stepped on the court in 11 years! After retirement and becoming the CEO of the Jumpman brand Michael Jordan has been able to court other famous athletes from a variety of sports to wear his brand. A few examples of the athletes include Derek Jeter (baseball), Dwayne Wade (basketball), Jason Taylor (football), and April Holmes (track and field). The wide range of athletes in all different sports who now market a brand for arguably the greatest athlete of all time truly shows the money, power, and influence an athlete can experience

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has transformed over the many of years as an organization and a brand, into a multibillion-dollar business that draws thousands and thousands of fans to each and every game. Many contributing factors have made the NBA what it is today, but the main cause of this gain in interest is the ultimate rivalry between two remarkable players, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Larry “the Legend” Bird. The battling rivalry amongst these individuals is comparable to the feud of Coca Cola and Pepsi, or, Star Wars and Star Trek. During the era of modern television, and the still and ever present racial bigotry, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird helped redefine the game of basketball and popularity of the NBA with their

This article continues to explain that once a sports marketer creates a product and advertises it on a small scale, “Sports marketers get ahead by gradually representing bigger, more important and more prestigious sports teams, companies, associations, and athletes.” In other words, sports marketers need to have a plan of action to promote their product on a larger scale over time. Also, sports marketers spend much of their planning on the aspect of promotion. Mihai verifies that the category of promotion serves to prove that the product is desirable through advertising, sales, sponsorship and public relations. If a sports marketer follows these planning steps, his/her work will lead to a successful product with a large margin of profit.

The game of basketball is recognizable high school or the NBA. The sport is very popular and is played worldwide. Everyone may also know the sport from some names of basketball stars. Maybe the names Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, or Carmelo Anthony ring a bell. They are all outstanding players of the game and have a significant understanding of how the game is played. Basketball has changed alot overtime and has become one of Americas most played sports.

Within Hollywood’s movies depiction of drug addiction, many have failed to represent all true aspects that come along with such lifestyles. The movie, The Basketball Diaries, is based off a novel Jim Carroll wrote from his own diary entries. As a teenager growing up in the sixties, Carroll reveals his progression of drug abuse which eventually leads him addicted to heroin.Heroin is a white powder derived from morphine found in opium. It is commonly prescribed as a painkiller, but is also a popular street drug.The director casted Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy, and concentrates on creating the character as a stereotypical drug abuser. DiCaprio’s most captivating scene is when he is going through heroin

Sports’ marketing is becoming more readily known as the vehicle that drives the sports business to success. It is “orientated toward consumers and about thinking, deciding and acting in terms of the final consumer. You have to know who your consumers are, what they want and need and use this effectively as a sports marketer orientating the drive more toward the market, not the product (Sports Marketing: The motor that drives the sports business

Sports' marketing is a comparatively new field and dimension within the broad concept of marketing. It is continuously evolving and changing today as society combats the free market to decide the legal and ethical limitations of business today. It is significant to note that this discipline within marketing is not clearly defined. Sports today use corporate sponsorships and television money in order to contend and pay for top quality athletes. Those companies use teams, leagues, colleges, and individuals to make a distinction between their products in a very aggressive business environment. What makes up sports marketing to one person could be considered selling out to another. The business world keeps pushing to find a competitive advantage and the sports world has in general welcomed the money offered (Weikel, n.d.).