Euroleague:
Originally founded by FIBA in 1958. Split off from FIBA's wing after the 1999-2000 season and the Euroleague Basketball Company was created. During the 2001 season there were problems when FIBA created the Suproleague which took competition away from Euroleague. After the 2001 season the two leagues decided it was best to join together and be one league, so the teams in Suproleague became a part of Euroleague.
Currently Euroleague is in charge of European professional competitions and FIBA is now in control over the national team competitions. In July of 2010 Turkish Airlines paid Euroleague 15 million euros to officially name the league Turkish Airlines Euroleague. Euroleague is broadcast in 200 countries with millions of fans worldwide, especially in China.
NBA:
Founded in 1946 in NYC, and originally called the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The first game ever played was in Toronto Canada and featured the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies. In 1949 the National Basketball League (NBL) and the BAA merged to create the National Basketball Association known to us today.
The American Basketball Association ABA became a threat to the NBA when players began signing with ABA teams. NBA agreed to do a merger with the ABA acquiring the teams in the league and establishing the NBA as the premier basketball league in the world. The NBA currently has 30 teams in two conferences, with one team in Canada and the other 29 based in the US.
Comparisons:
Euroleague actually was a split-off from the original FIBA, while the NBA was the result of a merger of different leagues and both are the premier leagues on their respective continents. Most people view the NBA as a superior league to Euroleague. How can Euroleague prevent themselves from being viewed as a feeder into the NBA and will the ever be on an equal playing field as the NBA.
-Brad Williams
http://www.euroleague.net/history
http://www.nba.com/history/
I don't think that the Euroleague will ever be viewed as being on an equal playing field with the NBA. I have gotten the sense in class that Europeans simply view basketball and all associated with it as "American." Since the NBA is considered to be the premier basketball league in the world, I'm assuming that the star players in the world will want to play in this league and not in a league considered to be second best.
ReplyDelete-Sullivan Short
Sullivan, as an avid NBA fan I can tell you that you are right that many view the Euroleague as second tier. While this isn't the case for all players in the Euroleague, many players hope to one day reach the NBA. On the flip side, many players that don't make the NBA or are on their "last leg" will move to the Euro league to revive their playing career.
DeleteFurthermore, it is often considered a different brand of basketball. Today, many people are attracted to the NBA because of the superior display of athleticism that is shown on a nightly basis. Not to say that there aren't athletes in the Euro league, but it is considered a more technical and fundamental display of basketball.
I think a combination of those two things is something that the Euroleague will have to address if they ever want to be considered on an equal playing field.
-Drew Rasansky
I do not think the NBA and the EuroLeague will ever be even close to being on the same playing field. However, I do think that they can do something for each other. As Drew touched on a bit, the NBA is a sort of motivation and goal for players playing in the EuroLeague as it is known to be the most superior brand of basketball. However, for the NBA, the EuroLeague can help the NBA by developing players into being NBA ready, sending players overseas to clear cap space, and even scouting for talent. Some NBA players may even want to test out the overseas market as they might get paid better, and have a chance to be a star on a team instead of have a secondary role. The question is will the EuroLeague ever be able to generate enough money to attract the athleticism that the NBA is able to attract?
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