[quote=""formerlyknownasfells""]Now, to pose a question to everyone: What will it take for minor league basketball to be a success in the US? Will it take merging of leagues, somehow getting everyone together and creating the same system baseball has, or something else?[/quote]
The biggest thing it would take would be a change in basketball culture. Where I live, the average Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference game (NAIA Division II) draws more than the average minor league basketball game. Our local team, a small college with about 500 students, averages maybe 1,000 a night in a gym that seats 1,800, more in years when the team is competitive.
College is still king.
When the NBA was allowing high school grads to come out, the D-League had a chance to break out if it would have taken the ones who were not quite ready for prime time, but the one-year in college rule has given the colleges a breather. It would make more sense for the NBA to have a league for high school grads who wouldn't have gone to college (thus depriving Kansas State it's one good year).
Some NBA teams are using their D-League teams like Class AAA baseball. Some (the Lakers come to mind), use their teams like reserve teams.
The ABA, PBL, CBA etc. right now have no apparent purpose in terms of what happens with its players. If they move up, great. If not, so what.
If there is a new model, it is going to come from, of all places, the shoe companies. They are already tired of dealing with those darned high school and college eligibility standards. In the future, you may see some sort of 6- to 8-team Nike League as well as an addidas League.
You may see a shift from prep and college basketball to club, which is the way it's done in Europe. Now whether a model like this can sell tickets and make money is anybody's guess.
Here endith my rant.
Minor league basketball died July 9, 2008
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DazedAndAmused
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[quote=""nksports""]The biggest thing it would take would be a change in basketball culture. Where I live, the average Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference game (NAIA Division II) draws more than the average minor league basketball game. Our local team, a small college with about 500 students, averages maybe 1,000 a night in a gym that seats 1,800, more in years when the team is competitive.
College is still king.
When the NBA was allowing high school grads to come out, the D-League had a chance to break out if it would have taken the ones who were not quite ready for prime time, but the one-year in college rule has given the colleges a breather. It would make more sense for the NBA to have a league for high school grads who wouldn't have gone to college (thus depriving Kansas State it's one good year).
Some NBA teams are using their D-League teams like Class AAA baseball. Some (the Lakers come to mind), use their teams like reserve teams.
The ABA, PBL, CBA etc. right now have no apparent purpose in terms of what happens with its players. If they move up, great. If not, so what.
If there is a new model, it is going to come from, of all places, the shoe companies. They are already tired of dealing with those darned high school and college eligibility standards. In the future, you may see some sort of 6- to 8-team Nike League as well as an addidas League.
You may see a shift from prep and college basketball to club, which is the way it's done in Europe. Now whether a model like this can sell tickets and make money is anybody's guess.
Here endith my rant.[/quote]
NK, I agree with much of this, all the way up to the nike or adidas league (already done by And 1 to a degree with some relative success.) This works because there is a single brand to be reinforced from companies making 100s of millions that can justify funding such leagues as a marketing expense. I do however think they will stay under the category of "niche leagues" that wont have strong ties to the local communities.
However, I see the NBA going way before I see a shift from Division 1 college basketball. You already implied why. TV ratings and ticket sales (by certain metrics) are much great for college basketball. That translates to money. Some of the strongest brand names in sports are from major D1 colleges, not NBA teams. Personally I have a problem with this (see my prior rants) because we end up with students who do not meet even the below average standards of other students at their respective schools. Bluntly, they have no business being at those schools in many, many cases. It makes a mockery of higher education. So, while I wish there was a venue for these players, such as a U23 league funded by the NBA, I don't see it happening.
College is still king.
When the NBA was allowing high school grads to come out, the D-League had a chance to break out if it would have taken the ones who were not quite ready for prime time, but the one-year in college rule has given the colleges a breather. It would make more sense for the NBA to have a league for high school grads who wouldn't have gone to college (thus depriving Kansas State it's one good year).
Some NBA teams are using their D-League teams like Class AAA baseball. Some (the Lakers come to mind), use their teams like reserve teams.
The ABA, PBL, CBA etc. right now have no apparent purpose in terms of what happens with its players. If they move up, great. If not, so what.
If there is a new model, it is going to come from, of all places, the shoe companies. They are already tired of dealing with those darned high school and college eligibility standards. In the future, you may see some sort of 6- to 8-team Nike League as well as an addidas League.
You may see a shift from prep and college basketball to club, which is the way it's done in Europe. Now whether a model like this can sell tickets and make money is anybody's guess.
Here endith my rant.[/quote]
NK, I agree with much of this, all the way up to the nike or adidas league (already done by And 1 to a degree with some relative success.) This works because there is a single brand to be reinforced from companies making 100s of millions that can justify funding such leagues as a marketing expense. I do however think they will stay under the category of "niche leagues" that wont have strong ties to the local communities.
However, I see the NBA going way before I see a shift from Division 1 college basketball. You already implied why. TV ratings and ticket sales (by certain metrics) are much great for college basketball. That translates to money. Some of the strongest brand names in sports are from major D1 colleges, not NBA teams. Personally I have a problem with this (see my prior rants) because we end up with students who do not meet even the below average standards of other students at their respective schools. Bluntly, they have no business being at those schools in many, many cases. It makes a mockery of higher education. So, while I wish there was a venue for these players, such as a U23 league funded by the NBA, I don't see it happening.
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DazedAndAmused
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Related, I talked to an agent today who discussed the impact of the weak dollar on prospective (or existing) middle tier NBA players. Many are doing the simple math and now more than ever are opting for the Euro leagues. This isn't breaking news I know, but the weak dollar is having a bigger effect than many realize as of late. It is happening in hockey as well.
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nksports
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[quote=""DazedAndAmused""]Personally I have a problem with this (see my prior rants) because we end up with students who do not meet even the below average standards of other students at their respective schools. Bluntly, they have no business being at those schools in many, many cases. It makes a mockery of higher education.[/quote]
I strongly agree and disagree with this at the same time. A lot of these kids aren't dummies. They have never been given the motivation to do well in school at any level. We seem to be on this kick of telling eighth graders you don't need to study and apply yourself, you'll be in the NBA by age 19 or 20.
The school I was talking about earlier (Bethel, Kan.) doesn't produce many pro athletes (about four or five football players, who played af2 and APFL; and two basketball players -- one who spent a season with the Kansas Cagerz of the USBL and one who played with the team that plays the Globetrotters every night). The same school graduates over 80 percent of its football and men's basketball players (and the administration looks at that as too low and is trying to push it up) and over 90 percent of its other athletes. Four teams had team GPAs of 3.0 or better. Three were better than 3.3. I'm not sure they even lead their conference.
Most successful athletes are very smart. They may not all have degrees, but most have the brain matter to earn one if properly motivated.
If you look at NCAA grade and graduation stats for all sports other than football, men's basketball and baseball, across the board, they are much higher than the rest of the student body.
Where this and the minor leagues intersect is, for the kid who has a chance to make a lot of money playing pro ball, (if they apply themselves in high school) college will always be there at the end of your career.
I strongly agree and disagree with this at the same time. A lot of these kids aren't dummies. They have never been given the motivation to do well in school at any level. We seem to be on this kick of telling eighth graders you don't need to study and apply yourself, you'll be in the NBA by age 19 or 20.
The school I was talking about earlier (Bethel, Kan.) doesn't produce many pro athletes (about four or five football players, who played af2 and APFL; and two basketball players -- one who spent a season with the Kansas Cagerz of the USBL and one who played with the team that plays the Globetrotters every night). The same school graduates over 80 percent of its football and men's basketball players (and the administration looks at that as too low and is trying to push it up) and over 90 percent of its other athletes. Four teams had team GPAs of 3.0 or better. Three were better than 3.3. I'm not sure they even lead their conference.
Most successful athletes are very smart. They may not all have degrees, but most have the brain matter to earn one if properly motivated.
If you look at NCAA grade and graduation stats for all sports other than football, men's basketball and baseball, across the board, they are much higher than the rest of the student body.
Where this and the minor leagues intersect is, for the kid who has a chance to make a lot of money playing pro ball, (if they apply themselves in high school) college will always be there at the end of your career.
[QUOTE=nksports;96876]
The ABA, PBL, CBA etc. right now have no apparent purpose in terms of what happens with its players. If they move up, great. If not, so what.
QUOTE]
I agree that the PBL does not have a clear purpose, but I don't agree with you on the CBA and ABA. The purpose of the ABA is to enrich the infamous JN. The CBA should be a reclamation league, a place where players re-establish themselves after injury, personal issues or on court failures.
Maybe the owners need to repeal the salary cap (I think increased CBA payrolls would attract more investors, better talent and separate the CBA from the other newer leagues). IMO big named players in small remote locations with large ownership groups is the way to go for the CBA.
The ABA, PBL, CBA etc. right now have no apparent purpose in terms of what happens with its players. If they move up, great. If not, so what.
QUOTE]
I agree that the PBL does not have a clear purpose, but I don't agree with you on the CBA and ABA. The purpose of the ABA is to enrich the infamous JN. The CBA should be a reclamation league, a place where players re-establish themselves after injury, personal issues or on court failures.
Maybe the owners need to repeal the salary cap (I think increased CBA payrolls would attract more investors, better talent and separate the CBA from the other newer leagues). IMO big named players in small remote locations with large ownership groups is the way to go for the CBA.
Basketball Junkie and Rummikub Champion
