NBA Takes It’s Talents to London
Come March it appears as if the NBA will be taking its talents to foggy London town. Not nearly as heartbreaking to fans in America as perhaps the last time that phrase was used to describe a newsworthy basketball relocation, if only because the NBA’s stint in the UK will last for merely 2 games. On March 4th and 5th the Toronto Raptors will square off against the New Jersey Nets in the city’s O2 Arena. This will mark the first two regular season contests to cross the pond, though not the first time the NBA has held games in England, or even O2 Arena for that matter. London has played host to NBA exhibition games for several seasons now, but in 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern and his team of higher ups decided the time is right to up the ante.Of course, playing in front of foreign crowds may benefit the NBA in terms of relevance and exposure overseas, furthering its already widespread global fan base (thank you Dream Team), however there are significant logistical concerns to playing a game so far away in the midst of a normal regular season schedule. For starters, the NBA season is grueling, spanning 82 high energy games, already posing a problem for even well conditioned rookies who tend to hit a wall after the first half of the season. Even savvy veterans have struggled to put up the same numbers or missed time with injury in season’s following off-season tournaments such as the FIBA World Championship. With jet lag, travel time and the additional fatigue such a trip could place on the body, is it worth the publicity to spend and regular season time abroad? Furthermore, does it place the teams that make the trip at a competitive disadvantage? Don’t expect to see the Kobe Bryants of the league to quietly make the trip without raising the issue. This year, at least, competitive balance should be relatively unaffected as both Toronto and New Jersey look to be locked deep in the cellar, leaving Londoners wondering, “is there anything on TV that night?”
