The Cultural Effect of the NBA

Section I - Introduction:

I am researching the cultural effect of the NBA. Some of the major themes are the effects that the NBA has on players and personnel who are not from the US, the effects of globalization from the Michael Jordon era, and the geographical effects of the NBA vs other major sports leagues. I chose to focus on this topic because I find it fascinating how global the NBA has become and the cultural effects of this globalization are a good example of geography in the western world.

Question 1: How does the NBA effect the culture of the United States vs. the NFL, NHL, and the MLB?

Question 2: How did Michael Jordan change the culture of the NBA and what effect did that have on the US and the World?

Question 3: How does the spread of the NBA across the world affect its popularity in the US?

Section II - Annotations:

Merrill, B. (2017, January 3). NBA Globalization: A Three Pronged Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.samford.edu/sports-analytics/fans/2015/nba-globalization-a-three-pronged-strategy

This source is about how the NBA has achieved being the most diverse professional league in the U.S. Using a 3 pronged approach using The Olympics, Pre-Season Tours, and Team ownership. It goes into how these three things greatly increase the NBA's global influence.

This source is great for my research because it is a peer reviewed journal article from Samford university. It contributes to my research because it directly relates to NBA globalization which is a major theme in my story map. I learned a lot about how diverse the NBA actually is, more so than any other league in the world.

On Tap Sports. (2020, July 10). Michael Jordan: His Impact on Basketball, the Bulls, and Chicago. Retrieved from https://ontapsportsnet.com/2020/07/09/michael-jordan-his-impact-on-basketball-the-bulls-and-chicago/#:~:text=From an on-court standpoint,attributed to his unrivaled athleticism.&text=Moreover, aside from his impact,altered the NBA's Center Position.

This source is about Michael Jordan and his effect on the NBA based on his superior athleticism and his global popularity. It goes on to describe how his effect on the world extended beyond basketball, and how he was such a global superstar almost above human to people. And how from an on court standpoint, how he was responsible for the massive global growth of the NBA.

This source is important to my research because the cultural effect of Michael Jordan is a major topic in my research. I learned from this source that Michael Jordan was a huge catalyst in boosting the NBA's popularity. This source is also important because it describes Michael Jordan's legacy which will be useful when going into background.

Tushe, K. (2019, July 30). What Separates the NBA From Other Professional Sports Leagues. Retrieved from https://lastwordonsports.com/basketball/2019/07/29/what-separates-the-nba-from-other-professional-sports-leagues/

This source is about the factors that separate the NBA from other professional sports leagues. It goes on to describe the four factors that separate it are The offseason, Parity, Pace, and Age of Audience. These factors are important because it demonstrates the major differences between the NBA and other leagues.

This source relates to my research because it is directly related to another major theme which is the NBA vs. other major sports leagues. I learned a lot about what makes the NBA so globally popular as opposed to other major leagues. This is also a good source for the NBA's cultural effect in general.

Klores, D. (2019, February 25). Basketball has changed the world, and it can do even more. Retrieved from https://theundefeated.com/features/basketball-has-changed-the-world-and-it-can-do-even-more/

This source is about how the NBA has changed the world and how basketball has become a cultural phenomenon. It goes on to describe how the NBA is a place of progressive ideas, leadership, diversity and hope. It also goes on to describe commissioner David Stern who was monumental in changing the NBA's culture to be more global.

This is important to my research because it covers the topic of the cultural effect of the NBA and how it relates back to the US. I learned a lot about how the NBA is a hub for progressive ideas and leadership. This is also good for my research because it relates David Stern to Michael Jordan, who was the commissioner during this era and how together they transformed the NBA.

French, D. (2018, April 12). A Game and Its Culture. Retrieved from https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/04/a-game-and-its-culture/

This source is about the NBA's viewership and how it is surpassing the NFL in viewers mostly because of its global popularity. It also describes how the NBA gets more political than any other sports league and in terms of views it seems to increase its popularity, claiming players are "woke" and the backlash that this has caused. It goes on to say while the NBA is political, it is not defined by politics and players are actively allowed and encouraged to speak their mind.

This is a very important source to describe the NBA's cultural effect on the US and it relates to my research on that topic. I learned a lot about how the NBA relates to politics in the US. This source relates to my research because it relates two of my major topics together, the NBA's cultural effect vs. other major sports leagues and the spread of the NBA and how it effects the culture of the world.

Hoop Dreams. “Hoop Dreams: Multicultural Diversity in NBA Viewership.” Nielsen, www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2015/hoop-dreams-multicultural-diversity-in-nba-viewership/.

This source relates the NBA's viewership to the ethnicity of the viewer, and describing the age to ethnicity ratio between white, Hispanic, and black viewers. It then goes in to describe these statistics in greater detail, going on to say that 43% of the NBA's audience is under the age of 35. And it also describes how the NBA's audience is one of the most diverse in terms of professional sports leagues.

This source is important to my research because of the graphics that make this information on ethnic viewership easy to understand and process. This also relates to my first research question about how the NBA's cultural effect is much different than other professional sports leagues. It relates to this because it is pretty clear that the NBA is very diverse in terms of viewership.

NBA. “NBA Diversity & Inclusion.” NBA Diversity Inclusion, inclusion.nba.com/.

This source is from the NBA and it is about the NBA's presence throughout the world, and it also contains their philosophy, and their thoughts on inclusion. It goes over their global presence, saying basketball is played by more than 450 million people worldwide. The NBA has 13 offices in markets worldwide, to increase their global outreach and to expand the sport. The NBA states their mission as having diversity and inclusion as being central to their game.

This is important to my research because it was released by the NBA itself making it a very helpful source on what the NBA thinks about how it operates globally, and how it could grow. It also relates to my third research question about how the NBA's spread across the globe effects the US.

Section III - Interpretation and Conclusion

I have learned a lot about the cultural impacts of the NBA and how these all relate together, I have also learned a lot about the globalization of the NBA and how its vastly increased the popularity of the NBA. I learned a lot more about the the NBA's global outreach programs, and how these have effected the people of the world. And finally I learned a lot about the era of Michael Jordan and how his play on the court went so far beyond that, and how he boosted the NBA and the Chicago Bulls into the stratosphere.

I have related the themes we have learned in class about the spread of the western world and how that relates to the globalization of the NBA. I have also learned a lot about the global aspects of the NBA and how that relates to the themes of the class. And the spread of western culture is very prevalent in terms of the NBA spreading

I can say that generally the NBA is a good example of how geography of the western worlds spreads across the globe. Also the NBA is culturally more diverse than other professional sports leagues which is a reason why the NBA is so popular globally. Finally, I can say that the NBA has grown so much globally because of a major boost in popularity because of Michael Jordan and his era.