
Kogoy
Years ago
re:Fix this league
Hey yeah, lets just take a big gamble, blitz the tellie with commercials with money the NBL doesn't have, roll the dice and if it doesn't pay off (which it most likely wont), we'll be left with no NBL at all. People just need to accept that the NBL is a second or third level sport here in Australia. People need to just enjoy the game and get over this idea of making the NBL as popular as the major codes or even the A-League. Australia does not have the population to support the NBL after the sponsorship dollars have been spent on the NRL, AFL, Super 12, Cricket and A-League. There's only 20 Million of us! People like to watch world class sport. Hence the popularity of the above mentioned leagues, apart from the A-League, but football is the ONLY world game so its an exception. Basketball has no mainstream tradition in Australia. If it had any potential, a Murdoch or a Lowy would have already invested in it, believe me. Even a large number of basketball fans wont watch the NBL because they think its boring and inferior to the NBA.
Any further expansion would be ludicrous. The Kings are on the ropes once again this season, teams live season to season. The NBL should be consolidating. Reduce the number of teams to 10, that would strengthen the talent and spread the limited funds around a bit better. Get rid of Singapore, merge West Sydney with the Kings, and sack any other teams that can't support themselves. They should set up in Darwin where there is no competition from other professional sports.
Any marketing should be grassroots, getting out to schools, players meeting the public in plazas, shopping centres, on the streets etc. NBl does not have the money for tv commercials.