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Perhaps the view of basketball's popularity surpassing that of association football is shared mainly by Americans.
But those of us living in the Asia Pacific see it very differently. There's actually less buzz about basketball after Jordan's retirement. In places that I've lived in, only some people in China care about basketball, and that has been the case for many decades already. But elsewhere, it's hard to find anyone who is remotely interested in the NBA.
However, when it comes to football, fans can be found almost everywhere. Where once it was the English Premier League that makes major headlines, we now find the Serie A and the Primera Liga gaining significantly in popularity too.
In my workplace in Sydney (where association football clearly takes a backseat to the other football codes, namely rugby league, rugby union and the AFL), the only talk around the pantry is the World Cup. It's like the NBA doesn't even exist.
It's not just about ease of play. As a spectator sport, there's a lot to appreciate about the strategy and approach of each soccer team. And many soccer fans just find basketball to be boring, with too many foul calls and free throws, too many timeouts, and just no excitement buildup in the way soccer reaches a crescendo when a goal is scored. I'd say to each his own.
