Reply With Quote
Can you believe we still only get like 1 or 2 games a week during the regular season over here!!? no matter what you pay! Incredible!
Buck Harvey: Franchise of a Finals: Ginobili goes global
Web Posted: 06/05/2005 12:00 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...2e1a8de17.html
Manu is Man U.
Manu, at least for the next few weeks, is Manchester United. He will become a one-man global sports franchise, playing in the NBA Finals as this era's international innovation, and it's part of the dynamic that David Stern hoped for years ago when the Dream Team won over Barcelona.
With Manu Ginobili starring — impacting the Spurs as he did Argentina in the 2004 Olympics — doesn't the world have yet another reason to take hold of this game?
A number of international players have already made it to the Finals, but no one has been like Ginobili. Toni Kukoc was Europe's Magic Johnson, for example, but he became a sixth man next to Michael Jordan.
Vlade Divac was similarly cast with Magic in 1991, and Detlef Schrempf came to the league with American schooling. Hakeem Olajuwon also played in college as Houston's adopted son, and he eventually switched nationalities to play for the United States in the Olympics.
And then there are the superstars listed by the NBA as international players, such as Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan. Does anyone really see them as foreign?
Ginobili is the new-age international face, born on another continent, bred in another league, leading another country to a gold medal. He showed up in San Antonio in 2002 with his game already formed, and he helped win a le coming off the bench that season.
Now he's more. When the Finals begin in the SBC Center on Thursday, Ginobili will play as an All-Star, as someone who can both excite and dominate — as the next step in the NBA's economic development.
Few saw this coming just a generation ago, and one forgotten moment two decades ago outlines the change. Then Stern, according to a recent story in the Washington Post, sold the NBA's television rights for Argentina for the grand total of $2,000.
"Hey, we were fighting for coverage," Stern told the Post.
An Argentine soccer color analyst wrote the check, then cobbled together highlights to put on late at night. And who was watching then? Seven-year-old Manu.
The Dream Team would follow, as would better TV deals. As reported elsewhere, about 15 percent of the NBA's non-local television revenue comes from international sales.
The contracts are piecemeal, often done with different countries at different times with different prices. An NBA exec said, for example, he saw a contract come through the league office just last week for WNBA telecasts in Mozambique.
To air that, the $2,000 price might be steep.
The rest of the product has grown. These Finals will be a windfall profit in Argentina, of course, and probably in France, too. But the package also has grown worldwide to more than 200 countries.
China still offers the most potential, and the NBA's thrust there is the envy of other sports leagues. But this month the NBA offers more than Yao Ming, and this is a selling point that couldn't be scripted.
Manu. He brings in Central and South America, naturally. Ginobili will conduct a conference call Monday with journalists from as many as 10 Central and South American countries, from Puerto Rico to Chile.
Mexico is no different. An NBA events manager familiar with the Mexican fan base says that country favors the Spurs not because they play in nearby South Texas, but because Ginobili plays for them.
But Ginobili also brings in Europe, where he played, as well as others around the world who have seen the Olympics as the real championship. For the first time, a non-American will be trying to follow a gold medal with an NBA le.
Doesn't Ginobili, then, make everyone a part of the Finals?
More than TV rights will be affected. About 20 percent of NBA merchandising last year came from sales outside the United States.
"Is the tangible dollar being made right now because Manu will be in the Finals?" an NBA official asked last week. "Maybe not. The international revenue may not maximum itself for another five or 10 years.
"But he's part of what is building, and he represents the natural follow to the Dream Team. Before you had little Manu watching Michael Jordan. Now you have little Manu watching big Manu. There's a difference in iden y."
Big Manu?
For a few weeks, as big as Man U.
Can you believe we still only get like 1 or 2 games a week during the regular season over here!!? no matter what you pay! Incredible!
Can you believe that if the Spurs wouldnt have made it to the finals we most probably wouldnt have gotten to see those games on TV at all?
Yup
NBa = lame how it does its business, sellin its rights to argentina for onlly 2000 bucks only and they wanted millions from australia to have the rights to view the games eerrrr....
hey genius, those rights you're talking about were from the 1970's. Right now Argentina couldn't get broadcasting rights to the NBA even if we begged for them. Chill why don't you!
I'm curious, what is the situation there? Cable? Satellite?
Can you believe you get no coverage on free to air television in Australia and if you wanted to pay about $1000AUS a year you can see 13 Spurs games on TV and most of the WCF and Finals. Bargain.
Thank god for the lovely folks who upload games onto the Internet
The whole world is rooting for the Spurs.
No pressure, guys.
I'm getting so many emails about the Spurs it's ridiculous.
It took me a few seconds to get it.
how about TV rights to Slovenia?
Did you answer mine yet??
For US fans, I think most pay about $800.00 a year if we want to watch most of the games. It does suck that you guys only get 13 regular season games. The only game I missed this season was the SA@DET game because ABC did their crappy regional coverage.Can you believe you get no coverage on free to air television in Australia and if you wanted to pay about $1000AUS a year you can see 13 Spurs games on TV and most of the WCF and Finals. Bargain.
Thank god for the lovely folks who upload games onto the Internet
HEY PEOPLE FROM ARGENTINA - WHO IS THE MOST POPULAR SPORTSMEN IN YOUR COUNTRY
(I need serious anwers - not your opinions)
Here's something else for the Manu lovefest:
His jersey is the highest selling Spurs jersey.
man i feel lucky for the NBA coverage i get
we pay like 10 bucks a month for cable and viola we get an NBA game every day sometimes even two or three games
i'm hoping other countries work out some kind of deal.
well the Philippines is a basketball crazy country i guess it's only natural
The manager at the SBC store needs to be fired, then. They don't have his AS jersey in stock.
true dat^^^ I couldnt even find a kid's devin brown jersey there.
"For US fans, I think most pay about $800.00 a year"
NBA League Pass is US$170/season at pre-season promo price.
very easy, now MANU GINOBILI, most ever Diego Maradona (Fubtol, you call it soccer)
Are you sure?
Because I am arguing with somebody on that one.
So all Argetina is looking at Manu like on Maradona back in a days?
There's your problem, you're trying to buy them at the SBC Center store.
Try hitting up Academy. Better selection, and $20 cheaper. (although I can't speak to the All-Star jerseys).
Where?
According to the NBA, Tim is 11th in the league and Manu isn't even in the top 25.
Damn, I wish I would have bookmarked that. It was on ESPN's site earlier this week (think Wednesday or Thursday).
They had an article about the NBA's rising playoff stars, it was all about Amare, Wade, and Ginobili.
I'll see if I can find it.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
