Comments on: International Fans - Loyal to the Player or Loyal to the Team? http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32 Or, "Stats are like bikinis - nice to look at, but don't tell you the whole story." -Brent Barry Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:20:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mike http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1319 Mike Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:48:41 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1319 Yep. I live in Shanghai, and while the Rockets are the #1 favorite team of people I have asked, the Lakers are #2 and I don't know if I've ever heard anyone say the Nets. Kobe and T-Mac are much more frequently cited as a favorite player than Yao. Yep. I live in Shanghai, and while the Rockets are the #1 favorite team of people I have asked, the Lakers are #2 and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard anyone say the Nets. Kobe and T-Mac are much more frequently cited as a favorite player than Yao.

]]> By: Marshall http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1318 Marshall Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:43:35 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1318 Interesting post, and I certainly think you have a point. However, having attended the Beijing Olympics, I can personally attest that the most popular basketball player in China during that time was Kobe Bryant, not Yao Ming. I have also heard that Kobe's jersey and even T-Mac's are more popular than Yao's in China. This is not to say that people in China don't root for the Rockets because of Yao - but they are completely obsessed with Kobe, there is not other way to describe it. Interesting post, and I certainly think you have a point. However, having attended the Beijing Olympics, I can personally attest that the most popular basketball player in China during that time was Kobe Bryant, not Yao Ming. I have also heard that Kobe’s jersey and even T-Mac’s are more popular than Yao’s in China. This is not to say that people in China don’t root for the Rockets because of Yao - but they are completely obsessed with Kobe, there is not other way to describe it.

]]> By: Javier http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1317 Javier Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:20:52 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1317 You can't pretend that a basketball fan overseas, thousands of miles away from the US, feels any special empathy with an NBA team. In Europe and LatAm, sports fans cheer mostly for their hometown teams of for teams whith whom they have some sort of emotional connection. So we in Spain support Pau, Calderon, Marc, Rudy and Sergio because they represent us in the national team. You can’t pretend that a basketball fan overseas, thousands of miles away from the US, feels any special empathy with an NBA team. In Europe and LatAm, sports fans cheer mostly for their hometown teams of for teams whith whom they have some sort of emotional connection.
So we in Spain support Pau, Calderon, Marc, Rudy and Sergio because they represent us in the national team.

]]> By: Zeiram http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1316 Zeiram Wed, 26 Nov 2008 10:26:52 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1316 Interesting note, as an international fan I can partly agree with you. I´m German so naturally Dirk Nowitziki is one of my favorite players (my favorite being Tayshaun Prince) but although I route for him I don´t really care for the Mavericks. That however has to do with the fact that as a fan of Dirk I cannot decide on which team he plays so it isn´t that I am always valueing the player over team but rather that particulary team. I am a Piston fan and as such I want the best for the team even if that means tradeing players I liked (Billups) and so on. Now if Dirk were to play for the Pistons I wouldn´t care if he was benched or something like that if it were for the teams sake. If the Mavs would bench him I would go nuts. I think this is true for most international fans who came to like basketball first and the player second. These kind of fans will always have a favorite team which they like more than any player and certain players the value regardless of the team they are playing in. The kind of fans you describe came to love basketball through one player and therefore value him above all else. Take Yao for example he is the sole reason so many chinese are basketball fans nowadays so he is the focus of their (fan-) love. That is why as you described they would rather see him benched throughout the playoffs than to have his injuries persist through the summer. There are however some chinese fans how became basketball fans because they watched Jordan kill the Jazz in the finals or Shaq dominate whoever stood in his way. These fans came to love the Bulls,Lakers or some other team and although they support Yao as a fellow chinese they value the success of these teams over his. These are the real fans and these are the fans that impact the NBA so you don´t have to worry so much about us international fans. greetings a German Piston maniac (Iverson will brings us the banner!) Interesting note, as an international fan I can partly agree with you. I´m German so naturally Dirk Nowitziki is one of my favorite players (my favorite being Tayshaun Prince) but although I route for him I don´t really care for the Mavericks. That however has to do with the fact that as a fan of Dirk I cannot decide on which team he plays so it isn´t that I am always valueing the player over team but rather that particulary team. I am a Piston fan and as such I want the best for the team even if that means tradeing players I liked (Billups) and so on. Now if Dirk were to play for the Pistons I wouldn´t care if he was benched or something like that if it were for the teams sake. If the Mavs would bench him I would go nuts. I think this is true for most international fans who came to like basketball first and the player second. These kind of fans will always have a favorite team which they like more than any player and certain players the value regardless of the team they are playing in. The kind of fans you describe came to love basketball through one player and therefore value him above all else. Take Yao for example he is the sole reason so many chinese are basketball fans nowadays so he is the focus of their (fan-) love. That is why as you described they would rather see him benched throughout the playoffs than to have his injuries persist through the summer. There are however some chinese fans how became basketball fans because they watched Jordan kill the Jazz in the finals or Shaq dominate whoever stood in his way. These fans came to love the Bulls,Lakers or some other team and although they support Yao as a fellow chinese they value the success of these teams over his. These are the real fans and these are the fans that impact the NBA so you don´t have to worry so much about us international fans.

greetings

a German Piston maniac
(Iverson will brings us the banner!)

]]> By: kostas http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1315 kostas Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:48:47 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1315 Interesting article with solid points but I think there is a hint of exaggeration.IMO you have 2 kinds of basketball fans,both in the US and internationally.Those who above all appreciate the game of basketball regardless of which team they support and those who don't really have a knowledge of the game but like to take a look once in a while.I believe or maybe I like to believe that the majority of basketball fans fall in the first category, which is contrary to your view.I am saying that a basketball fan in eg. Argentina would not really mind the benching of Ginobili because he would understand it is better for his team.He knows better.Now someone who doesn't watch much basketball would maybe be upset judging it in a naive way.These people rarely are actually basketball fans,they just like to criticize everything.I don't think there should be any concern for the involvement of foreign governments and fans in the decisions of GM's and the like (you blew it a little out of proportion there).If they become annoying it would backfire by making their own products-their players unattractive, after all.Thanks Interesting article with solid points but I think there is a hint of exaggeration.IMO you have 2 kinds of basketball fans,both in the US and internationally.Those who above all appreciate the game of basketball regardless of which team they support and those who don’t really have a knowledge of the game but like to take a look once in a while.I believe or maybe I like to believe that the majority of basketball fans fall in the first category, which is contrary to your view.I am saying that a basketball fan in eg. Argentina would not really mind the benching of Ginobili because he would understand it is better for his team.He knows better.Now someone who doesn’t watch much basketball would maybe be upset judging it in a naive way.These people rarely are actually basketball fans,they just like to criticize everything.I don’t think there should be any concern for the involvement of foreign governments and fans in the decisions of GM’s and the like (you blew it a little out of proportion there).If they become annoying it would backfire by making their own products-their players unattractive, after all.Thanks

]]> By: Jay http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1314 Jay Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:53:38 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1314 Why can't fans influence decision-making? Since when did basketball become foreign relations? It is entertainment after all, and fans are the main consumers- it is only right that they have at least some input in what they see on the court. Otherwise, why have all-star games and dunk contests? Why make basketball stars into virtual deities through global marketing? And after all, its not as if every front office or gm or coach knows what they're doing- Isiah Thomas was an EPIC FAILURE who almost ruined my beloved Knickerbockers. I personally know more fans who would probably be more qualified as gms. Thanks for reading Why can’t fans influence decision-making? Since when did basketball become foreign relations? It is entertainment after all, and fans are the main consumers- it is only right that they have at least some input in what they see on the court. Otherwise, why have all-star games and dunk contests? Why make basketball stars into virtual deities through global marketing? And after all, its not as if every front office or gm or coach knows what they’re doing- Isiah Thomas was an EPIC FAILURE who almost ruined my beloved Knickerbockers. I personally know more fans who would probably be more qualified as gms. Thanks for reading

]]> By: paul123 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1313 paul123 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:49:23 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1313 Thinking about it, maybe I would remain a Mavs fan if Dirk would retire as a Mav and never play for another team, at least until there's a new German superstar, which might never happen again in my lifetime. As for the other aspect, I think the only fan base large enough to exert any influence would be the Chinese, but so far it's only been the Chinese government/ sports officials who may have had a say in Yao's or Ji's decisions, not the fans per se. A valid question is how a team's decisions could be influenced by a desire to profit financially by signing a player from a certain country (China again), but isn't income from merchandising/ broadcasting contracts shared among all teams equally? So could money only come from separate sponsorship deals (for example arena naming rights with a company from a foreign players country)? I'm not informed on how this works in the NBA. Do you know how the Rockets have profited financially from having Yao? What teams could maybe count on is selling more tickets to immigrants in the US from other countries, which would apply to the Chinese again, but could also be relevant if for example there was a Mexican star in the league. Thinking about it, maybe I would remain a Mavs fan if Dirk would retire as a Mav and never play for another team, at least until there’s a new German superstar, which might never happen again in my lifetime.
As for the other aspect, I think the only fan base large enough to exert any influence would be the Chinese, but so far it’s only been the Chinese government/ sports officials who may have had a say in Yao’s or Ji’s decisions, not the fans per se. A valid question is how a team’s decisions could be influenced by a desire to profit financially by signing a player from a certain country (China again), but isn’t income from merchandising/ broadcasting contracts shared among all teams equally? So could money only come from separate sponsorship deals (for example arena naming rights with a company from a foreign players country)? I’m not informed on how this works in the NBA. Do you know how the Rockets have profited financially from having Yao?
What teams could maybe count on is selling more tickets to immigrants in the US from other countries, which would apply to the Chinese again, but could also be relevant if for example there was a Mexican star in the league.

]]> By: paul123 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1312 paul123 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:22:36 +0000 http://www.littlewhitestatistics.com/?p=32#comment-1312 You make a couple of valid points. I'm German and I've been following the NBA closely for about 16 years now. My allegiances have always been with certain players. I used to be a Bulls fan, then a Sonics fan (Schrempf being there played a role) and then a Sixers fan. Now I've been a huge Mavs fan since Dirk started there but I'm pretty sure I would lose interest in them if they were to trade Dirk, even though I've been following them religiously. I don't really share your fear that one day international fans will negatively influence a team's decision making. You make a couple of valid points. I’m German and I’ve been following the NBA closely for about 16 years now. My allegiances have always been with certain players. I used to be a Bulls fan, then a Sonics fan (Schrempf being there played a role) and then a Sixers fan. Now I’ve been a huge Mavs fan since Dirk started there but I’m pretty sure I would lose interest in them if they were to trade Dirk, even though I’ve been following them religiously. I don’t really share your fear that one day international fans will negatively influence a team’s decision making.

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