The Tiger effect part IV

When Tiger plays, people watch. But what would they watch if he doesn’t play?

This week, I’m revealing five sports programs that could benefit from a Tiger-less 2010. Today, number two is….

2: NBA

The sky is the limit for the NBA’s popularity. I really mean that. The NBA has three major things going for them which I think other professional sports can’t contend with.

Rappers like Jay-Z keep the NBA relevant in the minds of youngsters.
Photo by: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

1. The game is global. Out of the big three in the U.S. (NFL, NBA & MLB), the NBA is head-and-shoulders above the other two in terms of popularity worldwide. Every other country in the world has a different, more popular type of football than we do and baseball may be extremely popular in Asia and Latin America, but I would argue basketball has surpassed it. Soccer will always be king, because it’s the cheapest and easiest to play. However, the NBA’s showcasing of foreign-born players in the league has skyrocketed the sport’s relevance around the globe.

2. The league markets its product to young people. This is the exact opposite of what MLB is doing, as discussed in an earlier post. The league has been criticized about it’s image and conduct of its players, but let’s face it: the product is a hit with youngsters. How many rappers do you hear spitting rhymes about baseball (other than the Yankees)? How many kids are shelling out hundreds of dollars to be the first ones to buy Derek Jeter’s or Tom Brady’s new shoes? Thanks to players like Lebron, Kobe, Dwayne, Carmelo, Dirk, Yao, Manu, Pau, Tony, etc., kids around the world are emotionally attached to the league’s product. If your target demographic is young, you’ll always have a future.

3. The NBA is a facial league. Let me explain. There’s a reason why you could visually see each face in your mind as I rattled off first names in the previous paragraph. Out of all the major sports, basketball is played on the smallest surface with the fewest players at one time, and none of their faces are blocked by helmets or masks. The focus is so tight and centered during games that the repetition of players’ actual faces allows viewers to humanly relate to the them on an emotional level. It’s not like football, where you’re watching gridiron gladiators dressed for battle, or baseball/soccer players that look like ants on a huge playing surface. Basketball is up-close and personal, and that’s the reason why faces like Jordan, Magic and Bird are so recognizable.

The NBA hopes to showcase the real Kobe and LeBron in this year's Finals rather than the popular puppet commercials by NIKE that started during last year's playoffs.

This summer, the league’s two biggest faces, Lebron and Kobe, seem to be on an inevitable crash-course to meet each other in the NBA Finals. Free from Tiger stealing weekend ratings, this year could be the most viewed playoffs ever. If the NBA gets the dream matchup they were so close to getting last year, the sky truly will be the limit.

Tomorrow: #1 on the list of sports programs that could benefit from a Tiger-less 2010.