exporting U.S. pro sports overseas

[samhexum]

The NBA will head to the Middle East later this year, with the Bucks and Hawks playing a pair of preseason games in Abu Dhabi on October 6 and October 8, 2022.

The games will be the league’s first in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in the Arabian Gulf.

The NBA’s foray into international markets for preseason games has been on hold during the last couple years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears it will resume this fall.

In 2019, the league played preseason games in India, Japan, and China. Since ’19, regular season games have also been played in England, France, and Mexico. The Spurs reportedly hope to play more regular season home games in Mexico during the next couple seasons.  umm... Greece might be interested in hosting a certain team.

As Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details, commissioner Adam Silver was asked last month about playing in the UAE despite the country’s human rights record, and acknowledged it was a “fair question.”

“We look at many different factors in terms of how we travel, bring our games,” Silver said. “But our ultimate goal is to bring our games to everywhere around the world. There are lines we draw, but we’re an American company and usually we allow those lines to be drawn by our government. Whoever happens to be our administration gives us direction on where they think it’s appropriate for us to operate and not operate.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr. announced a long-term strategic partnership that includes Major League Baseball’s commitment to hold major events in London over the next five years including regular season games in 2023, 2024 and 2026. Also announced was the formation of the MLB London Legacy Group which will include members from the Greater London Authority, Baseball Softball UK and other key stakeholders in the UK. The Group will be focused on delivering a wide-reaching and long-term legacy program that maximizes the impact of hosting MLB regular season games in London.

“All aspects of the inaugural MLB games in London were an overwhelming success,” said Commissioner Manfred. “It was clear that sports fans in London had a great appetite for baseball and that passion was shared by Mayor Khan as well as the business and media community. We are confident in making a long-term commitment to London and are looking forward to returning to the city with more MLB games, special fan events, and other opportunities to play and watch the game further line our pockets.”

London hosted Major League Baseball games for the first time in June of 2019 when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox met in the inaugural MLB London Series. The two-games at London Stadium were the first-ever regular season games played in Europe.  The stadium obviously wasn't configured for baseball and the first game was 6-6 after one inning and ended 17-13.  In other words, a pre-humidor Coors Field pitchers' duel.

To complement these events, MLB Europe will continue to conduct new London-based fan engagement events, expanded UK-focused content, baseball participation programs, and other city specific media arrangements to help continue the growth of baseball’s popularity across London. They should have hot dogs, apple pie (and Chevrolet).

A prime example of this is Home Run Derby X, an electrifying new baseball format which will take place in London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 9, 2022. Home Run Derby X has been designed to frame baseball in a fun and unique way to a new audience, with MLB Legends competing alongside characters new fans trust and care about and integrated into digital platforms and live event experiences that appeal to them. English, please? (pun intended)

Londoners, for better or worse, may have gotten the wrong impression of what Major League Baseball is all about.

In the two games between the Yankees and Red Sox, the teams combined to score 50 runs, with New York winning both contests by margins of 17-13 and 12-8.

Obviously, even by Red Sox/Yankee standards, that is an absurd amount of runs and makes MLB out to be a much more offensive product, in a good way, than it usually is.

In scoring the 50 runs, the teams combined for 65 hits, 16 doubles and 10 homers, with both games going over four hours. Saturday’s game went 4:42, making it the third-longest nine-inning game in MLB history. (The two longest games are both also Boston/New York contests.  A younger, healthier me spent almost 2 straight hours on a stationary bike at the gym watching the end of the longest one.  It just kept going on and on, as did I. )

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by samhexum
just for the hell of it

[BuffaloKyle]

All sports do this for $$$$$. More merchandise sales trying to get people into the leagues and viewership. Even the Notre Dame college football team is going to Ireland in 2023 for a game!

https://www.nd2ireland.com/

[+ Kman]

On 5/11/2022 at 8:39 AM, BuffaloKyle said:

All sports do this for $$$$$. More merchandise sales trying to get people into the leagues and viewership. Even the Notre Dame college football team is going to Ireland in 2023 for a game!

https://www.nd2ireland.com/

Northwestern and Nebraska just played in Ireland on Saturday.  It looked like the Nebraska fans had pretty good showing but I think Northwestern gave up the home game for that one.  For such a short season, in terms of number of games, I am not sure why they would play an international game 

[BuffaloKyle]

13 hours ago, Kman said:

Northwestern and Nebraska just played in Ireland on Saturday.  It looked like the Nebraska fans had pretty good showing but I think Northwestern gave up the home game for that one.  For such a short season, in terms of number of games, I am not sure why they would play an international game 

That's why I hated when the Buffalo Bills did their Toronto experiment and played one home game a year in Toronto. But that's when they stunk so they weren't selling out every home game like they do now. Jacksonville plays one home game every year in London. And as for the other times that NFL teams are featured in international games the NFL requires them to on an equal basis. No team can opt out of going.