NBA is the biggest league worldwide?

[Slam13]

True/False?

I think absolutely true, what other league is as popular as NBA worldwide? I know in Europe and South America the big countries have big football leagues but each country has their own, so there is not a single big football league. Same goes for European basketball. What could possibly challenge NBA as the biggest league worldwide? I think NBA might be bigger than the NFL even in the US, I know it is the most popular at least on the internet.

[Alan]

Champion's League

[Micku]

I think NBA might be bigger than the NFL even in the US, I know it is the most popular at least on the internet.

It is? I still think that the NFL is still more popular on the internet. But, I do think the NBA is more popular internationally.

[w00terz]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.

[Im so nba'd out]

Naw NFL bigger in American on the internet and off the internet

[dajadeed]

True/False?

I think absolutely true, what other league is as popular as NBA worldwide? I know in Europe and South America the big countries have big football leagues but each country has their own, so there is not a single big football league. Same goes for European basketball. What could possibly challenge NBA as the biggest league worldwide? I think NBA might be bigger than the NFL even in the US, I know it is the most popular at least on the internet.

Spoken like someone who has never been outside of the US.

[Im so nba'd out]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.
Basketball is bigger then baseball worldwide :cheers:

[Slam13]

Champion's League
That is a tournament, its not the same.

[big baller]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.


And your full of shit

[OneMoreSucka]

ICC world cricket league would be my first guess. 87 nations.

[Slam13]

It is? I still think that the NFL is still more popular on the internet. But, I do think the NBA is more popular internationally.
Well the internet is a worldwide thing, so NBA is far more popular than the NFL on the internet, and even in digg.com and other places I see NBA stories but no NFL stories.

[Sonic R]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.

Sounds about right to me.

Basketball is like 3rd string here in the USA

[Slam13]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.
1. Maybe
2. I know, but I was talking about a single league, not the sport
3. No way in hell bro. :wtf:

[Slam13]

Spoken like someone who has never been outside of the US.
Actually, I live in Estonia and have never been to the US.

[i seen hippos]

I'm pretty sure the EPL is bigger than the NBA.

[db23]

English Premier League is the biggest worldwide.It basically has the top 4 teams in the world in it too.Thats soccer to you americans.

[Slam13]

ICC world cricket league would be my first guess. 87 nations.
I'm talking about popularity and marketing, there may be 87 nations with their team consisting of hobby players, that doesn't mean that the sport is popular, cricket is only popular in a few third world nations.

And also I'm talking about a league that would have a regular season, not a tournament.

[Sonic R]

In the USA these are how the leagues rank in popular:

NFL
NCAA









MLB
NBA


















NHL


Someone might be able to plug NASCAR in there somewhere

[Micku]

There was a similar thread like this a while back. I think everyone was surprised when they found out how many sports are more popular than basketball.

But yeah, football is more popular in the US. I think the NHL is very popular too.

In the 80s and 90s I think that basketball was a lot more popular, domestically and internationally; correct me if I'm wrong though.

[quasimoto]

NBA is a lot bigger than NFL or baseball worldwide. Most people who know a little about sports can tell you who MJ is, while almost no one over here knows how American Football works.

[quasimoto]

I'm talking about popularity and marketing, there may be 87 nations with their team consisting of hobby players, that doesn't mean that the sport is popular, cricket is only popular in a few third world nations.

And also I'm talking about a league that would have a regular season, not a tournament.
Cricket is extremely popular in South-Eastern Asia, and that's where the majority of people live.

[Slam13]

[QUOTE=Sonic R]Sounds about right to me.

Basketball is like 3rd string here in the USA

[Fatal9]

I'm talking about popularity and marketing, there may be 87 nations with their team consisting of hobby players, that doesn't mean that the sport is popular, cricket is only popular in a few third world nations.

And also I'm talking about a league that would have a regular season, not a tournament.
England? Australia (champions)? New Zealand? :confusedshrug:

[GMW]

English Premier League is the biggest worldwide.It basically has the top 4 teams in the world in it too.Thats soccer to you americans.
:oldlol:

[OneMoreSucka]

[QUOTE=Sonic R]In the USA these are how the leagues rank in popular:

NFL
NCAA









MLB
NBA


















NHL


Someone might be able to plug NASCAR in there somewhere

[Mikaiel]

nba.com is the most popular league website out there. More popular than nfl.com, mlb.com, premierleague.com etc ...

[Slam13]

Cricket is extremely popular in South-Eastern Asia, and that's where the majority of people live.
I know, that still doesn't make cricket big worldwide, it is only played in two regions and it is a non existing market compared to football(soccer) and basketball.

And I even doubt that cricket is that popular in South-Eastern Asia, they just have so many people there that it seems popular, because the majority of the people are very poor there and you don't need more than a simple ball and a stick to play cricket so even the poorest can have some kind of alternatives to play that.

Cricket is boring and it will never be big worldwide.

[Mikaiel]

that doesn't mean that the sport is popular, cricket is only popular in a few third world nations.

Cricket is huge in India, and it's the 2nd most populated country in the world. So yeah, it's popular.

[Sonic R]

I'm talking about a single league here, not a sport. Also the league has to have a regular season, not only tournament.

In regards to the USA, NBA is severely handicapped in popularity, so its at a disadvantage

[Slam13]

England? Australia (champions)? New Zealand? :confusedshrug:
It is like fifth fiddle in England, England and GB is all about soccer.
And Australia/New Zealand have a small population, and are close to the same region of South-Eastern Asia.

[Slam13]

Cricket is huge in India, and it's the 2nd most populated country in the world. So yeah, it's popular.
That doesn't have any affect worldwide tho, and it is a very small market. I'm talking about different regions.

[Mikaiel]

That doesn't have any affect worldwide tho, and it is a very small market. I'm talking about different regions.

1.1 billion people = small market ?

What's next ? Table tennis is not popular because China is a small market ?

[Slam13]

1.1 billion people = small market ?

What's next ? Table tennis is not popular because China is a small market ?
The people of India are poor, it doesn't really matter how many of them live there, what are the salaries of Indian cricket players??? And I'm talking about worldwide here anyway...

[Rekindled]

bakstetball is the no.1 sport in china and some east european countries(greece, lithuania etc.) . and no.2 in most other countries in the world behind soccer. basketball is no.2 most popular sports in the world. since soccer doesnt have a dominant league like basetkball(nba). so id say nba is the biggest league.

****ing 1 billion people watched a ****ing regular season game between bucks and rockets like a year ago.

[Slam13]

bakstetball is the no.1 sport in china and some east european countries(greece, lithuania etc.) . and no.2 in most other countries in the world behind soccer. basketball is no.2 most popular sports in the world. since soccer doesnt have a dominant league like basetkball(nba). so id say nba is the biggest league.

****ing 1 billion people watched a ****ing regular season game between bucks and rockets like a year ago.
Really? Where do you take this from?

[Kebab Stall]

First of all, I don't understand why some of you arguing about sports, when the thread is about leagues.

The NFL, MLB and NHL are not popular at all, outside of America. Baseball as a sport may be popular in countries such as Japan, but the MLB is not.

The Premier League over here in the UK is one of the most popular leagues world wide, if not the most popular and I wouldn't be surprised if the NBA wasn't far behind it. Now, I'm not saying that basketball as a sport is one of the biggest (though it probably is), but the NBA, as a league, is more than likely one of the more more popluar leagues in the world and I really wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Are some of you going to try and tell me that the NFL, MLB and NHL are more popular than the NBA outside of the US? Please, most people don't even know the first thing about these sports outside of the US, let alone are they going to be watching and supporting it.

[quasimoto]

The NBA obviously had the advantage that it's all centered in one league, where in soccer every nation has its own domestic competition. The Champions League isn't really comparable to the NBA, since even the winner only plays a handful of games and most teams place more importance on their own league.

[CroqueMort]

As a league I would go with the NBA. I don't see any league bigger than the NBA. David Stern and his team are just so good is is unbelievable.

And as a sport Basketball is very high, higher than what people think.

Regarding the number of players who are members of a federation, basketball is a top 3 sports world wide, and we don' even count the number of only streetball player.

However in term of popularity and national infatuation soccer is the world number one, and I'm not sure but cricket seem to be followed by a lot of passion :D

[Slam13]

First of all, I don't understand why some of you arguing about sports, when the thread is about leagues.

The NFL, MLB and NHL are not popular at all, outside of America. Baseball as a sport may be popular in countries such as Japan, but the MLB is not.

The Premier League over here in the UK is one of the most popular leagues world wide, if not the most popular and I wouldn't be surprised if the NBA wasn't far behind it. Now, I'm not saying that basketball as a sport is one of the biggest (though it probably is), but the NBA, as a league, is more than likely one of the more more popluar leagues in the world and I really wouldn't be surprised if it was.

Are some of you going to try and tell me that the NFL, MLB and NHL are more popular than the NBA outside of the US? Please, most people don't even know the first thing about these sports outside of the US, let alone are they going to be watching and supporting it.

I agree, but hockey in general is popular in North and Eastern Europe. But yes the only challenger to the NBA that came to my mind was also the Premierleague, even here in Estonia a TV channel is broadcasting 2-3 games a week (mostly the big team games like Manu, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal)

[quasimoto]

Are some of you going to try and tell me that the NFL, MLB and NHL are more popular than the NBA outside of the US? Please, most people don't even know the first thing about these sports outside of the US, let alone are they going to be watching and supporting it.
True, I'd even be surprised if the average European could explain the rules of both sports. Let alone name players.

[bruceblitz]

True/False?

I think absolutely true, what other league is as popular as NBA worldwide? I know in Europe and South America the big countries have big football leagues but each country has their own, so there is not a single big football league. Same goes for European basketball. What could possibly challenge NBA as the biggest league worldwide? I think NBA might be bigger than the NFL even in the US, I know it is the most popular at least on the internet.
NFL's superbowl is broadcast in what over 250 nations and the NFL's superbowl more than quadruples the NBA's NBA Finals? :hammerhead:

I love the NBA but NBA ratings can't even compete with a big world championship boxing match. Boxing, WWE, UFC all have had better big pay-per-views than the NBA's Finals, and we are talking about people PAYING to watch it. No way.

[bdreason]

Fiba.

[YAWN]

mlb is more popular than nba in the us and worldwide

[eliteballer]

Some of the big soccer and cricket leagues are the only things i can see being bigger than the nba on a global scale.

[Slam13]

NFL's superbowl is broadcast in what over 250 nations and the NFL's superbowl more than quadruples the NBA's NBA Finals? :hammerhead:


That is absolutely amazing cause there are only 221 countries in the world, and only 154 with over 1 million people, others are mini countries.

And I honestly doubt third world nations broadcast the superbowl, why would an African care and where do they get the money? And I also doubt European countries broadcast the superbowl because Europeans have no interest in it.

[bruceblitz]

That is absolutely amazing cause there are only 221 countries in the world, and only 154 with over 1 million people, others are mini countries.

And I honestly doubt third world nations broadcast the superbowl, why would an African care and where do they get the money? And I also doubt European countries broadcast the superbowl because Europeans have no interest in it.
That's why I used the word "about" because I didn't take the time to research it but you don't need to be a rocket scientist or do research to know that this thought that the NBA is bigger on a world wide scale than even baseball is crazy. Look at all of the spanish countries that send players to America to play baseball. Please.

[Slam13]

That's why I used the word "about" because I didn't take the time to research it but you don't need to be a rocket scientist or do research to know that this thought that the NBA is bigger on a world wide scale than even baseball is crazy. Look at all of the spanish countries that send players to America to play baseball. Please.
You did not use the word "about" not a single time in your last post. :wtf:

And all the Spanish countries are all about soccer, and "baseball" or cricket are only a minor fiddle there.

[CroqueMort]

mlb is more popular than nba in the us and worldwide

Where do you live ????? I traveled a lot and there is no way that the MLB is more popular than the NBA outside of the U.S.A.
There is no baseball in Europe, the Indian sub-continent, Africa and the major countries of South America.



The NBA is the most popular league in the world. In Europe people wake up at 2am to see regular season games. In Asia it is just crazy, especially in China I've never seen so many hardcore fan, and I'm not even talking about Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, etc....

P.S: It reminds the dram about Lebron being a Knicks, Lebron is not gonna be bigger if he plays for them, the world don't give a bull nut if he plays for them, they would follow Lebron as a Cavs and even a Clippers or a thunder !!!

[Mikaiel]

NFL's superbowl is broadcast in what over 250 nations and the NFL's superbowl more than quadruples the NBA's NBA Finals? :hammerhead:

250 nations ? Wow, I knew the superbowl was popular, but that popular ? Damn impressive ! Especially when you consider the fact there are only 194 countries in the world. Wow ...

I don't think the Superbowl is broadcast in many countries. Nobody cares about the NFL. Nobody even knows the rules. Where I live, France, the 1st Superbowl that was broadcast was the Steelers-Seahawks one a few years ago. And the ratings are horrible each year.


The NBA obviously had the advantage that it's all centered in one league

You know, other countries have their own basketball leagues too ...

[Rekindled]

mlb is more popular than nba in the us and worldwide

lol how many countries have you lived in in your life.

[bruceblitz]

You did not use the word "about" not a single time in your last post. :wtf:

And all the Spanish countries are all about soccer, and "baseball" or cricket are only a minor fiddle there.
Excuse me I said "what". I didn't make a conclusive statement as fact, but yet you miss the ENTIRE POINT. The NBA is low on the totem pole of popular sports in America and on a worldwide scale.

[Rekindled]

250 nations ? Wow, I knew the superbowl was popular, but that popular ? Damn impressive ! Especially when you consider the fact there are only 194 countries in the world. Wow ...

I don't think the Superbowl is broadcast in many countries. Nobody cares about the NFL. Nobody even knows the rules. Where I live, France, the 1st Superbowl that was broadcast was the Steelers-Seahawks one a few years ago. And the ratings are horrible each year.



You know, other countries have their own basketball leagues too ...

wrong. superbowl is broadcasted in a lot of countries. it's just that no one cares about it.

[bruceblitz]

SuperBowl is broadcast in 230 countries and in 34 different languages:
http://www.bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374:super-bowl-xliii-to-be-broadcast-in-230-countries-full-listing&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53

Took me about 10 seconds to google that you retards. In your faces biotches.

[Slam13]

250 nations ? Wow, I knew the superbowl was popular, but that popular ? Damn impressive ! Especially when you consider the fact there are only 194 countries in the world. Wow ...

I don't think the Superbowl is broadcast in many countries. Nobody cares about the NFL. Nobody even knows the rules. Where I live, France, the 1st Superbowl that was broadcast was the Steelers-Seahawks one a few years ago. And the ratings are horrible each year.



You know, other countries have their own basketball leagues too ...
:lol

I already pointed that out, but there are 221 countries in the world and like 100 of them are really small.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

Yea and where I live not a single NFL game or superbowl has ever been broadcasted and people don't even know what the NFL is or American football in general.

[bruceblitz]

:lol

I already pointed that out, but there are 221 countries in the world and like 100 of them are really small.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

Yea and where I live not a single NFL game or superbowl has ever been broadcasted and people don't even know what the NFL is or American football in general.

SuperBowl is broadcast in 230 countries and in 34 different languages:
http://www.bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374:super-bowl-xliii-to-be-broadcast-in-230-countries-full-listing&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53

Took me about 10 seconds to google that you retards. In your faces biotches.

OWNED

[Slam13]

SuperBowl is broadcast in 230 countries and in 34 different languages:
http://www.bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374:super-bowl-xliii-to-be-broadcast-in-230-countries-full-listing&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53

Took me about 10 seconds to google that you retards. In your faces biotches.

There are 221 countries in the world dude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

And it is cable TV. That means you can view ESPN from these countries, not that these countries broadcast the game.


Look it even lists Antarctica as a country...:lol


It even lists Estonia there, and the broadcaster (AFN, NASN) Which I have never even heard about...and in reality there has never been broadcasted a superbowl game here.


It says there that only 14 countries are actually broadcasting the game.


Seriously what are AFN, NASN? I have never ever heard about these, the only American channels I, and everyone I know can see here in Estonia are CNN, Fox news, and Discovery.


OWNED

[CroqueMort]

No way the NFL is more popular than the NBA.

Nobody gives a **** about american football outside of the U.S.A. A, they just want to see the commercials.

Go to Guadeloupe or Martinique the countries of your list. No team you can't even find a ball for that sport there.

[bruceblitz]

There are 221 countries in the world dude.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population

And it is cable TV. That means you can view ESPN from these countries, not that these countries broadcast the game.


Look it even lists Antarctica as a country...:lol
SO you are arguing that the NBA is as popular on a worldwide scale as the NFL

:oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol: :oldlol:

Tiger Woods alone is more popular than the NBA on a worldwide scale, ROFL!!!

[JtotheIzzo]

I'm pretty sure the EPL is bigger than the NBA.

Bingo!

[Mikaiel]

The NBA is low on the totem pole of popular sports in America and on a worldwide scale.

No it's not. It's really not hard to find NBA fans in Europe for example. Basketball is popular in a lot of countries, and when you like basketball, usually you follow the NBA, because that's the best league in the wolrd. Who would want to see games dominated by guys like Jerome Moiso or Frederic Weis ? That's why the NBA is so popular. And it's not hard to find guys who go to sleep when they come back from work so they can wake up at 2:00 AM to watch an NBA game. Or guys who live at night because of that same reason.

I've never met an NFL fan in Europe so far. Sometimes I meet guys who watched a Superbowl, and they found it extremely boring because they didn't know the rules and there are like 5 seconds of play every minute, and I'm not counting time-outs and end of quarter breaks. That's extremely difficult for non-Americans to watch, because they're used to soccer or rugby, when they play non-stop for 45 or 40 minutes, with no timeouts and only a 15 or 10 minute break at halftime.

[Fatal9]

Cricket is boring and it will never be big worldwide.
:oldlol:
It is popular in Australia/NZ, all of the Caribbean (national sport for most countries), huge in south east asia (india, pakistan, sri lanka), Great Britain, Southern Africa (SA, Zimbabwe, Kenya) and it is not big worldwide? You are very ignorant.

Outside of soccer and maybe basketball, there isn't a sport that is more popular from a global standpoint.

[JtotheIzzo]

No way the NFL is more popular than the NBA.

Nobody gives a **** about american football outside of the U.S.A. A, they just want to see the commercials.

Go to Guadeloupe or Martinique the countries of your list. No team you can't even find a ball for that sport there.

False: Most international broadcasts show local commercials.

True: NFL is not a popular game worldwide.

[bruceblitz]

Anyone who thinks the NBA is as popular as soccer, WWE, Boxing, Baseball, MMA, NFL, on a worldwide scale is just a basketball fan. Not a real sports fan. I'd say it's pretty close between the NBA and NHL but that's about it. Tiger Woods is the most recognizable active athlete in the world, what's that tell you?

[CroqueMort]

No it's not. It's really not hard to find NBA fans in Europe for example. Basketball is popular in a lot of countries, and when you like basketball, usually you follow the NBA, because that's the best league in the wolrd. Who would want to see games dominated by guys like Jerome Moiso or Frederic Weis ? That's why the NBA is so popular. And it's not hard to find guys who go to sleep when they come back from work so they can wake up at 2:00 AM to watch an NBA game. Or guys who live at night because of that same reason.

I've never met an NFL fan in Europe so far. Sometimes I meet guys who watched a Superbowl, and they found it extremely boring because they didn't know the rules and there are like 5 seconds of play every minute, and I'm not counting time-outs and end of quarter breaks. That's extremely difficult for non-Americans to watch, because they're used to soccer or rugby, when they play non-stop for 45 or 40 minutes, with no timeouts and only a 15 or 10 minute break at halftime.



Damn I guy who makes some sense. Moiso Frederick Weiss, are you a frenchie ?

[JtotheIzzo]

:oldlol:
It is popular in Australia/NZ, all of the Caribbean (national sport for most countries), huge in south east asia (india, pakistan, sri lanka), Great Britain, Southern Africa (SA, Zimbabwe, Kenya) and it is not big worldwide? You are very ignorant.

Outside of soccer and maybe basketball, there isn't a sport that is more popular from a global standpoint.

that part of the world is called 'South Asia' (Southeast Asia is Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia etc...)

Cricket is far more popular in South Asia than anywhere else on the planet. It is like religion in India.

[Fatal9]

Has this bruceblitz guy ever been outside of the bubble that is the US? American Football is absolutely ridiculed in Europe. No one cares for it on any other continent. Rugby is much more favored outside of North America.

[Mikaiel]

False: Most international broadcasts show local commercials.

Wrong. They don't even show commercials during time-outs. Only at halftime. Instead of commercials, they show the analysts breaking down the game. You just can't have that many commercials outside of the US. Everyone would turn their TV off if they showed that many commercials. Non-Americans are just not used to it.

[JtotheIzzo]

Anyone who thinks the NBA is as popular as soccer, WWE, Boxing, Baseball, MMA, NFL, on a worldwide scale is just a basketball fan. Not a real sports fan. I'd say it's pretty close between the NBA and NHL but that's about it. Tiger Woods is the most recognizable active athlete in the world, what's that tell you?

are you on drugs?

the NBA is second to soccer.

WWE and NFL are the butt of most jokes overseas, and MMA, c'mon really? and baseball just got booted from the Olympics.

Get a clue.

[bruceblitz]

When Michael Jordan was still playing, the NBA was more popular on a world-wide scale just like Tiger Woods is followed closely in so many different countries. The NBA does not have a Michael Jordan type figure that the entire world follows his every move. LeBron James could change that but it's gonna take time. In the late 90's in Jordan's last 3 years the NBA was at it's peak for popularity. I mean they had nearly a 19 rating in the Finals that year, in contrast the NBA had a 9 rating(last year). The neilsen ratings died for the NBA when Jordan left. Tiger Woods has the same effect on golf, when Tiger Woods isn't playing in a tournament nobody watches. The Jordan prototypes have kept the game from completely dying but when the world wide fans turn on the NBA finals and see Tim Mr Fundamental Duncan holding a trophy, they probably quit watching for a while.

[JtotheIzzo]

Wrong. They don't even show commercials during time-outs. Only at halftime. Instead of commercials, they show the analysts breaking down the game. You just can't have that many commercials outside of the US. Everyone would turn their TV off if they showed that many commercials. Non-Americans are just not used to it.


look f*cktard I've watched the Super Bowl in about 5 different countries, and they showed local commercials.

[bruceblitz]

are you on drugs?

the NBA is second to soccer.

WWE and NFL are the butt of most jokes overseas, and MMA, c'mon really? and baseball just got booted from the Olympics.

Get a clue.
WWE's wrestlemania and NFL's superbowl are broadcast in 4 times the amount of countries the NBA is, I guess they do that just because it's a big publicity stunt so Russians can flip past the channel it's on. The NBA sucks for popularity, and when you learn to accept that you will sleep better at night. WW freakin E is more popular on a worldwide scale than the NBA. Boxing is my favorite sport but to claim that MMA isn't popular on a global scale and more popular than the NBA on a global scale is laughable. Just flat out laughable.

[CroqueMort]

Anyone who thinks the NBA is as popular as soccer, WWE, Boxing, Baseball, MMA, NFL, on a worldwide scale is just a basketball fan. Not a real sports fan. I'd say it's pretty close between the NBA and NHL but that's about it. Tiger Woods is the most recognizable active athlete in the world, what's that tell you?

Soccer is the world number one, no doubt, but no football league is bigger than the NBA. ( The UEFA champions league is another case).

I lived in China, Japan, the West Indies, various countries in Europe, and I have rarely seen any NFL games. Only since I lived in the states that I start to know a little bit about the NFL.

WWE, what the **** ????????? You are joking right ?????

[Slam13]

Anyone who thinks the NBA is as popular as soccer, WWE, Boxing, Baseball, MMA, NFL, on a worldwide scale is just a basketball fan. Not a real sports fan. I'd say it's pretty close between the NBA and NHL but that's about it. Tiger Woods is the most recognizable active athlete in the world, what's that tell you?
NBA is a league

Soccer is a sport
So are Boxing and Baseball.

I'm talking about a league here, and the fact that a sport like cricket is big in South Asia doesn't make it big worldwide, it is just one region, and actually Europe is the most important region because that is the biggest market.

And I doubt Tiger Woods is the most recognizable athlete in the world, altho he is the richest, and FYI he is a golf player.

And reply to my last post where I made a complete fool out of you, it says on the same page that you posted that the superbowl is actually broadcasted in only 14 countries, other countries just have cable, and I can guarantee you that virtually nobody in Estonia has seen a superbowl game, and has ever heard about the channels AFL or NASN.

[dajadeed]

Anyone who thinks the NBA is as popular as soccer, WWE, Boxing, Baseball, MMA, NFL, on a worldwide scale is just a basketball fan. Not a real sports fan. I'd say it's pretty close between the NBA and NHL but that's about it. Tiger Woods is the most recognizable active athlete in the world, what's that tell you?

The NBA is much more popular worldwide than the NFL. lmao @ MMA.

I've been to all but 2 continents, and I've watched NBA games in all the places I've been to. Never an NFL game.

The NFL might dominate in the US, but outside of a few countries overseas, no one really gives a **** about it.

[JtotheIzzo]

When Michael Jordan was still playing, the NBA was more popular on a world-wide scale just like Tiger Woods is followed closely in so many different countries. The NBA does not have a Michael Jordan type figure that the entire world follows his every move. LeBron James could change that but it's gonna take time. In the late 90's in Jordan's last 3 years the NBA was at it's peak for popularity. I mean they had nearly a 19 rating in the Finals that year, in contrast the NBA had a 9 rating. The neilsen ratings died for the NBA when Jordan left. Tiger Woods has the same effect on golf, when Tiger Woods isn't playing in a tournament nobody watches. The Jordan prototypes have kept the game from completely dying but when the world wide fans turn on the NBA finals and see Tim Mr Fundamental Duncan holding a trophy, they probably quit watching for a while.

The NBA died in the US, but with the influx of foreign players it has grown steadily off the popularity of MJ.

Way more popular in France than 10 years ago.

Way more popular in Germany

Way more popular in Spain

Way more popular in Argentina

Way more popular in Turkey

Way more popular in Lebanon

AND

The NBA is the most popular sports league in China, The Philippines, Has grown markedly in Korea and Japan and has had steady growth across the board with regards to viewership overseas sans-Jordan.

[bruceblitz]

The love for the NBA is in full effect in this thread. David Stern loves you guys. Boxing, NFL, Wrestling, MMA, Baseball and Tiger Woods makes golf all more popular on a world wide scale than the damn NBA. I have been to about 192 countries and took a survey of over 3 billion people (:oldlol:)

(if you haven't noticed yet, I'm not changing my opinion)

Oh by the way did you guys know Tiger Woods plays golf? Slam13 just taught me that :rolleyes:

[dajadeed]

When Michael Jordan was still playing, the NBA was more popular on a world-wide scale just like Tiger Woods is followed closely in so many different countries. The NBA does not have a Michael Jordan type figure that the entire world follows his every move. LeBron James could change that but it's gonna take time. In the late 90's in Jordan's last 3 years the NBA was at it's peak for popularity. I mean they had nearly a 19 rating in the Finals that year, in contrast the NBA had a 9 rating(last year). The neilsen ratings died for the NBA when Jordan left. Tiger Woods has the same effect on golf, when Tiger Woods isn't playing in a tournament nobody watches. The Jordan prototypes have kept the game from completely dying but when the world wide fans turn on the NBA finals and see Tim Mr Fundamental Duncan holding a trophy, they probably quit watching for a while.

lmao at the Jordan buttboy.

[Mikaiel]

The NBA does not have a Michael Jordan type figure that the entire world follows his every move.

And the NFL, MLB, MMA, WWE have guys like that ? Wow. You do realize almost nobody knows who Peyton Manning or Tom Brady are in Europe right ?


look f*cktard I've watched the Super Bowl in about 5 different countries, and they showed local commercials.

Really ? Like everytime there's a commercial break in the US they'd show commercials too ? I've watched it in France and England, and they didn't do that. They'd lose their audience.

[bruceblitz]

SuperBowl is broadcast in 230 countries and in 34 different languages:
http://www.bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374:super-bowl-xliii-to-be-broadcast-in-230-countries-full-listing&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53


The truth hurts don't it NFL haters? My favorite sports are Boxing, MMA, and Basketball, I only enjoy the NFL when Da Bears are playing good, so why am I not bias to basketball? Oh yeah, because I am able to look past my bias and admit the fact that basketball has lost over half it's fan base since MJ retired from Da Bulls.

[dajadeed]

The love for the NBA is in full effect in this thread. David Stern loves you guys. Boxing, NFL, Wrestling, MMA, Baseball and Tiger Woods makes golf all more popular on a world wide scale than the damn NBA. I have been to about 192 countries and took a survey of over 3 billion people (:oldlol:)

(if you haven't noticed yet, I'm not changing my opinion)

Oh by the way did you guys know Tiger Woods plays golf? Slam13 just taught me that :rolleyes:

You're an idiot if you think the NFL is more popular than the NBA worldwide.

Have you ever been outside of the US?

[bruceblitz]

And the NFL, MLB, MMA, WWE have guys like that ? Wow. You do realize almost nobody knows who Peyton Manning or Tom Brady are in Europe right ?

Those sport don't NEED a Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods to be popular. You are talking about contact sports in the NFL and MMA, the WWE is pure entertainment (comedy or not) and MLB has stood the test of time somehow (I can't stand baseball, it's so boring).

[JtotheIzzo]

WWE's wrestlemania and NFL's superbowl are broadcast in 4 times the amount of countries the NBA is, I guess they do that just because it's a big publicity stunt so Russians can flip past the channel it's on. The NBA sucks for popularity, and when you learn to accept that you will sleep better at night. WW freakin E is more popular on a worldwide scale than the NBA. Boxing is my favorite sport but to claim that MMA isn't popular on a global scale and more popular than the NBA on a global scale is laughable. Just flat out laughable.

you are obviously a silly kid who has never been outside the States.

your viewpoint is skewed beyond repair, this is a waste of time.

[bruceblitz]

You guys trying to change my opinion are just :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: right now aren't you?

[dajadeed]

The truth hurts don't it NFL haters? My favorite sports are Boxing, MMA, and Basketball, I only enjoy the NFL when Da Bears are playing good, so why am I not bias to basketball? Oh yeah, because I am able to look past my bias and admit the fact that basketball has lost over half it's fan base since MJ retired from Da Bulls.
:oldlol: :oldlol:

Get out of Jordan's ass.

[bruceblitz]

you are obviously a silly kid who has never been outside the States.

your viewpoint is skewed beyond repair, this is a waste of time.
Do you usually refer to gentlemen in their 30's, like myself, as kids? You wont change my opinion brotha, I wouldn't even try if I was you. The NBA NEEDS Kobe vs LeBron in the Finals to put them back on the map.

[JtotheIzzo]

Really ? Like everytime there's a commercial break in the US they'd show commercials too ? I've watched it in France and England, and they didn't do that. They'd lose their audience.

no not everytime, because the US sells more airtime, sometimes during commercials you hear the commentators setting up their next segment and the camera is just showing a frame of the field. But a lotof the time there is a commercial.

[Slam13]

The love for the NBA is in full effect in this thread. David Stern loves you guys. Boxing, NFL, Wrestling, MMA, Baseball and Tiger Woods makes golf all more popular on a world wide scale than the damn NBA. I have been to about 192 countries and took a survey of over 3 billion people (:oldlol:)

(if you haven't noticed yet, I'm not changing my opinion)

Oh by the way did you guys know Tiger Woods plays golf? Slam13 just taught me that :rolleyes:
Glad that you got that, I told that especially for you since you seem to have a hard time understanding things, it's gotta be hard living with a refurbished brain.:lol

[bruceblitz]

:oldlol: :oldlol:

Get out of Jordan's ass.
It's a fact you dumb ass, I could give a flying **** about proving that Jordan was the face of basketball because it's so obvious. Walter Payton was and still is my favorite athlete of all time, but you don't see me on NFL boards sticking up for his legacy, but if I was would I be in Walter's ass? Michael Jordan and Walter Payton were both steroid abusing freaks and in my opinion the greatest of all time in their respective sports. So what? That doesn't mean I have my head up his ass when I'm stating a mother fawking fact...

Just read the part on this link about the "post-Jordan decline" so you can better educate yourself douche:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings

Damn chodes.

[Mikaiel]

Initiative, a New York-based media research firm, measured the global audience for last year's Super Bowl at 93 million people, with 98 percent of those viewers in North America. That would mean roughly 2 million people outside North America watched the Super Bowl.

Source : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/steve_rushin/02/03/rushin0206/

[bruceblitz]

Glad that you got that, I told that especially for you since you seem to have a hard time understanding things, it's gotta be hard living with a refurbished brain.:lol
My memory is infinite and my ability to comprehend is so superior to yours it's laughable. :hammertime:

[Slam13]

You guys trying to change my opinion are just :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: right now aren't you?
:banghead:

Is that your morning routine? Sure seems like that.

Have you also tried this?

:hammerhead:

[bruceblitz]

:hammerhead:
Source : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/steve_rushin/02/03/rushin0206/

So now Canada and Mexico don't count as part of the 'world' outside of the US? :oldlol:

[bruceblitz]

It's a fact you dumb ass, I could give a flying **** about proving that Jordan was the face of basketball because it's so obvious. Walter Payton was and still is my favorite athlete of all time, but you don't see me on NFL boards sticking up for his legacy, but if I was would I be in Walter's ass? Michael Jordan and Walter Payton were both steroid abusing freaks and in my opinion the greatest of all time in their respective sports. So what? That doesn't mean I have my head up his ass when I'm stating a mother fawking fact...

Just read the part on this link about the "post-Jordan decline" so you can better educate yourself douche:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings

Damn chodes.

booyah

[KineticZhiv]

I think that its. For example here, in Spain, today you can see the LeBron's shot in every newspaper. A lot of people follow the NBA, and talk about Gasol, Calderon, Rudy... Its very easy to find somebody who recognize the stars of the leage, good luck to find people able to name one team of the NFL.

PD And of course you can see here the Superbowl every year but thats all.

[CroqueMort]

The same way you look at stats to explain everything about Basketball can't work for that.

Nobody gives a **** about the NFL outside of the U.S.A.
I hope that you are going to travel one day, for you to see it not to look at "stats". You point three countries that I know, and I'm sure that they had a rating of may 10 people. Guadeloupe, Martinique, Dominca = 0% NFL,
I have seen it !!!! But you know what the NBA they love it.

Tiger Wood is very, very popular but you know what, it is very hard to see him play golf in a lot of country, because the majority of the world don't give a **** about golf. A lot of people know the guy because He is a black or blackaucasian, in a typically white sport and that he is also the best ever. I lived in geneva switzerland, never seen a tournament of golf on tv, but I have seen Tiger Wood every day for Tag Heuer commercial.

[Alan]

...

Heh, polegi kellelegi siin tere

[bruceblitz]

More people probably know who Danica Patrick is over Kobe Bryant on a worldwide scale and Kobe Bryant is the most popular NBA athlete in the United States (thanks to L.A.'s big fan base)

[Slam13]

booyah
Wow, actually quoting yourself in praise and aprovement? :roll: :applause:

[dajadeed]

Source : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/steve_rushin/02/03/rushin0206/

OWNED

[Mikaiel]

:hammerhead:

So now Canada and Mexico don't count as part of the 'world' outside of the US? :oldlol:


Last year the Super Bowl was watched by 86.1 million Americans,

From that same article. That means only 7 million people outside of the US watched the Superbowl, and only 2 million of those were not in North America. Yeah, the NFL is just so f*cking popular.

[CroqueMort]

Danica Patrick ???? I'm a google it.

[dajadeed]

More people probably know who Danica Patrick is over Kobe Bryant on a worldwide scale and Kobe Bryant is the most popular NBA athlete in the United States (thanks to L.A.'s big fan base)

This is the dumbest ****ing quote on this website EVER.

You should be banned for saying something so ****ing stupid.

[bruceblitz]

Wow, actually quoting yourself in praise and aprovement? :roll: :applause:
your avatar says it all.

[Slam13]

More people probably know who Danica Patrick is over Kobe Bryant on a worldwide scale and Kobe Bryant is the most popular NBA athlete in the United States (thanks to L.A.'s big fan base)
I have never even heard that name.

[JtotheIzzo]

Source : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/steve_rushin/02/03/rushin0206/

yep, and 95% of those two million were expatriate Americans.

BruceBlitz is an ass clown.

WWE, MMA, NFL..holy sh*t!!:roll:

[bruceblitz]

Here's another argument, if you look at how many fans the UFC has gained compared to the amount of fans the NBA lost in the last 10 years, further proof that the UFC is a faster growing sport and more popular. You guys are defending a sport that lost half of it's fan base when Jordan left the Bulls.

:hammerhead:

[Fatal9]

Source : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/steve_rushin/02/03/rushin0206/
lol!!!

Does bruceblitz get owned in every thread he posts in? Seems like it.

[dajadeed]

Danica Patrick more known worldwide than Kobe Bryant?

That should go in the ish Hall of Shame for dumbass quotes. I'm guessing the ignorant ass who said it will have a whole section dedicated to his stupid assertions there.

[ikoiko]

:hammerhead:

So now Canada and Mexico don't count as part of the 'world' outside of the US? :oldlol:

you think you're getting off this easy?

you are wrong and your inability to admit it given the facts presented makes you an idiot.

[CroqueMort]

Ha ha ha That mAn is really good, i'm laughing my ass off !!!

Wait for it he is going to find a stat that mention that a lot of the countries of his list are developing nation, and that the people from the same block were watching the superbowl on 1 TV... that is why the rating are so low outside of the U.S.A.

[Slam13]

your avatar says it all.
What? I like basketball, I think everybody here does, and if you don't you can GTFO, troll boy. :cheers:

[bruceblitz]

Name 1 sport that's lost half of it's fan base when 1 player left?(other than golf) Boxing when Ali left? Nope, Larry Holmes carried the sport holding the championship for almost an entire decade and along came Mike Tyson. Now fans invest in the smaller fighters like Floyd, Pacquiao, Shane Mosely, Cotto, right down to David Haye(England) and the Klitchko's(Russia)

Look at the NFL, how many times has the NFL's superbowl ratings declined because one player left the sport? How about NEVER.

Jordan left the Bulls to retire, and the NBA lost half of it's viewers. Yeah, some sport. The NBA thrives on star power, not the sport itself, hello!

[bruceblitz]

What? I like basketball, I think everybody here does, and if you don't you can GTFO, troll boy. :cheers:
I run some of the most popular basketball channels on youtube, I'm a better fan than you when it comes to contributions.

[ikoiko]

Here's another argument, if you look at how many fans the UFC has gained compared to the amount of fans the NBA lost in the last 10 years, further proof that the UFC is a faster growing sport and more popular. You guys are defending a sport that lost half of it's fan base when Jordan left the Bulls.

:hammerhead:

it seems that you're basing this statement on the nielsen ratings thing? if so, that is the faultiest logic ever, since that's national ratings numbers, and we're talking about the worldwide popularity. USA doesn't = worldwide. stop making yourself look stupid.

[Slam13]

I run some of the most popular basketball channels on youtube, I'm a better fan than you when it comes to contributions.
So your argument that my "avatar says it all" makes no sense and makes you a hypocrite idiot right? You have an amazing ability to make yourself look dumb and counter your own arguments, I applaud you:applause:

And FYI the Klitchkos are Ukranian not Russian.

[bruceblitz]

it seems that you're basing this statement on the nielsen ratings thing? if so, that is the faultiest logic ever, since that's national ratings numbers, and we're talking about the worldwide popularity. USA doesn't = worldwide. stop making yourself look stupid.
So you think over half of the fans in America stopped watching, one year only 33% the amount of fans watched the Finals, but the whole world kept watching? Don't fawking kid yourself. The game died when Jordan left. Even boxing recovered from Ali's retirement. Ever heard of Hagler, Ray Leonard, Hearns or Duran?

[Mikaiel]

Look at the NFL, how many times has the NFL's superbowl ratings declined because one player left the sport? How about NEVER.

And when was the NFL more popular than the NBA worldwide ? How about NEVER.

[Mikaiel]

The game died when Jordan left. Even boxing recovered from Ali's retirement. Ever heard of Hagler, Ray Leonard, Hearns or Duran?

Ever heard of Shaq, Duncan, Kobe, LeBron ?

[bruceblitz]

Other than golf and basketball, named 1 sport that lost over half it's viewers when 1 athlete retired? Basketball relies on STAR POWER, what don't you get about this? Now most games are decided on the free throw line as well in the last 5 minutes of a close game, how is that fun to watch? To me baseball and Nascar are the most boring and pathetic sports to watch (just pissin everyone off today I guess), but basketball doesn't appeal to the fans on the sport alone. MMA, Boxing, NFL, are so much more fun to watch than a basketball game, especially a basketball game with marginal players. You can have marginal fighters and marginal football player but still have a high paced exciting game to watch. The NBA relies on star power, the league as a whole isn't popular at all worldwide, their hyped up stars are. That's why the NBA pushes it's stars and not it's teams.

[CroqueMort]

Let me tell you some.
In term of rating
THE WORLD>>>>>>the u.s.a.

The Klitchko's are not Russian please.


Go outside of the U.S.A. and you will see, in term of league, the NBA is the most popular.

In all the playground, kids are trainging their crossover, their shoot.
I have never seen one threw a football ball; and you know what the UFC is popular but look like a tiny cat against the NBA.

[bruceblitz]

And when was the NFL more popular than the NBA worldwide ? How about NEVER.
Yes, a sport broadcast in 34 different languages and 230 different countries during their championship game isn't more popular world wide. LMFAO!

[JtotheIzzo]

More people probably know who Danica Patrick is over Kobe Bryant on a worldwide scale and Kobe Bryant is the most popular NBA athlete in the United States (thanks to L.A.'s big fan base)


you've never been outside the States have you???:roll:

If you did you'd know that Indy car is ONLY popular in the US, the rest of the World likes Formula One, and while it may be possible that more people know Michael Shumacher than Kobe, they certainly don't know who the f*ck Danica is. You are only exposing your further retardation here.

Your numbers game is askew, as you forgot China


NBA has become one of the most influential foreign games in China after four local players Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian began playing in the NBA. The absence of these players can slash the NBA's TV ratings in China.



In November, the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Houston Rockets drew massive TV ratings in November as Yao played against Yi for the first time in NBA history.



The game aired on 19 Chinese mainland television stations and was available on two Webcasts and on video-enabled wireless phones.



The NBA has worked for years to expand its presence in China, as there are an estimated 300 million people playing basketball.

that is a pretty big deal, and a whole lotta numbers...

http://www.china.org.cn/english/sports/239558.htm

my guess is the 300,000,000 basketball players in China know exactly who Kobe is.

because:

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers has taken over as the top selling NBA jersey in China.

http://www.nba.com/news/chinajerseys.html

Now regarding the other sports, wikianswers basically has basketball as the world's second most popular sport.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_most_popular_spectator_sports_in_the_ world

please go die now.

[OneMoreSucka]

So you think over half of the fans in America stopped watching, one year only 33% the amount of fans watched the Finals, but the whole world kept watching? Don't fawking kid yourself. The game died when Jordan left. Even boxing recovered from Ali's retirement. Ever heard of Hagler, Ray Leonard, Hearns or Duran?
And then Boxing died again when Tyson retired. Now boxing is gone for good.

[ikoiko]

So you think over half of the fans in America stopped watching, one year only 33% the amount of fans watched the Finals, but the whole world kept watching? Don't fawking kid yourself. The game died when Jordan left. Even boxing recovered from Ali's retirement. Ever heard of Hagler, Ray Leonard, Hearns or Duran?

so you basically admit that your whole point is guesswork. that's a good start.

[bruceblitz]

Name 1 sport that's lost half of it's fan base when 1 player left?(other than golf) Boxing when Ali left? Nope, Larry Holmes carried the sport holding the championship for almost an entire decade and along came Mike Tyson. Now fans invest in the smaller fighters like Floyd, Pacquiao(Philippines), Shane Mosely, Cotto(Puerto Rico), right down to David Haye(England) and the Klitschko's(Ukraine)

Look at the NFL, how many times has the NFL's superbowl ratings declined because one player left the sport? How about NEVER.

Jordan left the Bulls to retire, and the NBA lost half of it's viewers. Yeah, some sport. The NBA thrives on star power, not the sport itself, hello!
Still waiting for someone to answer this.... Boxing is more popular on a world wide scale than the NBA and people who are surface sports fans consider boxing a dying sport.

[ikoiko]

Yes, a sport broadcast in 34 different languages and 230 different countries during their championship game isn't more popular world wide. LMFAO!

that one game per year being watched by 2 million people outside north america. i live in europe, i don't follow the nfl at all but i will watch the superbowl every year.

[bruceblitz]

And then Boxing died again when Tyson retired. Now boxing is gone for good.
Boxing is dead? You really don't know anything. Manny Pacquiao vs Floyd is one of the biggest upcoming fights ever in the history of the sport(when it happens). Ever heard of Duran, Hearns, Hagler, Leonard, Roy Jones, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Oscar, Hopkins, man I could go on forever. These are household names.

[Slam13]

Still waiting for someone to answer this.... Boxing is more popular on a world wide scale than the NBA and people who are surface sports fans consider boxing a dying sport.
Do you even realize what this thread was about??? It was about the league, do you understand the difference between a league and a sport???:hammerhead:

[bruceblitz]

When David Haye(England) fights Klitschko(Ukraine) it will be viewed more on a world wide scale than the NBA finals this year, FACT!

[bruceblitz]

Do you even realize what this thread was about??? It was about the league, do you understand the difference between a league and a sport???:hammerhead:
Boxing doesn't have a league, boxing itself is it's own league. :hammerhead:

[CroqueMort]

Yes, a sport broadcast in 34 different languages and 230 different countries during their championship game isn't more popular world wide. LMFAO!

Your stats don't prove ****. I still want an answer you have a list with Dominica, Guadeloupe and Martinique, I know these places very well, so I know that no one care about the NFL and that 99.99% of the population didn't watch the superbowl and don't know anything about that sport ( that is quite fun to play by the way )

[ikoiko]

Still waiting for someone to answer this.... Boxing is more popular on a world wide scale than the NBA and people who are surface sports fans consider boxing a dying sport.

well you made it all up. the tv ratings went down in america, that's all we know. stop making sh*t up! and oh yeah, stop comparing the NBA (a league) to boxing (a sport)

[Alan]

Name 1 sport that's lost half of it's fan base when 1 player left?(other than golf) Boxing when Ali left? Nope, Larry Holmes carried the sport holding the championship for almost an entire decade and along came Mike Tyson. Now fans invest in the smaller fighters like Floyd, Pacquiao, Shane Mosely, Cotto, right down to David Haye(England) and the Klitchko's(Russia)


Ukraine, idiot.

[Slam13]

When David Haye(England) fights Klitschko(Ukraine) it will be viewed more on a world wide scale than the NBA finals this year, FACT!
You just cry out FACT!, how about you back up your "facts" somehow?:confusedshrug: Didn't think so....

[bruceblitz]

Ukraine, idiot.
OH man, you really need to learn how to read, I corrected that in about 5 posts now. Thanks.

[Mikaiel]

Yes, a sport broadcast in 34 different languages and 230 different countries during their championship game isn't more popular world wide. LMFAO!

:roll: You've been proven wrong, admit it.

[bruceblitz]

well you made it all up. the tv ratings went down in america, that's all we know. stop making sh*t up! and oh yeah, stop comparing the NBA (a league) to boxing (a sport)
Once again, the NBA's ratings completely fell off the map since Jordan left the Bulls:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings

Name 1 sport that lost over half it's fans just because 1 player retired? You can't because basketball didn't stand up to the test of the Jordan effect. Just like Golf wont stand up to the test of the Tiger Woods effect.

[CroqueMort]

When David Haye(England) fights Klitschko(Ukraine) it will be viewed more on a world wide scale than the NBA finals this year, FACT!

The heavyweight champion is "supposed" to be the strongest man on earth so yeah, the fight is going to be really popular. But you know what ? more people know Melo, Kobe, Lebron, SHAQ than the Klitschko or David Haye, their sport getting less and less attention.

[bruceblitz]

Anyways, I made my point, that was fun sticking up for Boxing on ISH. Kudos guys, it's all just opinions and I respect you all for sticking up for the NBA. Great job!

[JtotheIzzo]

Boxing doesn't have a league, boxing itself is it's own league. :hammerhead:


do you just say dumb sh*t interspersed with emoticons all day?

you look so goddamn stupid in this thread it is beyond comprehension.

Ginobili has made hoops bigger in Argetina post MJ

fact

Gasol has made hoops bigger in Spain post MJ

fact

Dirk has made hoops bigger in Germany post MJ

fact

Nash has made hoops bigger in Canada post MJ

fact

Parker has made hoops bigger in France post MJ

fact

Yao has made hoops way bigger in China post MJ

fact


go f*cking die already clown.

I have owned you in my last five posts and you keep quoting yourself and your DOMESTIC USA 'facts' respond to one of my last few posts.

oh yeah, you can't

bruceblitz = easily the biggest anus on this site.

[CroqueMort]

Once again, the NBA's ratings completely fell off the map since Jordan left the Bulls:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association_Nielsen_ratings

Name 1 sport that lost over half it's fans just because 1 player retired? You can't because basketball didn't stand up to the test of the Jordan effect. Just like Golf wont stand up to the test of the Tiger Woods effect.


Only in the U.S.A. You can ad Europe, Africa, South America, Asian and in particular China and it makes for it.

JUST ADMIT IT !!!!

[bruceblitz]

The heavyweight champion is "supposed" to be the strongest man on earth so yeah, the fight is going to be really popular. But you know what ? more people know Melo, Kobe, Lebron, SHAQ than the Klitschko or David Haye, their sport getting less and less attention.
I'll leave this as my last response. First of all in Europe David Haye is more well known than any single NBA player in Europe. In fact Lennox Lewis is like a god over there. That being said, I would venture to say that Pacquiao and Floyd are more well known outside of the US than any NBA player right now. I know it's not fair because they don't play a team sport, but I'm done with this argument. Boxing!!!

[dajadeed]

I'll leave this as my last response. First of all in Europe David Haye is more well known than any single NBA player in Europe. In fact Lennox Lewis is like a god over there. That being said, I would venture to say that Pacquiao and Floyd are more well known outside of the US than any NBA player right now. I know it's not fair because they don't play a team sport, but I'm done with this argument. Boxing!!!

None of this is true either. You are a stupid piece of ****.

[Mikaiel]

2005 NBA Finals, between San Antonio and Detroit :

US : 11 million viewers
Rest of the world : 94 million viewers, including 25 million in China

Source : http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_June_10/ai_n13808560/

Yeah, the NBA isn't more popular than the NFL, sure.

[ikoiko]

Anyways, I made my point, that was fun sticking up for Boxing on ISH. Kudos guys, it's all just opinions and I respect you all for sticking up for the NBA. Great job!

don't expect that feeling to be mutual with the stupid sh*t you've been pulling. and it's not cool to say "i'm done with this" when proven wrong, just admit that you've been talking out your azz this whole time.

[JtotheIzzo]

I'll leave this as my last response. First of all in Europe David Haye is more well known than any single NBA player in Europe. In fact Lennox Lewis is like a god over there. That being said, I would venture to say that Pacquiao and Floyd are more well known outside of the US than any NBA player right now. I know it's not fair because they don't play a team sport, but I'm done with this argument. Boxing!!!

David Haye:roll: :roll: :roll:

Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, and Dirk Nowitzki are from three of the largest Eurpean countries and have all won sportman of the year in their countries.

David Haye:roll: :roll: :roll:

Bruceblitz is a comedic genius

you still haven't responded to any of my posts handytard...wassup with that?

[CroqueMort]

I'll leave this as my last response. First of all in Europe David Haye is more well known than any single NBA player in Europe. In fact Lennox Lewis is like a god over there. That being said, I would venture to say that Pacquiao and Floyd are more well known outside of the US than any NBA player right now. I know it's not fair because they don't play a team sport, but I'm done with this argument. Boxing!!!


Man, I m doing my college studies in Geneva. If you don't watch boxing, you don't know the Klitschko's or Haye. Boxe is not very popular anymore.
You know what Lennox Lewis is not a god, absolutely not.

And my boys Pacquiao or Floyd are not well know because If you are not a fan you just know the supposed strongest man on earth, the world heavyweight champion.

[ikoiko]

I'll leave this as my last response. First of all in Europe David Haye is more well known than any single NBA player in Europe. In fact Lennox Lewis is like a god over there. That being said, I would venture to say that Pacquiao and Floyd are more well known outside of the US than any NBA player right now. I know it's not fair because they don't play a team sport, but I'm done with this argument. Boxing!!!

completely made up. no facts will ever prove you right on these points.

[CroqueMort]

Just follow our lead....

I WAS WRONG. Short, simple.

[ikoiko]

Just follow our lead....

I WAS WRONG. Short, simple.

just be a man and do it, bruceblitz. you will win back a small piece of the respect for you that everyone lost upon entering this thread.

[cotdt]

The NBA is becoming VERY popular in China so it will soon be #1.

[eric89]

brucebiltz is a completely idiot.I am from Asian and I am pretty sure that Asian poeple don't care about NFL. NFL is only an American sport and popular than NBA only in US

[phoenix18]

Fact, the NBA is the most popular league in the world. Do you want to know why? Name a country that Basketball is not at least the fifth most popular sport. Also, Bruceblitz, you cannot rely on the Nielsen ratings at all. Fact is, many people have never seen a nielsen box at all. The Nielsen ratings does not represent the diversity of the United States at all. I have direct TV and when you press the Active button on your remote it shows the 5 most popular programs. The NBA playoffs are always in the top five so I dont why the ratings were are so low as you stated.BTW Directv has 18million+ subscribers.

[darius15]

America's Fav Sport

Football 41%
Baseball 10%
Basketball 9%
Ice Hockey 4%


"After showing a modest uptick in the 1990s and the early part of this decade, basketball has slipped in recent years. The 9% who consider basketball their favorite sport this year is the lowest Gallup has measured since 1981, when the sport was beginning a surge in popularity fueled by prominent star players such as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and, later, Michael Jordan.

Basketball's popularity reached as high as 17% in April 1997, though that estimate may have been slightly elevated given that the poll was conducted just after the NCAA tournament concluded and just as the NBA playoffs were getting underway. Still, even as recently as December 2003, a relatively high 14% of Americans rated basketball as their No. 1 sport to watch."

Here is the full survey:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/113503/Football-Remains-Runaway-Leader-Favorite-Sport.aspx

So as you can see, Basketball is now tied with baseball. Worldwide, the NBA will beat the NFL, easily.

[SilkyJohnson]

If you count television, website and newspaper coverage, the NBA barely get's 1% in coverage in the UK.

The most popular sport in the world is bar far and away, football (soccer).

[twolvesfan]

surprised hardly anyone mentions cricket here. its the primary sport played in india and we all know how many people live there...

[SilkyJohnson]

Fact, the NBA is the most popular league in the world. Do you want to know why? Name a country that Basketball is not at least the fifth most popular sport.

The NBA isn't even the most popular sports league in it's own country, so how in the hell can you say it's the most popular league in the world.

The English Premiership is the most popular it's country, along with a host of Asian countries, who spend millions and millions to broadcast matches.

The delusion of basketball fans is frightening.

[asu77golf]

NFL's superbowl is broadcast in what over 250 nations and the NFL's superbowl more than quadruples the NBA's NBA Finals? :hammerhead:

I love the NBA but NBA ratings can't even compete with a big world championship boxing match. Boxing, WWE, UFC all have had better big pay-per-views than the NBA's Finals, and we are talking about people PAYING to watch it. No way.
Are you counting the moon? Are there settlements on the moon now?

wtf? You really just pull stuff straight out of your ass, don't you?

[flipogb]

1. NBA is NOT bigger than the NFL in the US.
2. "Soccer" is the most popular sport worldwide.
3. Baseball is more popular than basketball worldwide as well.

Thats BS about baseball, you gotta be kidding me, Basketball is bigger than baseball

you are obviously right about soccer though

[flipogb]

Has this bruceblitz guy ever been outside of the bubble that is the US? American Football is absolutely ridiculed in Europe. No one cares for it on any other continent. Rugby is much more favored outside of North America.
people in South-East Asia can't even ridicule american football, cuz most of them have never heard of it , I sure as hell didn't know what football was till I came to the US at the age of 10, and when I first heard of it the name didn't make any sense to me, and even if they do know about it, they have no idea how it works

[Jinxed]

How do we judge biggest league? Most viewers, most money..by what criteria?

The three biggest sports in the world are in order...

1. Soccer
2. Cricket
3. Basketball

[Jinxed]

Fact, the NBA is the most popular league in the world. Do you want to know why? Name a country that Basketball is not at least the fifth most popular sport..

The second most populated country in the world. India. 1.2 billion people (compared with 1.3 billion in China)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_India

Basketball is not even mentioned amongst the top 25.

[Jinxed]

According to wiki...

"the English Premier League is the world's most popular and most watched sporting league, followed worldwide by over half a billion people in 202 countries"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League#Worldwide

[phoenix18]

The second most populated country in the world. India. 1.2 billion people (compared with 1.3 billion in China)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_India

Basketball is not even mentioned amongst the top 25.
Scuba Diving? Really come on now. That is just stupid. You are going to tell me that a sport that some people are afraid of is more popular than basketball??

[phoenix18]

The NBA isn't even the most popular sports league in it's own country, so how in the hell can you say it's the most popular league in the world.

The English Premiership is the most popular it's country, along with a host of Asian countries, who spend millions and millions to broadcast matches.

The delusion of basketball fans is frightening.
Is the English Premier League popular in Japan? China? Philippines?Russia? Eastern Europe? Am I delusional? No I am not. I might have been wrong but it is close. The NBA is growing day by day and soccer is not. Biased? Yes. Delusional? no.

[Hawker]

Is the English Premier League popular in Japan? China? Philippines?Russia? Eastern Europe? Am I delusional? No I am not. I might have been wrong but it is close. The NBA is growing day by day and soccer is not. Biased? Yes. Delusional? no.

Soccer is most certainly not shrinking by any means though. Soccer is growing in popularity in the US.

And the english premier league IS popular in all those countries.

NBA is growing but it has a long way to go before it reaches soccer.

[JtotheIzzo]

Is the English Premier League popular in Japan? China? Philippines?Russia? Eastern Europe? Am I delusional? No I am not. I might have been wrong but it is close. The NBA is growing day by day and soccer is not. Biased? Yes. Delusional? no.


EPL is insanely popular in all those countries except the Philippines who don't much care for soccer.

Everton has taken on Chinese sponsors in the past:

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40352000/jpg/_40352515_wayne203x270.jpg

and more recently Thai sponsorship:

http://www.kitsandshirts.co.uk/everton/everton-home-2007.gif

to capitalize on the popularity.

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin bought Man City because the game is so insanely popular in his country.

outside of China (which the NBA may have a slight edge) the EPL is so far and away the most popular sport in Asia it isn't even close.


In Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia etc...) there are DAILY magazine shows on basic cable in the native language dedicated to covering the EPL.

[lakers_forever]

I like how some guys, who have never gone outside the US, say stupid things like Tiger Woods is the most recognized athlete in the world. :oldlol:
I'm south american and I can tell you that most people in South America have never heard of Tiger Woods. Only some up class people, specially some young rich guys know who he is.

I bet even retired football players like Pele and Maradona are still more famous than Tiger Woods in the whole world.

And No one gives a fock about NFL and MLB outside North America. NBA is much more popular worldwide.

And I know we are talking about leagues, but talking about sport events overrall, may I say that nothing touchs the World Cup of football. It's even more popular than the Olympics.
And the Brazil National Team is more popular worldwide than any NBA, MLB or NFL team.

[gutshot]

Biggest worldwide should be EPL.
But yes no wonder NBA is internationally #1 amongst the US sports.

[Manute for Ever!]

EPL is by far the biggest.

MLB is huge in Korea and Japan.

[zabuza666]

EPL without a shadow of a doubt!

[Knuck the Ficks]

Is the English Premier League popular in Japan? China? Philippines?Russia? Eastern Europe?
Yes, Hell Yes, Don't know, Yes, Yes.

What's wrong with you?

The correct answer to the OP's question is the EPL (I'm not counting the Champions League since that is a tournament)

[brantonli]

SuperBowl is broadcast in 230 countries and in 34 different languages:
http://www.bizoffootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=374:super-bowl-xliii-to-be-broadcast-in-230-countries-full-listing&catid=34:nfl-news&Itemid=53

Took me about 10 seconds to google that you retards. In your faces biotches.

Just because it's being broadcast doesn't mean people are actually going to watch it. I'm not wasting my time watching this game which I don't even give a crap about. And to tell the truth, I had no idea the superbowl was going to be broadcasted here in the first place (hong Kong). And the list is 230 countries AND TERRITORIES.

[dajadeed]

I like how some guys, who have never gone outside the US, say stupid things like Tiger Woods is the most recognized athlete in the world. :oldlol:
I'm south american and I can tell you that most people in South America have never heard of Tiger Woods. Only some up class people, specially some young rich guys know who he is.

I bet even retired football players like Pele and Maradona are still more famous than Tiger Woods in the whole world.

And No one gives a fock about NFL and MLB outside North America. NBA is much more popular worldwide.

And I know we are talking about leagues, but talking about sport events overrall, may I say that nothing touchs the World Cup of football. It's even more popular than the Olympics.
And the Brazil National Team is more popular worldwide than any NBA, MLB or NFL team.
That is the truth right there. The most famous jersey, BY FAR, in all of sports is Brazil's gold home kit.

Just to put this in perspective for people, around 95 million people watched the last Superbowl.

The draw for the last world cup was watched by damn near 400 million people. That's just the draw, no games. Just balls falling out and setting up the groups. That's how far ahead of everything else soccer is.

[Manute for Ever!]

I thought I would take the time to read through this entire thread and give my thoughts in one post. As a person that has lived in several countries, I see some very skewed views form people that have never ventued out of North America (and yes, I realise that some posters I quote wont be American).


I'm talking about popularity and marketing, there may be 87 nations with their team consisting of hobby players, that doesn't mean that the sport is popular, cricket is only popular in a few third world nations.

And also I'm talking about a league that would have a regular season, not a tournament.

Sure, cricket is extremely popular in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, but countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc. are far from being third world countries and cricket is huge in these places.


I know, that still doesn't make cricket big worldwide, it is only played in two regions and it is a non existing market compared to football(soccer) and basketball.

And I even doubt that cricket is that popular in South-Eastern Asia, they just have so many people there that it seems popular, because the majority of the people are very poor there and you don't need more than a simple ball and a stick to play cricket so even the poorest can have some kind of alternatives to play that.
Cricket is boring and it will never be big worldwide.

Now you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.


It is like fifth fiddle in England, England and GB is all about soccer.
And Australia/New Zealand have a small population, and are close to the same region of South-Eastern Asia.

So what are these other three sports that are bigger than cricket in England? Rugby is the only one you could argue, but cricket comes second behind soccer and it isn't by a great margin.


NBA is a lot bigger than NFL or baseball worldwide. Most people who know a little about sports can tell you who MJ is, while almost no one over here knows how American Football works.

I'm not so sure about baseball, it is huge in parts of Asia, particularly Japan and Korea. When I lived in Korea, it was almost like Baseball was the national pasttime.


Has this bruceblitz guy ever been outside of the bubble that is the US? American Football is absolutely ridiculed in Europe. No one cares for it on any other continent. Rugby is much more favored outside of North America.

This is a good point; most regions that play rugby (Great Britain, Australasia, South Africa) think American Football is a joke just because of the pads and helmets.


More people probably know who Danica Patrick is over Kobe Bryant on a worldwide scale and Kobe Bryant is the most popular NBA athlete in the United States (thanks to L.A.'s big fan base)

Most people outside of the USA couldn't tell you if that name belonged to a male or a female.


Fact, the NBA is the most popular league in the world. Do you want to know why? Name a country that Basketball is not at least the fifth most popular sport. Also, Bruceblitz, you cannot rely on the Nielsen ratings at all. Fact is, many people have never seen a nielsen box at all. The Nielsen ratings does not represent the diversity of the United States at all. I have direct TV and when you press the Active button on your remote it shows the 5 most popular programs. The NBA playoffs are always in the top five so I dont why the ratings were are so low as you stated.BTW Directv has 18million+ subscribers.

EPL is far more popular. I live in Asia and have access to half a dozen Soccer tv channels including channels for the most popular EPL clubs, on top of this, ESPN and the local sports channels would be about 60% soccer. It is crazy.


How do we judge biggest league? Most viewers, most money..by what criteria?

The three biggest sports in the world are in order...

1. Soccer
2. Cricket
3. Basketball

I'd put Formular 1 above basketball, too, but this thread is about leagues. F1 is far above the NBA in popularity. APT (tennis) may well be, too.


Is the English Premier League popular in Japan? China? Philippines?Russia? Eastern Europe? Am I delusional? No I am not. I might have been wrong but it is close. The NBA is growing day by day and soccer is not. Biased? Yes. Delusional? no.

The EPL is easily the most popular sport in all of those countries.

[Slam13]

The NBA isn't even the most popular sports league in it's own country, so how in the hell can you say it's the most popular league in the world.

The English Premiership is the most popular it's country, along with a host of Asian countries, who spend millions and millions to broadcast matches.

The delusion of basketball fans is frightening.
because the world >>> US, and nobody outside of the US cares about NFL or MLB.

And the EPL is the only challenger that really came to my mind at first.

[Slam13]

I thought I would take the time to read through this entire thread and give my thoughts in one post. As a person that has lived in several countries, I see some very skewed views form people that have never ventued out of North America (and yes, I realise that some posters I quote wont be American).



Sure, cricket is extremely popular in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, but countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales etc. are far from being third world countries and cricket is huge in these places.

I know but these are only in the British countries/colonies, nowhere else.





Now you clearly have no idea what you are talking about.


Cricket is a sport not a league and has nothing to do with this thread.



So what are these other three sports that are bigger than cricket in England? Rugby is the only one you could argue, but cricket comes second behind soccer and it isn't by a great margin.


Basketball is easily bigger than cricket even in England.




I'm not so sure about baseball, it is huge in parts of Asia, particularly Japan and Korea. When I lived in Korea, it was almost like Baseball was the national pasttime.




I bet soccer is bigger in these countries, especially if they had any success.




This is a good point; most regions that play rugby (Great Britain, Australasia, South Africa) think American Football is a joke just because of the pads and helmets.



I do too, and again the regions are all British colonies.



Most people outside of the USA couldn't tell you if that name belonged to a male or a female.


Neither could I and I didn't even care enough to google that name.





EPL is far more popular. I live in Asia and have access to half a dozen Soccer tv channels including channels for the most popular EPL clubs, on top of this, ESPN and the local sports channels would be about 60% soccer. It is crazy.



Maybe



I'd put Formular 1 above basketball, too, but this thread is about leagues. F1 is far above the NBA in popularity. APT (tennis) may well be, too.


You are absolutely wrong about F1 and Tennis, team sports are always bigger than individual sports, just for the simple fact that you need more players to form a team and therefore more people are included.



The EPL is easily the most popular sport in all of those countries.

I though so. In Estonia the EPL is the biggest too, followed by NBA, and then NHL. Nobody knows anything about NFL or MLB.

[brantonli]

Basketball is easily bigger than cricket even in England.




I'm very sorry, but I just got off a flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong, after spending a month there doing a quarter of my GCSEs, I like to think I know some English people quite well, and you cannot seriously tell me that Basetkball> Cricket in England. There is no chance, no way in hell. I agree with you that as a league, the NBA is probably more famous than the individual 'leagues' of, say, Cricket, but Test cricket is still really popular.

[Slam13]

I'm very sorry, but I just got off a flight from Heathrow to Hong Kong, after spending a month there doing a quarter of my GCSEs, I like to think I know some English people quite well, and you cannot seriously tell me that Basetkball> Cricket in England. There is no chance, no way in hell. I agree with you that as a league, the NBA is probably more famous than the individual 'leagues' of, say, Cricket, but Test cricket is still really popular.
I didn't tell this as a fact, like BruceBlitz would, just my oopinion and I could be wrong, but I still think that basketball is bigger than cricket. Atleast the NBA.

[brantonli]

I didn't tell this as a fact, like BruceBlitz would, just my oopinion and I could be wrong, but I still think that basketball is bigger than cricket. Atleast the NBA.

One question: Have you been to England before? And what makes you think that basketball> cricket in England? (fine, I lied, it's two questions).

[Slam13]

One question: Have you been to England before? And what makes you think that basketball> cricket in England? (fine, I lied, it's two questions).
No but my parents have, it is just hard for me to imagine cricket actually being bigger than basketball in England? I mean there are quite a lot of basketball courts there...
Do kids actually go out on a Sunday evening to play cricket?

[flipogb]

can we separate the league from the spot

I mean while the NBA could be more popular than a specific soccer league, doesn't mean its played by more people

so this should just be about the league, not the sport

and the league is extremely popular, at least top 3 no question( Oh and baseball is nowhere close, Korea/US/Japan is not the "world")

heck even some people that don't know crap about the sport at least know Jordan or these days maybe Lebron/Kobe/ Yao

[brantonli]

No but my parents have, it is just hard for me to imagine cricket actually being bigger than basketball in England? I mean there are quite a lot of basketball courts there...
Do kids actually go out on a Sunday evening to play cricket?

Well, I'm almost certain very few kids go out on a Sunday evening ot play basketball. Remember, this is England we are talking about, so they'd ignore both and go play football.

[Manute for Ever!]

I didn't tell this as a fact, like BruceBlitz would, just my oopinion and I could be wrong, but I still think that basketball is bigger than cricket. Atleast the NBA.

You are definitely way off on that one.

[zabuza666]

No but my parents have, it is just hard for me to imagine cricket actually being bigger than basketball in England? I mean there are quite a lot of basketball courts there...
Do kids actually go out on a Sunday evening to play cricket?

Jesus man watch an Ashes series!

[Ace]

Nothing is more popular worldwide than "soccer", so with the epl being the best league it is the most popular.
But to say that the mlb and nfl are more popular than the nba worldwide is laughable.
Sure the mlb may be popular in countries like japan and south korea but in the rest of the world the nba is more popular than either the mlb and nfl, it's not even a contest.
I'm french and while I can get updates about the nba watching TV I can tell you that no one gives a rat's ass about the mlb or nfl and it's likely to be the same all over europe.
I could go ask someone in the streets if he knows what the nba is and I would likely get a "yes" as an answer but the mlb and nfl? are you kidding me?
Especially the nfl, it is a sport typically american made for americans and that's why we call it "american football".
I don't even know why to this day you (as people in the us) call this "football", it doesn't make sense.

[zabuza666]

Nothing is more popular worldwide than "soccer", so with the epl being the best league it is the most popular.
But to say that the mlb and nfl are more popular than the nba worldwide is laughable.
Sure the mlb may be popular in countries like japan and south korea but in the rest of the world the nba is more popular than either the mlb and nfl, it's not even a contest.
I'm french and while I can get updates about the nba watching TV I can tell you that no one gives a rat's ass about the mlb or nfl and it's likely to be the same all over europe.
I could go ask someone in the streets if he knows what the nba is and I would likely get a "yes" as an answer but the mlb and nfl? are you kidding me?
Especially the nfl, it is a sport typically american made for americans and that's why we call it "american football".
I don't even know why to this day you (as people in the us) call this "football", it doesn't make sense.

Pretty much this. As an Australian we get updates on NBA scores and stuff, we don't get **** about the NFL except if it's the superbowl.

[Manute for Ever!]

Jesus man watch an Ashes series!

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/01/04/GALL_SCG3_SS11_gallery__470x324.jpg

[apesta]

I think NBA could be one of the most popular leagues in the world. Ever since more and more foreign players joined the league, it helped promote the league worldwide. Just look at Yao for example, he is one of the most recognizable sports figure there. Im a Chinese and whenever i go back to Hong Kong for visit, there are a lot of ADs of Soccer and Basketball stars in it.

Im sure basketball is much more popular than sports like American football and baseball. Im sure Europeans are more into rugby than NFL. Soccer is without a doubt the most popular sports in the world. Just look at World Cup and how much audience it draws every four years.

[Jinxed]

No but my parents have, it is just hard for me to imagine cricket actually being bigger than basketball in England? I mean there are quite a lot of basketball courts there...
Do kids actually go out on a Sunday evening to play cricket?

LOL...i used to live in London. I saw one basketball court in the entire city and no one was playing on it. The English cricket team was doing real well at the time and it was the biggest story in the country for weeks. I never ever saw bball on tv or even heard it mentioned in a newspaper. Basketball doesn't exist in England.

[db23]

LOL...i used to live in London. I saw one basketball court in the entire city and no one was playing on it. The English cricket team was doing real well at the time and it was the biggest story in the country for weeks. I never ever saw bball on tv or even heard it mentioned in a newspaper. Basketball doesn't exist in England.

Thats a crock of ****, there are tons of courts all over London, and basketball while not a top tier sport is still reasonably popular in Urban areas.

[Jinxed]

Thats a crock of ****, there are tons of courts all over London, and basketball while not a top tier sport is still reasonably popular in Urban areas.

I'm not lying when I said I only saw one. But I lived in Zone 1 and rarely traveled outside to greater London.

If you can tell me where two courts are in zone 1, let me know....

[Mikaiel]

No but my parents have, it is just hard for me to imagine cricket actually being bigger than basketball in England? I mean there are quite a lot of basketball courts there...
Do kids actually go out on a Sunday evening to play cricket?

I used to live in London, and I can tell you, cricket is a lot bigger than basketball there. Not even close.

Hell, I was there for a week 2 weeks ago. I had no TV and no internet so I didn't know what happened in the playoffs, so I thought I could check out the local paper, but they didn't even talk about it. The sports section was just about soccer, cricket, tennis and F1.

And I'd like to know where you get the idea there are basketball courts everywhere there.

[Matt Le Tissier]

Just seen this..

NBA > NFL, at least here in England. Nobody really gives two and half ****s about American football cos nobody knows the rules. At least basketball is pretty straight forward and most English people respect the game of basketball. And you do see some lads play the game in courts.

The only NFL players people heard of here are Michael Vick (due to all his controversy) and Reggie Bush cos he's a bad mofo. But you will never ever see people wearing their jerseys here.

And lastly, you do see NBA jerseys now and again here, LeBron, Kobe, Wade and I even saw a McGrady jersey the other day. I honestly cannot remember ever seeing an NFL jersey around here.

Basketball may not be the most popular sport here, but it's still well respected. Quite a lot of people follow the play-offs althou there isn't much coverage in newspapers. Nobody cares about the Superbowl.

[wasteland]

Well, as a kid who was born in Europe (bosnia) and lived all around and been in the states for the last 10 years, I think I can explain a lot to many people here because there are so many wrongs.
There was a guy from chicago on here writing all kinda bs a couple of pages back.
Anyways

Out of all popular american sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) NBA is the only one recognized in the rest of the world, in all the major financial countries, and then some... even in third world countries, like mine... It is actually very popular and in most more popular then the home country league. Nowitzki got germany, yao got china, manu argentina, many balkan players, scola and gasol spain, parker france, so many names and countries rooting for them. The days of MJ are when the NBA become so popular, but even before that it was heavily watched. And UFC, WWE and **** like that don't come near. period. when it comes to usa, nba is at top, but i think nfl is more popular, i may be wrong though. superbowl is not watched outside the world really, cause no one gives a ****. most people don't even know the rules.

when it comes to leagues, it's between champions league, nba, and maybe even english soccer premier league. it's hard to say, and since champions league is not really a league, it comes down to nba and premier league. but premier league is mostly popular through europe, and not as much around the world, while nba is everywhere, so i will have to say yes, it is the top league in the world. globaly, nba ****s on all.
cricket is also nowhere near.

[sobeking]

No I wouldn't say that the NBA is biggest league worldwide.

And guys, if you'd never went abroad, don't say crap about it. I'm american but I've been in London and Rome many times because I have some relatives living in both cities... So I'm not taking wild conclusions here over some guesses.

The thing is you can't really separate the Spanish Primeira and the English EPL...
Usually soccer fans will keep track of all big leagues, including in that the Italian Serie A league...
Any soccer fan knows Kaka, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, etc etc etc... And marketing wise since you want comparison, these players I mentioned are just as rich as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and co. I read it in the Bloomberg Markets magazine that in the rank of richest sportsmans, Messi, Kaka and wow... Beckham are on par with the top stars in the NBA.

However, NBA fans are just NBA fans... They sometimes can't even name a single basketball club that plays in a different league other than NBA, aside from college or developmental leagues maybe.

But if you really want to single out a soccer league and make a comparison, well, there was an arcticle on Times magazine the covered how EPL has grow to stand par in terms of income, with NBA and NFL... That would be the comparison you might be looking for.
Though there's not a thing like salary cap for any soccer league, so the top teams are usually WAAAAYY richer than any other team...

Why did I read all those magazines? Well, it's part of my job to keep track on what's going on.

[canadianballer]

Lmao wow there are some ignorant ****s in here. Out of the 4 real sports leagues (MLB NFL NBA NHL) the NHL is by far the most popular world wide, or if not its probably baseball. There are some serious dumb ****s to think the NBA is the most popular league world wide, and no one outside the USA gives a shit about the NFL

[Pinkhearts]

What makes me wonder is why NBA players are paid so much. Nba players frequently make the highest earning athletes list every year. The average NBA player makes much more than the average soccer player.

I guess it's league popularity vs size. The NBA doesn't have alot of teams and only 5 guys in a team can be playing at one time. This allows the players to be paid more rather than having to share money with a large soccer team.

[wasteland]

Lmao wow there are some ignorant ****s in here. Out of the 4 real sports leagues (MLB NFL NBA NHL) the NHL is by far the most popular world wide, or if not its probably baseball. There are some serious dumb ****s to think the NBA is the most popular league world wide, and no one outside the USA gives a **** about the NFL

NHL? wtf are u smoking.baseball??
NBA is by far most watched american league in the world, and by far I mean if you put all the other 3 leagues together they wouldnt come even near ammounting to nba. and nfl is not even known, from where i come from there is barely a name for the whole sport in general. cause everywhere else football is soccer so no one calls our football that cause that is soccer in the rest of the world. it's not really rughby allthough it resembles it, and some call it american rugby or american football, so much for the popularity of nfl.

the only question here is, is nba or english premier league the richer, bigger league world wide. i think it's nba though.

http://www.oberjuerge.com/?p=579
so much for nfl dumby
and baseball is even less watched then that

[cotdt]

Kobe Bryant is the most popular athlete in the world, so I say the NBA.

[brantonli]

Kobe Bryant is the most popular athlete in the world, so I say the NBA.

Tiger Woods is the most famous athlete in the world, doesn't make golf the most popular. Neither is tennis (Federer).



Lmao wow there are some ignorant ****s in here. Out of the 4 real sports leagues (MLB NFL NBA NHL) the NHL is by far the most popular world wide, or if not its probably baseball. There are some serious dumb ****s to think the NBA is the most popular league world wide, and no one outside the USA gives a **** about the NFL

Uh, you mean out of the 4 American sport leagues right? Because I can tell you that the NBA is far more popular than the NHL outside of the US, primarily because of Europe and Asia. Plus, Football>>>>>>>>>the rest.

[iamgine]

No, English Premier League, Serie A and La Liga are each bigger than the NBA worldwide.

[NLZ]

http://www.google.com/trends?q=NBA%2C+NHL%2C+NFL%2C+MLB&ctab=0&geo=all&date=all&sort=0

Numbers don't lie.

[indiefan23]

True/False?

I think absolutely true, what other league is as popular as NBA worldwide? I know in Europe and South America the big countries have big football leagues but each country has their own, so there is not a single big football league. Same goes for European basketball. What could possibly challenge NBA as the biggest league worldwide? I think NBA might be bigger than the NFL even in the US, I know it is the most popular at least on the internet.

Don't be stupid, the premier ship is bigger and more popular then the NBA by a few light years. NBA is catching up cuz of the china thing, but its still got nothing on the footy.

[Beebo]

Lmao wow there are some ignorant ****s in here. Out of the 4 real sports leagues (MLB NFL NBA NHL) the NHL is by far the most popular world wide, or if not its probably baseball. There are some serious dumb ****s to think the NBA is the most popular league world wide, and no one outside the USA gives a shit about the NFL

Who the **** cares about hockey?? :confusedshrug:

[indiefan23]

Who the **** cares about hockey?? :confusedshrug:

You've obviously never been to a truly great hockey game. I bet you like yawnball in the summer too huh? ;0

[canadianballer]

Lmao ok dumbass. NHL has the most non americna athletes which means hockey is practiced way more than basketball or football any other places.. morons

[Rekindled]

Lmao ok dumbass. NHL has the most non americna athletes which means hockey is practiced way more than basketball or football any other places.. morons

what's nhl

[Junny]

Lmao ok dumbass. NHL has the most non americna athletes which means hockey is practiced way more than basketball or football any other places.. morons

I love how you just mysteriously get to the conclusion you just made. Classic Canadianballer. :lol