Will the NBA Be More Valuable Than the NFL in 10 Years?
I pulled up ESPN.com this afternoon and saw a story about my Lakers on the front page. Magic Johnson and Lonzo Ball were in a press conference talking about the upcoming season and the expectations for the team.
The question came to my mind, is the NBA starting to catch the NFL in the year round news cycle? With the recent rise in valuations for NBA franchises and the large TV deals they signed, another question came to mind - is the NBA setting up to be more valuable than the NFL in another decade?
It is no secret that the NFL has been the king of American sports for decades, and the valuation of the league's franchises has often been more than the NBA and MLB combined. The latest valuation for all the NFL teams is 74.8 Billion - the latest for the NBA teams is 40.7 Billion.
When you see those numbers it is easy to write off the thought that the NBA could catch the NFL. However, there is more hope here than I thought.
“Basketball is already the second-most watched sport in Mexico,” Arnon de Mello, vice president and managing director of NBA Latin America, told USA Today Opens a New Window. . “It’s growing tremendously. And there are more basketball courts in this country than any other sport.”
Mexico is home to 122 million citizens. In a country where soccer is obviosly king, the growth of the NBA with 3 franchises (Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, and Dalla Mavericks) within a few hours flight has some promise for international sales growth.
Despite several games in London the past few years, the NFL does not seem to be garnering much traction (the games sell out but the NFL is losing money overall) for its product overseas, and the U.S. market is fairly saturated.
International Fan Base
Let's face it, most of us are watching our sports on the go. We have our ESPN app alerts set up for our favorite teams, and our DirecTV subscription streams games to our phone whenever we wish.
While this could be a wash for the U.S. consumer, the international fan base of the NBA has a better chance of beating out the NFL. The NBA already has twice the amount of international players than the NBA, and those players are stars in their home countries.
The NBA is outdueling the NFL in global popularity. There are now about 100 international players in the NBA. The NFL is too distant to be counted in a two League race. The NBA’s critical mass is an economic mass as well. The NBA quite adeptly realized that changing the playing times can increase the international viewership. It increased the number of Sunday early-afternoon games. A 12:30 pm game allows a growing European fan base to watch the games in early evening (7:30 pm).
The NBA also has an inherent economic advantage over the NFL. The highest operating cost for both is salaries of the players. Just as obviously, NBA teams have much lower operating costs because they only need 22 percent of the players needed in the NFL to produce the product. -Roger Groves, Forbes Contributor
Conclusion
While there is a chance the NBA could be more valuable than the NFL in 10 years, the NBA has a lot of work to do. The games in Mexico need to become part of the regular schedule as it seems a Mexico City franchise will be added at some point.
Mobile subscriptions will have to increase overseas to meet the edge the NFL has in the U.S. Much like the movie industry is becoming an international draw for Hollywood, the NBA may be setting up a global business.
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Sources: NFL Valuation
NBA Valuation
NBA in Mexico
International NFL Players
Forbes Quote
The major advantage the NBA has is that it's the second most popular sports behind soccer around the world. The NFL is an american sport and it's safe to say besides Americans, nobody really follow the sport.
That is a good point. The NBA is much more of a global brand
It may be but there is a long way to go so may be nahhh
Haha, noted.
Yup I can see the NBA being much bigger than the NFL and it could happen sooner than 10 years. You can already see it by the jersey advertising deals that they're headed on the right path (the path the number 1 sport Soccer chose).
Hmm, not familiar with the jersey advertising rules.
I know Sunlife just got a huge deal with the Raptors. This is basically what's allowed the NBA to increase the salary cap and pay their players a lot more.
That is fascinating. Do you have any articles available?
Yeah here you go. Unfortunately it's not on steem yet:
http://www.tsn.ca/sun-life-financial-becomes-raptors-jersey-sponsor-1.797819
Perfect. You could write it.
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Thank you for sharing this outstanding information!
You're welcome!
In case of popularity NBA is on the top but NFL can beat NBA because nowdays people are running towards to watch NFL matches
Thank you for sharing
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I don't think so!
Haha, the NBA certainly has a lot of work to do.
they both suck in my book lol
To each his own. :)
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Interesting point on NFL not having traction outside the US much, whereas basketball is second only to Soccer in terms of international sport (hence FIBA Basketball championships etc...).
Also like you're take on Mexico City getting a team. Bring on Carlos Slim!
Good point. I forgot about FIBA championships.
Haha, Carlos Slim in the NBA would be interesting......