What Cultural Factors Must U.S. Sports Franchises Overcome to Increase Popularity Abroad? Why?
U.S sports franchises have excelled over the years making sports in the U.S one of the highest paying professions. However, there are multiple reasons why sport franchise in the U.S has not gained full popularity in other countries. There are different aspects of culture, which determine the popularity of the sport globally. For example, language, attitude, customs and religions are some of the cultural aspects that determine the popularity of a sport abroad.
Social structures and customs create a concrete ground for people to enjoy a certain sport. For example, in the past, most American sports mainly comprised of American players and they were well structured to suit the American culture. This culture barred international participation, which limited the spread of the sport globally. The success of different sports globally is linked to international support of the sport where foreign players can play for foreign leagues. This has led to sports diversity.
Nevertheless, the major contributors towards the growth of sports are the ownership and management strategies employed by various teams. The key success towards sports success is linked to athleticism and management of the sport. With increased corporate investment in various sports, the sports achieve diversity. For instance, soccer has grown to international standards because of the corporate investment that comes along with the sport. The support of numerous investors in a particular game increases the growth of the sport (http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/09/sports/us-sports-heading-overseas-pro-leagues-in-america-eye-the-globe.html).
Further, the business culture of the business franchise attracts investors who promote the audience of the game for financial gains. Perhaps the major barrier towards growth of various sports is the business aspect of the sport. Some sports depend widely on the financial success of the sport rather than the athleticism and talent levels in the sport. This limits the growth of the game because of the financial risk involved. However, corporate investors make various sports competitive, thus increasing the sport enthusiasm. This creates high level of participation and public participation, which leads to growth of the sport.
There are cases of poor team management and ownership failure, which have led to failure of certain leagues. If proper management and ownership aspects of different sports are consistent, then the game increases its popularity among fans. There are some examples of poor managed and owned teams in the U.S that in turn led to failure of various leagues. For instance, constant failure of the Ottawa Rough Riders led to the end of the franchise in the late 90’s. On the other hand, good management and ownership cycles have boosted the growth of other franchises such as the Chicago Blackhawks have improved their management strategies over the years and this has led to growth of the team. Further, consistent management strategies led to a standard team culture that gains popularity among the public (http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/09/sports/us-sports-heading-overseas-pro-leagues-in-america-eye-the-globe.html).
The major problem facing globalization of various sports is the technicality of the sport. Some sports have gain slow global participation because of the high technicality of the sports. This situation is resolved by increasing the exposure of different sports globally. This move enhances various countries to familiarize with the sport. Thus, it gains global participation. For instance, in the American pro-sports, basketball, football and baseball have grown to international standards because of high exposure. The exposure of these American pro-sports has achieved global recognition and participation (http://www.conferenceboard.ca/reports/briefings/bigleagues/briefing-8.aspx).
In addition, the sporting facilities play a major role in establishing certain sport popularity. Some pro-sports invest highly in building hi tech facilities that attract fans and increase the sport technicality. For instance, soccer has advanced its technicality with changing technology. Hi-tech cameras have improved the efficiency of the sport and the fairness of the sport. This has propelled the audience enthusiasm towards the sport all over the world. Thus, the success of sports globally should be enhanced by the private sector. The private sector invests in the sport infrastructure. This creates a concrete financial base for various teams (http://www.conferenceboard.ca/reports/briefings/bigleagues/briefing-8.aspx).
The level of professionalism and talent appraisal also affects the success of sports globally. Highly talented players need appraisal both financially and through reputation. These factors increase the level of player motivation towards various sports. Top players require proper appraisal and financial compensation in order to encourage high competition among players. These increase the competitiveness of the sport, which increase the level of fan enthusiasm towards the sport.
In the global sport market, the level of fan support in various leagues and sports promotes the growth of the sport. Fans create the financial basis for various sports. Thus, sports that attract high numbers of fans get high financial returns. Therefore, fans are the main contributors towards financial excellence of various sports. Thus, for sports to achieve global acknowledgement, they should target fans. The major barrier towards growth of some sports internationally is the level of sport history and tradition with respect to fans. For instance, hockey was deeply rooted in the Canadian national culture that led to limited growth of the sport internationally (http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/09/sports/us-sports-heading-overseas-pro-leagues-in-america-eye-the-globe.html).
References
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/09/sports/us-sports-heading-overseas-pro-leagues-in-america-eye-the-globe.html
http://www.conferenceboard.ca/reports/briefings/bigleagues/briefing-8.aspx
