According to the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), basketball has grown to a sport played by 450 million people worldwide. The NBA in the United States reigns supreme, and its popularity is evident in the fact that it is broadcast on TV in more than 200 countries and in over 40 languages. However, even with the global popularity of basketball, the environment and culture of basktball in each country varies. In this “GlobasketUnited” series, Mie Kajikawa, Founder and Representative Director of Next Big Pivot and FIBA Foundation Advisory Committee Member, visits Embassies of basketball countries in Tokyo to discover cultural background and popularity of basketball of each country, as well as to listen to their opinions of the power of basketball for social change, with the following four perspectives.
1st Quarter : Popularity of Basketball
2nd Quarter : Sports Policy
3rd Quarter : Power of Basketball for Social Good
4th Quarter : Views on Basketball in Japan
A Conversation with the Founding Nation of Basketball
As the third installment of our “Globasket United” series, we feature the U.S., the founding nation of basketball and a key driver of the global basketball phenomenon. Beyond the sport’s popularity, the U.S. has developed a robust system that nurtures both players and communities, fostering generations of individuals who play and engage with basketball.
“A key strength of the American sports system is that many athletes participate in multiple sports, allowing them to develop skills in one sport—like basketball—by playing others as well.”, said Mr. Adam Gallagher, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer.
The conversation was also joined by Mr. Nursultan Eldosov, a Political Affairs expert whose brother has been deeply involved in the basketball system. Together, they shared insightful stories based on their experiences with basketball, as well as the impact of Title IX in driving the growth of women’s sports.
1st Quarter: Popularity of Basketball
ーーーIt’s an honor to be given an opportunity to interview the Embassy of the country where basketball was born, in the week of World Basketball Day.
Our first question is about the popularity of basketball. Is it the most popular sport? What is basketball’s position in the sports landscape there? You have the famous NBA, and are there any well-known grassroots tournaments or leagues that are popular?
We’re also interested in understanding how a boy or a girl who wants to start playing basketball can get involved. There are many basketball courts in the United States, so what kind of opportunities would a child or a kid have if he/she wants to start playing basketball?
Mr. Gallagher：I think what basketball represents in the United States is one of the top three most popular sports. And one of the strengths of our country is that we have a multi-sports mindset. Here in Japan often times students or student athletes will focus on only one sport. In the United States, a student might play basketball and football or basketball and baseball or oftentimes all the three, in addition to some of the other sports like track and field, volleyball, tennis and a wide range of sports.
Mr. Eldosov : For me one thing that comes to mind is the accessibility. I grew up in Central Asia and there weren’t many basketball courts there. But soccer was very popular because you just need a soccer ball. When I moved to the United States as a kid, that was the first time I actually picked up a basketball and then there was a court outside not far from us and you don’t have to pay for it. Whether you’re born in the United States or you moved to the United States as an immigrant, you have the access to plenty of basketball courts.
It brings the community together because as you go through each level, whether when you’re 5 or 6 years old, you can sign up for your local league, the city level and it’s usually not too expensive. And then if you get much better, we have travel teams or AAU leagues and that’s something that I saw my brother played and he was kind of able to go through that system.
ーーー In Japan there are limited courts and it costs. When it comes to basketball, is it generally considered a part of American culture? How can it be a part of people’s lives?
Mr. Gallagher：Well, I mean I think in the United States basketball is omnipresent. So almost every kid will play basketball in growing up. And then it also at the professional level really unites the country in a different way as well.
I used to live in San Francisco with the Golden State Warriors running for all of that time, and in San Francisco, in many ways, you feel like a different country from the rest of the United States with its very unique culture and focus on technology. It’s a different place, but in the end, it’s really not that different than Cleveland. There’s the Warriors versus the Cavaliers and the two cities that seem very different but both have passionate fan bases. And again, basketball is kind of that common language between the very different, disparate parts of the United States.
Mr.Eldosov：I would agree. I moved to the United States one year before the Cavaliers drafted LeBron James. So I grew up with LeBron James and watching TV and learning English. But then it allowed me to see, oh, there are other fans across the country as there are 30 teams. Even though I’m not a big Golden State fan, I know what it’s like for us to be passionate and to at least win the championship.
ーーー Now we would like to ask about your grassroot sports as well, because you mentioned almost all kids can play basketball at school or through AAU system. We also have PE class where most of students can play basketball, but how can your classes or school system allow them to do multiple sports, not like the BUKATSU (single sport club system at Japanese schools), while attracting more students to basketball?
Mr.Gallagher：That it’s very common in gym classes across the country for students to participate in basketball, but, as Nursultan spoke about the community, they gathers around the basketball courts in neighborhood and children will gather around the basketball hoop in driveways where most kids will have played different versions of basketball before they play basketball in school. They play a knockout or hag or wide varieties of different games that aren’t necessarily organized basketball, and those can be played only with a hoop. That’s always been a great way for local neighborhoods to come together.
Mr. Eldosov：I think that’s the infrastructure difference, because there are more houses in US, even if you don’t live in a wealthy area, that have enough space where you can put a hoop, and you can also put it inside on the wall. Those hoops also bring parents and community together, when their teams get more serious, they’ll have travel teams and there’s an incentive for their parents to get that team to attend the same high school so you can have a stronger team. Everyone has their own strategies, but some AAU teams are more expensive – it just depends on what the families can afford to.
ーーー I once saw a guidance at a basketball clinic in US for parents to encourage not to serious too much about winning. It may be because you can make a lot of money when you become a professional player, but I had never seen such instruction in Japan, though we might have these days.
Mr. Gallagher：I think you’re right. That’s a signal of how much the parents are extensively investing and wanting their son or daughter to go play in a professional league or go to a good college. It’s endearing to see those parents treat their kids in such ways.
Mr.Eldosov：For me what’s curious is defining the success, because in the U.S., some parents will manage their expectations and say, okay, I just want my son or daughter to make it to D2, D3, get a scholarship or D1. So not necessarily expect their kids to play professionally.
So I wonder if it can be a goal for Japanese parents who also see academics as important, to see their son or daughter get a good education in US and play basketball with the scholarship, even if they don’t go to the NBA, as (Yuta) Watanabe comes to mind. He went to George Washington University at the same time as my brother did. I used to watch him during his GW days. Then I was thinking it was like, oh, well he went on to be the NBA star. I think there’s another player Tominaga from Nebraska. He signed a contract once with the Indiana Pacers, and now plays for their G League team. He played in the big 10, and then a lot of the Midwest got to see this Japanese. They call him Japanese Steph Curry, because he would make all the three-point shots. I have watched the interview of him, and it was like Japanese communities are saying, he can go and get a good education too.
2nd Quarter : Sports Policy
ーーー Great that you are familiar with Japanese players! Agree that education is important part of our lives. Now we move on to the second quarter – about sports policy in the US. What was the backgrounds that created such established system like AAU with more than 100 years history? How your country invest in sports and how do the policies and systems support pathways for kids to continue to play?
Mr.Gallagher： I think just one of the policies that’s been the most impactful in the United States, not only basketball but all-sports perspective, is Title IX that made sports accessible to women in the United States, which had impacts on far outlasting sports or any particular game. Through Title IX we empowered half of our population to get these opportunities that they would not have gotten elsewhere. our policies provide the resources to women who are hoping to play the same level of games. Though gender equality issues still exist in the US, we are proud of our ability to nurture women’s games in this way.
ーーー I wish we could have that kind of mindset in our country, too. In terms of the pathways for young people of all the genders to continue to play, you have the AAU and community court, and then school teams at middle and high school levels. What’s the governing system of sport in your country?
Mr.Gallagher： In the United States, it’s less government-directed. We don’t have a sports agency or ministry. We have the professional leagues, and so forth, and all have been more or less self-governing. It’s just kind of a profit driven business and, and that has worked for them.
In terms of the development of younger students, it’s a little unfortunate that some of opportunities are private sector basis, as Nursultan mentioned, and joining AAU costs are extremely high not only with the membership fee, but also with expenses to practice five times a week with tournaments that might be held in a different state, and so forth. There are a lot of programs like nonprofits that try to provide resources, but I’m not aware of too many government policies or programs that make those opportunities more available.
But I think the really cool thing about basketball is – we’re going back to accessibility once more – that it’s not always AAU players who turn into NBA stars. You don’t need to be part of the AAU system or any kind of private system to be successful.
Mr.Eldosov： As far as the regulations go, each state will have – like for example, in Ohio, we have the OHSSAA or the Ohio High School Sports Athletic Association, and they’re the governing body for all the sports. They go through the requirements, like the academic requirement that you have to have a 2.0 GPA[AG1] ? or above to be able to play a sport in order for your team to qualify for a certain tournament. It’s sort of strict, depending on population.
Given that basketball is so popular, we see how that policy needs to be set up. If you look at soccer, because it wasn’t as popular as basketball, there had to be an effort. I feel, because basketball has such an inherent advantage, there’s no need to convince local communities when they’re building a park that they should include a basketball court. In comparison with soccer, it will give you a better sense of the framework of starting from scratch whereas basketball already has 130 plus years of popularity. That might be helpful, if you compare it to better understand the US system.
ーーー That’s an interesting point. Because basketball already had the long history and popularity, there was not the need of systematic control or something.
Continued in Part 2
