National Basketball Association

            The National Basketball Association is an international success story. The unparalleled popularity and worldwide presence of the NBA is all about marketing. The success of this organization can be attributed to David Stern, who took over as commissioner in 1984. As its popularity grows, fans from across the world are able to cheer not only for our American born players but also players from their countries. Just last week in the NBA Draft, there were a record 17 players taken that were of foreign nationality. This rise in foreign-born players in the league is due to the marketing genius that is David Stern. He has people all across the globe saying "I Love This Game!".
             The global macroenvironment has helped the NBA reach new heights. This macroenvironment consists of large external influencers considered vital to long-term decisions but not directly affected by the company itself. The most important forces or environments are as follows: technological, economic, demographic, cultural, legal/regulatory, and ethical.
             Technological forces such as television, radio and the World Wide Web have had great impact on the NBA's success. In addition to traditional game broadcasts, the NBA produces a variety of programs. Kids and teens are targeted with two weekly programs, NBA Action and NBA Jams. For those people who do not own a television, the league still broadcasts their games over the radio waves. The Internet has opened up new worlds for the league. Gone are the days of waiting for tomorrow's newspaper to see if your hometown team won their game the previous night. Sites such as NBA.com, ESPN.com and others offer up-to-the-minute stats on every game being played. NBA.com draws 35 percent of its traffic from outside the United States.
             The economic environment has definitely helped the NBA become what it is today. . The NBA collects more than $1 million in rights fees in countries such as Spain, France, Mexico, and Japan.