The League of World Champions: Can the Hype Translate to the Basketball Bundesliga?

Uli Hoeneß is already dreaming big BBL is speculating on growth through world champion hype

September 27, 2023, 7:04 a.m

The League of World Champions is back. The Basketball Bundesliga starts its 58th season on Wednesday. The euphoria is great, as is the question: Can the hype after the sensational triumph at the World Cup be transferred into everyday life?

The short-term boom with the historic coronation in Manila has sparked great hopes in basketball Germany – and even makes Uli Hoeneß dream. “It would be my great wish that a lot of things would change as a result of this World Cup victory. I would like more cities to play in the Basketball Bundesliga, Stuttgart, Cologne, Dortmund. I hope that one or two traditional football clubs is now dealing with it,” said Bavaria’s Honorary President Hoeneß to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.

1. FC Köln or Borussia Dortmund in the BBL? In the short term, this is just as utopian as a huge hype with permanently full halls and Bundesliga games at prime time on ARD and ZDF. Gold captain Dennis Schröder and his outstanding team are unlikely to have sparked enthusiasm like tennis icons Steffi Graf and Boris Becker or Formula 1 racing driver Michael Schumacher. However, those responsible still expect significantly more interest and media presence when the Bundesliga season begins two and a half weeks after the big World Cup coup on Wednesday.

“The league is certainly already benefiting from this because it is partly the fruits of the clubs’ work. I think we are all on a very good path,” said Bayern managing director Marko Pesic. “The way we are developing, you can put it under the motto ‘slowly but surely’. We are on a good path and we have to stay on this path.”

Wave of migration against pipeline

In Andreas Obst, Isaac Bonga and Niels Giffey (all from Bavaria) as well as Alba Berlin’s Johannes Thiemann, a title quartet will play in the “League of World Champions”. In addition, Serge Ibaka, a former NBA champion, is moving to the Bundesliga as one of the biggest names ever – the center will play for Bayern in the future. “It fits into the picture and is a piece of the mosaic in the development that players of this caliber have not only somehow heard of the BBL, but that they also sign a contract here,” says league managing director Stefan Holz about Ibaka.

But recently the BBL was hit by a wave of emigration. Surprise champions Ratiopharm Ulm, who opened the season on Wednesday against the Niners Chemnitz, lost supporters such as finals MVP Yago dos Santos to Euroleague club Red Star Belgrade. Champions League winners and runners-up Telekom Baskets Bonn even brought the entire team including their successful coach, with priority going to Paris.

“It is logical that players, when they develop, then deliver on the big stage, increase their market value and are often no longer financially viable for German clubs,” says Holz, “but players grow up. And they The next medal winner, we already have them in the system today, we have them in the pipeline.”

Highlight games in front of the paywall

The league also wants to take a step forward in its 58th season, and the success of the national team alone shouldn’t help. Dyn is on board as a new media partner, replacing Telekom after nine years with its MagentaSport platform. And the new streaming service will, at best, serve as an “amplifier,” as an “external turbo,” as Holz always emphasizes.

“Behind Dyn is the majority owner Axel Springer-Verlag and also Christian Seifert, the long-time head of the German Football League. And in this constellation that is somehow a killer,” says the BBL boss with some pride: “We have Germany largest media house, we have Germany’s largest sports marketing, sports business and sports media experts.”

But the league should not disappear completely on pay TV. The public broadcasters also show BBL content via sublicenses. There are also live games on Bild TV. “It is always important to bring out individual highlight games and put them in front of the paywall,” emphasizes Holz, “we need these showcases.”

The so-called play-in tournament is reminiscent of the NBA: There are only six direct tickets for the quarterfinals, the teams in seventh to tenth place fight for the two open playoff places. The cup was expanded and reformed, a new media partner – and all of this as world champions. “It couldn’t be better,” enthused Holz. Last year, bronze at the home European Championships had already noticeably increased the number of broadcasts. However, the big boom hoped for did not materialize.

BBL President Reil: Don’t stop working hard

“It’s not a given that this can be transferred to the league. We need continued basketball at a consistently high level with a certain continuity. That doesn’t always have to be a gold medal,” said Alba manager Marco Baldi. Everyone involved liked how basketball was brought into the spotlight for a few days during the World Cup final week. Suddenly ZDF broadcast live, the Tagesschau reported and the sports headlines in newspapers and portals were dominated by Schröder and Co., whose World Cup triumph on September 10th even competed in the media with the expulsion of national soccer coach Hansi Flick.

The national team will continue to act as a figurehead for German basketball. Honors at the sports press ball or the athlete of the year as well as the early ticket for the Olympics in Paris in 2024 are likely to be further advertising.

“A World Cup title is predestined to raise awareness. What you can expect is that basketball will come into greater media focus. That will certainly be good for the league,” said sports director Thorsten Leibenath Master Ulm. Even before the World Cup spectacle, their title sensation and Bonn’s Champions League success were encouraging for an exciting and competitive league.

However, the league management does not want to indulge in any illusions. BBL President Alexander Reil said at the opening press conference: “Anyone who thinks that we will have twice as many spectators for the first game will be wrong. The league has borne fruit for its work. Success can help us achieve our ambitious goals “To achieve our goals. But we can’t sit back and sit on our hands.” Even after the perfect World Cup, there are still “many blank spots on the map”.

2023-09-27 05:04:00
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