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FOREIGN INVASION: INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES
TAKING OVER AMERICAN GAMES
By Kevin Quinn
In today’s sports world, nationalism is taking a backseat to the growing trend of globalization.
It is a modern rarity for professional sport franchises to have “local products” and many teams are made up of more foreigners than Americans. It is a theme that is seen more and more each day in American sports like basketball and baseball. Foreign athletes continue to enter the American market and increase the globalization of sports.
Games, once dominated by American’s, are now being conquered by the likes of such basketball stars as China’s Yao Ming and Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki. In baseball, players like Pedro Martinez from the Dominican Republic and Japan’s Ichiro Suzuki are dominant forces.
In recent years, baseball has become more than 50 percent international with countless players coming from Latin America and an increasing number from Japan.
The days when baseball was America’s game are over and the nationalism that was present just decades ago, is becoming a memory. Fans no longer cheer for local players on local teams, because the chance of their being a “hometown boy” is rare. Players almost never wind up on teams that are in or near their hometowns. Rather, they play for whichever team offers them the most lucrative contract
For instance, on the New York Yankees’ active roster, there is only one player that is native to New York, pitcher, Steve Karsay, from Flushing.
Local markets and hometown loyalty are themes that are almost extinct in sports. Instead, commercialism and the mass media are taking over and triggering the move to globalization in the modern sports market.
Dr. Keith Strudler, Director of Sports Communications at Marist College, feels that today’s sports are ruled by commercialism.
“Today it is all about how much money they can make from mediated sports,” said Strudler, adding, “It is ruled by commerce.”
With the increased globalization, Americans are seeing the appeal of international stars more and more.
Stars such as Yao Ming, have helped to sell sports to Americans and the international community. Ming’s popularity is already apparent to the 1.3 billion-person population of China. Now with his arrival and success in the U.S., Ming has companies drooling over his sponsorship rights. He has already signed multi-million dollar contracts with Visa and Gatorade.
James Cusick, a dedicated follower of professional basketball, feels that globalization in good for the game.
“The NBA is the pinnacle of professional basketball and they should exhibit the best players that there are to offer,” said Cusick. “That does not just mean the best in the U.S., that means the best in the world.”
“Globalization in sport is expanding markets and expanding the levels of talent all over,“ Strudler said, adding, “After all, who would have thought that American’s would be going crazy over a seven-foot Chinese basketball player.”