Executive Summary
This report deals with the problems of the modern sports sector on a global scale. The analysis centres on the International Basketball Federation as the primary organisation among the most common and popular ones, which is involved in setting the standards, organising the events and participating in the world competition of the teams in this sport. Ambiguities in the future of international competition due to geopolitical issues and delays in globalisation expansion for other reasons are seen as relatively significant problems. The dangers of the declining popularity of basketball in the context of the frequency decrease of events caused by the pandemic and other problems are considered. Relevant factors that have led to the current situation in the development of basketball federations are considered with potential actions that, if taken, may impact the situation. Such recommendations include desirable actions not only by this sports organisation but likewise by international governmental organisations.
Introduction
The sporting events industry and related processes involving development, training, athlete management, competition, programmes, and financial or regulatory issues have many challenges. This fact is particularly true for the central regulatory bodies of international scope responsible for a particular type or sporting activity. The most common challenges are planning, economic and financial equilibrium, legal compliance, marketing, technology and other issues. The industry is no less dependent on the trend of globalisation, which nowadays affects absolutely all sectors of business and human activities.
In the context of reviewing the problems of the International Basketball Federation, two interrelated delays on the potential path of the whole sport are highlighted: globalisation and political or geopolitical factors. In the context of the consideration, it is necessary to identify the area of responsibility and the ability of the Federation itself to influence any of the reasons listed. Apparently, due to their external focus, the importance of such reasons becomes evident. Ethics and diversification, which are mentioned in the discussion in this report, are part of the globalisation problems. However, they overlap with and are a consequence of the inequalities and human rights violations still existing worldwide. Thus, it can be assumed that the problems in globalisation and the influence of politics on sports are major issues in this industry, not excluding Fédération Internationale de basket-ball or FIBA.
Background
The International Basketball Federation, or FIBA, is essentially an association of national organisations associated with the sport. It was founded in 1932 in Geneva and has been responsible for regulating basketball worldwide ever since (FIBA Basketball, n. d.). It determines the necessary equipment and facilities, organises competitions at an international level, lays down the game’s rules and international referees, and controls the movement of players between teams, national teams and countries. In addition, it organises qualification tournaments to determine potential competitors for both men’s and women’s Olympic Games (FIBA Basketball, n. d.). There are also international championships, similar to football, but with less publicity, which is an obstacle to the industry’s expansion and the sport’s popularity as a whole.
The structure of the Federation is a mixture of national federations divided into zones on each continent. At present, there are more than five such members in total in the five zones: Africa, Asia, America, Oceania and Europe. Accordingly, when geopolitical problems arise on the world stage, conflicts are reflected in the interaction within the Federation. It can further lead to the cancellation, delay or nullification of competition results and existence. Thus, apart from the issue of adequate apolitical interaction at any international sporting event, the problem of the further globalisation of sport and even the threat to the presence of full-fledged international competitions can be pointed out.
Rationale
A study of the influencing problems of the Federation listed above is essential in the context of the survival and spread of basketball. Apart from the standard concerns about financial problems, there are questions about ethics and the rethinking of future interactions within the Federation and in its external relations. There is a need to define a strategy to deal with the current crisis initiated by the pandemic and exacerbated by the military escalations of modernity in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Through analysis of the situation, it is possible to identify a list of essential recommendations that can influence the increase of mutual understanding within the Federation and, at the same time, maintain people’s interest in basketball and the prospects for its global spread. Moreover, this context includes both a consideration of the short-term impact of the identified problems and a prediction of the potential changes in the long term, which is imperative.
Report Findings
The research focused on current issues of concern not only to participants and federations’ governing bodies but also to ordinary citizens: the athletes, fans of the sport and international competitions and the general public. Thus, it was possible to identify the primary trend of the complexities of international sports interaction intensify (Attwell et al., 2019). It should be noted that the chosen sport and the concerned Federation are not isolated cases with such a problem. All possible types of competition and physical development have significant difficulties in implementing international activities in a similar form. However, the factors, problems and ethical ambiguities exclusive to basketball are taken into consideration. In the first effort, they must be dealt with by prioritising the expansion of coverage with a sporting interest.
In addition, when considering a particular type of complexity in cut-offs, the vital interconnectedness of multiple types of problems becomes evident. For this reason, the analysis of the two main issues in the short- and long-term contexts partly includes cross-cutting concerns but does not focus on them (Chatzigianni & Mallen, 2023). Questions of ethics and equality concern all potential debates in all sports, as does a focus on the need to get as many people as possible involved in sporting activities. Marketing and information dissemination are designed to help with the latter, and the primary aim of such activities is precisely set to improve the nation’s health, regardless of the state. However, the connection to the state and the subordination of national federations to politicians is a huge problem today.
Politics and Power Issue: Participation in Olympics Ethics
With the next Summer Olympics year approaching, federations are increasingly focused on selecting participants for traditional basketball team events and three-on-three games. The interaction with National Olympic Committees and their quintessential International Olympic Committee this year raises several questions for both FIBA and other sports associations (Conte et al., 2019). Despite the virtually completed restrictions due to the official end of the Covid-19 pandemic, new problems arise that no more extended concern restrictions on movement, communication and distance. The geopolitical instability in the world today makes it impossible to provide any precise predictions as to whether countries will participate in the Summer Olympics. Therefore, the current composition of the competitors is unknown.
The main reason for this concern in the sporting community has been the escalating phase of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The low-intensity military conflict triggered by Russia’s desire to seize territory in Ukraine began in 2014, and in 2022 the Russian Federation launched a more active terrorist action by launching a full-scale military invasion (Lindholm, 2022). Undoubtedly, virtually all actors on the world stage have spoken out and are acting to thwart the aggressor, and sporting events on this scale are no exception. Thus, international teams from Russia and Belarus, whose illegitimate dictator is an ally of the aggressor, were banned from most world events: football, basketball, hockey and other main types (Grassi, 2022). Later on, there is the matter of admitting athletes from these countries to the 2024 Olympics, which is a major stumbling block and risk for the Basketball Federation.
The amount of effort spent on training, distribution and management of potential participants in the Olympics may be excessive and pointless. If the athletes from the aggressor countries are allowed to participate, there is a strong possibility that most allied countries, including the National Basketball Federations, will refuse to participate. Moreover, if the situation develops according to the current pattern, a total boycott of these regular world competitions by almost all countries is especially likely, making it pointless and unprofitable (Chroni et al., 2019). Such a disruption of regularity is not conducive to developing sports, including basketball.
From a statement of obvious facts, the main reason for this situation can be attributed to sports organisations’ dependence on their own countries’ governments. In the case of excluding the ethics and morality of the governing bodies and the members, the most prominent questions arise concerning the French host country and the governments of Belarus and Russia. A significant problem for authoritarian regimes in sports today is the restriction and threat of athletes and the use of their own teachers as an element of propaganda (Grassi, 2022). This consideration makes the world community hesitant for an aggressor to compete even under a neutral flag because domestic and foreign propaganda, correctly presented, tends to serve its own interests. As for the ambiguity of the actions of the French Olympic Committee and at the international level – corruption scandals are assumed, which should not exist in politics as well as in any sport (Gulak-Lipka, 2020). If such predictions are realised, the International Basketball Federation will suffer damage to its sustainability, increased costs and an exodus of supporters and benefactors.
In accordance with the above, the primary influence of the Federation on the current situation is through interaction with the International Olympic Committee. However, the essence of the organisation’s existence is complicated by the fact that in many states whose national federations are members of the international association, sports organisations are too dependent on the state under a non-democratic system (Chroni et al., 2019). Thus, a deeper look into the matter will be possible in the near future, and the actions of the international and local committees in the current situation will help to draw the necessary conclusions. It can be predicted that, at the risk of losing most of the competitors, the organising committee will nevertheless make the right decision and exclude violent and disrespectful competitors.
Thus, it is possible to summarise the impact of this factor on the development of the International Basketball Federation and the interest in the sport. Unfortunately, it is significant, and even the ethically correct refusal to participate in the competition, if the participants mentioned above are allowed to be there, will bring financial and reputational losses (Attwell et al., 2019). The financial ones are indicated by the lack of feedback on the investment. In contrast, the reputational ones will be provided by basic-level fans who are not interested or do not understand the original reasons for what has happened. Although FIBA does not have much in the way of countermeasures in this situation, recommendations capable of mitigating the industry and not losing fans’ interest on the ground will be provided in the future (Chu, 2021). The main strength and capacity of the federations lie exactly in regulating and remedying the situation by modifying the schedules and types of events.
The Event Globalisation
The second major problem, closely related to the first, is the globalisation of the spread of passion for the sport, competitions, sporting events and other activities. The International Basketball Federation pays much attention to this issue and has both weaknesses and strengths (FIBA Basketball, n. d.). In the context of this report, it is recommended to start with the strengths of basketball and then move on to its limitations in order to find solutions and provide potential options while respecting the recommendations. A complete definition of globalisation in international sporting interactions is required to begin an analysis.
Undoubtedly, the world’s major nations have been competing for a long time, and basketball is no exception. Teams from all over the world, including both private and public teams, are often made up of athletes of different nationalities, which contributes greatly to the globalisation process. Moreover, in this context, it may be argued that basketball is one of the most multinational and equitable sports (Ahmad & Thorpe, 2020). The basis of globalisation is not only in introducing players from different places but, first and foremost, in the spread of the sport. Moreover, in this area, basketball has undeniable advantages that are evident in the competitive analysis with other sports.
The lack of direct sports competition is basketball’s main and foremost advantage. This fact is fully recognised and exploited in the marketing of the Federation, but the level of fan engagement is often insufficient. Ball and bat sports in the United States are represented by baseball but fall far short of the popularity of cricket in other continents (Takotra, 2022). Similarly, ball and goal games are usually divided into football, rugby and soccer, and their distribution on the world stage is heterogeneous and competitive. In this context, even volleyball and handball cannot always be compared with basketball, as they are closer to other sports. Be that as it may, basketball’s prevalence is high all over the world, but the factors that hinder it are listed below.
Moreover, among the weaknesses is the uncertainty of nationality, which is also a plus. Unfortunately, such multi-ethnicity is confronted with racism and sexism in many cases, which is not conducive to the proper conduct of sporting events. Moreover, there have been in existence cases where activists have interrupted competitions due to overly ethnically homogenous teams or gender non-conformity (Ahmad & Thorpe, 2020). However, all sports events today are in troubled times, and this situation requires only monitoring by the Federation without the need for direct intervention (Pedras et al., 2020). All the more so, given society’s current quest for equality, there is a clear trend towards less intolerance towards others on any grounds. This ethical issue is of direct relevance to globalisation precisely because of the mixed composition of basketball teams around the world and the progress made in this regard.
A second weakness in the ease of organising international interactions and events in the field of basketball is government requirements and restrictions on players. A similar problem of government intervention is highlighted in the previous paragraph. However, in the context of setting rules for players unrelated to the laws and powers of the country, the factor is another unifying factor. Examples of this are bans on women’s participation in basketball games or the regulation of their appearance linked to religious and managerial factors in the Middle East (Gulak-Lipka, 2020). Moreover, in some contexts, even attending basketball games has been prohibited for women in addition to participation (Widatalla, 2022). Such inequalities are discriminatory, conflate the issue with others, and hinder FIBA sporting events organisation.
Sport is a vehicle for nationalism in many nations, and one of the reasons why it is challenging to globalise and unite all fans and participants is precise because of a love of the sport. Despite its Canadian roots, basketball is much more prevalent in America, though it can be marketed and sold worldwide (Gruneau & Horne, 2018). Associating basketball with national symbols of American or other cultures cannot be correct – its international nature has been proven through years of practice around the world (FIBA global partnership, 2018). However, it is worth noting that as part of FIBA in the Americas, the NBA is an example of adapting to change and globalisation (Mosly, 2022). Despite declining rankings after the retirement of the sport’s old stars, the coaching and search for new ones did not stop, contributing to the development and return of positions.
Other countries’ current leadership underlines the sport’s expansion and globalisation. Spain, for example, has now overtaken the USA in men’s competitions, while the NBA, as mentioned above, has turned its attention to China and India and actively competes with them (Pedras et al., 2020). It should be noted that basketball’s rise in popularity in the East has accelerated in recent years, which is worth noting and encouraging for the International Federation. It is participation in their own sport, raising its popularity and attracting investors should contribute to the success of FIBA events and the overall sustainability of development for the sport on a global scale.
It should be noted that most basketball fans consider participation in the Summer Olympics a significant event. Moreover, many of the sport’s fans are not even aware of the fact that basketball competitions are held in this format and do not take their eyes off any teams in national or regional leagues (Mosly, 2022). This fact is no less significant for FIBA strategies, as it clearly demonstrates a lack of awareness among the population and fans of the sport, which is unacceptable. The level of marketing, advertising and general information should be enhanced and maximised if the sport is to develop and maximise the attendance of any of its events.
Thus, the participation of the Federation in the Olympics should not be a critical point for the sector. A more precise analysis could determine the specific dependence on this event. However, according to some sources, the planned spending on such competitions is often remarkably high and may be less than the actual spending. Given the limited number of investors, such reliance on world competitions should be minimised in order to preserve the sector and ensure equal participation of all current members of the Federation.
Recommendations
There is a need to divide the relevant recommendations into four categories. Two of these categories are intended to correspond to the problem of participation in international events and FIBA’s contribution to this in the short and long terms. The following two are directly related to the remaining problems of globalisation and also take into account the two temporary principles of concentration. In addition, it is recommended that national organisations in developed and developing countries seek independence and complete separation from governmental bodies. However, when considering the number of non-standard types of government in the world, it is not possible to universalise and state this factor unambiguously as a must to follow and apply.
Politics: Short Term
When considering short-term actions and events of the International Basketball Federation, it is advisable to listen to the opinion of most developed countries and modern societies. Even if a boycott of the 2024 Olympics is inevitable and demanded by the state of each country, it is necessary to understand the principles of interaction in a geopolitical format and, if possible, minimise the costs by organising local or continental basketball competitions (Mesler & Porter, 2022). In this case, the recommendation to establish a new type of basketball competition, which is in the access and regulations of a Federation with a different venue from the current one, with its subsequent implementation, may also be considered beneficial.
Politics: Long Term
In the format of long-term cooperation, besides reducing dependence on Federation governments, it is recommended to work out a way of counteracting the current situation. In order to minimise costs later on, it is necessary to foresee the possibility of disruptions of events due to pandemics, wars or political balancing and to have backup options for the efforts (Wenner, 2022). Provided the Federation has minimal influence over the development of such situations and is virtually incapable of predicting their occurrence, the focus on centralised gatherings of people in a particular area should be abandoned. Given the digitalisation of society and the development of technology, one potential option for consideration could be using remote matches in different parts of the world. In the future, replacing the playing fields with virtual reality is possible, but this is not yet an official prospect.
Globalisation: Short Term
In the context of globalisation, the most obvious step in the short term is to increase the development and funding of the sport in the countries where it is least developed. Lack of attention to basketball and its events may be due to a lack of facilities or other reasons (Wenner, 2022). For example, it is easier to build a goal for a typical soccer game than to provide an adequate rebounding surface and hang a hoop. In the short term, the attention of all developing country participants in a federation must be drawn to the problem, and a common goal to improve performance must be set.
In addition, an increase in governmental funding should be worked out in inverse proportion to the decrease in dependence on the state. In democratic societies and most economies in the world, taxpayers are the backbone who choose the interim manager. In the same format, many of them are fans of a particular sport, and public opinion on increased sports funding will be positive (US Legal, 2022). Moreover, basketball, among other physical activities, contributes to the nation’s health and should be a priority for any government.
Globalisation: Long Term
In the format of longer-term globalisation, a list of recommendations is presented, which are directly accessible to FIBA and, in some places, are already being implemented by FIBA. As well as developing, implementing and disseminating participation programmes for children, young people and adults, the promotion of equality and diversity are equally crucial for globalisation. As a whole, it is a topic for conversation in its own right, but it is likewise one of the major factors in the development of the industry and its spread around the world. Given the digitalisation and globalisation of the world, sports cannot lag behind in this sense, as it can lead to a loss of popularity.
A healthy lifestyle, mindset and behaviour parallel to any sporting activity are mandatory and available to every international Federation. Including coaches and athletes in education to further the message to other participants and to publish relevant talking points in sports literature and venues can have a positive effect. Every event potentially organised by a federation is a chance to strengthen the position of its own sport, promote its advantages and encourage new participants (Cuzzolin, 2020). The more global, international and well-known the format, the better the chances of development for the industry.
In addition to the above, focusing on long-term changes in the sector and the increasing prevalence of basketball, several potentially valuable actions can be taken. Each member federation can orientate itself towards these proposals and implement the most affordable ones in their countries. First on this additional list is the process of opening courses for coaches to attract the attention of those who cannot play for whatever reason but are basketball fans. It is not unreasonable to develop and submit for state approval additional sports grants for talented athletes of all ages. It may also be possible to create amateur teams for the elderly and hold competitions between them. Such ideas often resonate with a bored population segment and can bring the sport to a broader audience. In addition, it is imperative to combat the stereotypes that stop many people from getting involved in and playing the sport. The myths of ethnic superiority, gender difference or height needed for the game must be dispelled through various methods of information dissemination.
Conclusion
This report can underline an idea of the thesis statement and some of the assumptions set out in the paper. Globalisation, with its complexities of development, expansion and interaction, as well as the interference of local governments in the affairs and behaviour of their own national committees and federations, are obstacles to the development of the sports industry. In the field of basketball, there is the threat of failure to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics due to the strange behaviour and possible corruption of the International Olympic Committee. Moreover, the persistence of racism, inequality and undemocratic governance can seriously delay the globalisation of basketball as one of the world’s major sports activities.
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