Why Is Basketball So Popular?

Soccer and baseball have more fans, but no other sport has increased in popularity so quickly over the past 30 years than has basketball. What accounts for the sudden meteoric rise in a sport which, after all, is played best by people who are unusually tall? The secret to basketball's success lies in three particular sources: the celebrities in the game; commercial sponsorship of those players and the game itself; and the mushrooming of crowded, urban environments around the world.
　　All sports have their heroes. Currently, baseball has Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, the home run-hitting kings. Tennis has Martina Hingus and Pete Sampras, the darlings of the courts. Soccer has players so popular that they are mobbed by fans wherever they appear, especially in Europe and South America. Only basketball, however, has celebrities who have caught the attention of the world like no others. Michael Jordan is so popular even after having officially retired from the game that there is talk of his running for public office in the United States. Dennis Rodman, the muscular, tattooed, and much ballyhooed player formerly of the Chicago Bulls, makes headlines whenever he pulls another of his crazy but fun-loving publicity stunts.Former players like Larry Byrd and Magic Johnson continue to command respect for their personal integrity and unparalleled sportsmanship. Basketball shoes, T-shirts, and even movies are made with these basketball superstar icons. No other sport figures can compete with their popular recognition and appeal.
　　Is this international superstar status solely due to these men's talents and contributions? In no small part, of course, it is, but other leading athletes with equally commendable skills or who have performed attention-grabbing antics rarely reach the stratospheric level of stardom that basketball players enjoy. This special privilege is due to a concerted effort by the players behind the basketball players, that is, the basketball leagues' owners and sponsors.
　　Basketball has always been a distant third in sports rankings in the United States behind baseball and American football. Basketball league owners and managers wanted to change this traditional perception of the immutability of these statistics and in the 1960s began a concerted effort to make basketball the game of choice by hand-picking more colorful as well as professional players and by making alliances with the commercial sponsors of athletic equipment. By the 1970s, basketball team recognition in the U.S. had soared, with dedicated fans in the millions. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, and the Boston Celtics had become household names. Players like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan were worth millions of dollars in commercial advertising spots for athletic equipment manufacturers, a trend which continues to this day. Today, basketball is a billion-dollar business.
　　No amount of advertising, however, can account for the number of fans who not only double as spectators but as players themselves. Basketball courts, whether in schools, parks, or abandoned city lots, have sprouted throughout the urban landscape. A child is never far from a basketball ball and hoop.With land becoming more expensive in ever more crowded cities, city governments are far more likely to construct basketball courts than baseball diamonds or soccer fields. As basketball equipment is minimal and inexpensive, it is no wonder that the game has become more and more popular around the world.
　　What young boy doesn't dream of becoming as tall as a basketball player, or at least of having as much money or fame?Basketball's quick pace and dynamic plays are in contrast to the much slower moves in baseball or even in much of soccer and American football. This dynamism is part of the pulse of our times, and so long as we live in a fast-changing world, basketball and its players will continue to appeal to sports lovers around the world.

　　虽然足球和棒球拥有较多的球迷，但过去30年来，没有其它一项运动比得上篮球风行得这么快。这项毕竟还是由高得出奇的人打得最好的运动是如何迅速兴起呢？篮球之所以成功的秘诀在于3个特点：比赛中的明星球员、对这些球员和比赛本身的商业赞助，以及全球各地拥挤的都市环境之迅速发展。
　　所有的运动都有英雄人物。目前，棒球有马克‧马奎尔和山米‧苏萨两位全垒打王。网球有玛提娜‧辛吉斯和彼特‧桑普拉斯这两名球场宠儿。有些足球明星所到之处必定受到球迷的热情包围，特别是在欧洲和南美两地。然而，只有篮球明星独一无二地受到全球瞩目。迈克‧乔丹太受欢迎了，所以即使在他正式宣布退休之后，还有人说他要竞选美国的公职人员。丹尼斯‧罗德曼这个浑身肌肉，文身且爱搞怪事的前芝加哥公牛队球员，每当他又出什么好玩的怪招打知名度时，就一定会成为头条新闻。像赖瑞‧博德和魔术师约翰逊等已退休的球员，因为个人的崇高道德和无人能比的运动精神而依然受人尊敬。篮球鞋、Ｔ恤、甚至电影都用这些篮球超级巨星的肖像来制作。没有其它运动人物能和他们在知名度和吸引力方面一较长短。
　　这种国际超级巨星的地位完全是因为这些人的才能和贡献而得来的吗？乍看之下确实是如此，但其它才能同样出色或技艺震惊媒体的杰出运动员却很少有人达到和篮球球员平起平坐的巨星地位。这种特殊的礼遇来自于篮球球员背后运作者的共同努力，亦即篮球联盟的老板们和赞助商们。
　　篮球在美国的运动排名上始终一直位居第三，远远落在棒球和美式足球之后。篮球联盟的老板和经理们想要打破这些统计数字永远不会改变的传统印象，于是在1960年代开始同心协力，精选较具特色且具职业水平的球员，并且和运动用品的赞助商结盟，努力要让篮球成为人人喜爱的比赛。到了1970年代，篮球队在美国的知名度上升，并且拥有数百万的忠实球迷。诸如洛杉矶湖人队，芝加哥公牛队和波士顿凯尔特队等球队成了家喻户晓的名字。像魔术师约翰逊和迈克‧乔丹这样的球员替运动用品商拍广告片，身价都有几百万美元，这种风潮一直持续到现在。今天，篮球是一个产值以亿万计的行业。
　　然而，广告量却不是球迷观众及球员人数倍增的原因。不管是在学校、公园或废置的都市地，篮球场在都市地带遍布出现。小孩子到哪里都不难找到篮球和篮框。在日益拥挤的城市中，土地愈来愈贵，比起棒球场和足球场，市政府当然比较可能兴建篮球场。由于打篮球需要的用具最少而且又便宜，难怪这种运动在世界各地愈来愈流行。
　　哪个年轻男孩不梦想长得像篮球员那么高，或者至少像他们一样有钱或有名呢？打篮球时的速度感及冲劲和动作较为缓慢的棒球或甚至大部分时间动作都很慢的足球和美式足球恰成对比。这种冲劲正是我们时代脉博的一部分，只要我们活在快速变化的世界，篮球和它的球员们将继续吸引全世界的运动爱好者。