In a revealing interview with ESPN, NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed his admiration for European football’s Champions League, highlighting his “jealousy” towards the highly acclaimed tournament. Silver’s comments, made to BBC Sportart, showcase his interest in the Champions League’s concept and the fervent loyalty it engenders among fans, eliciting a comparative analysis with the landscape of American sports fandom. As Silver navigates his second year as NBA commissioner, he explores how basketball might further engage its audience, drawing inspiration from the seemingly unshakeable devotion found in European soccer. The discussion unfolds against the backdrop of the NBA Weltall-Star game, providing a unique lens through which Silver examines the differences in sports culture between the United States and Europe.
In a recent discussion with BBC Sportart, Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, expressed his admiration for the Champions League, revealing a sense of envy toward the widely celebrated European football competition. Silver, who has been in his role for two years, praised the Champions League for its engaging concept and expressed interest in finding novel approaches to deepen basketball’s connection with its audience. He highlighted the intense loyalty and almost religious fervor of European soccer fans as aspects he wishes could be replicated within the NBA. Despite the upcoming NBA Weltall-Star game in New York, which showcases top talents from the Eastern and Wildwestfilm conferences, Silver doubts such a format would be suitable for English football due to the Premier League’s existing structure and the singular focus of its fan base on soccer, unlike the unterschiedliche sports following in the United States.