Globalization of Basketball: Diffusion of American Culture

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Globalization of Basketball Diffusion of
American Culture

• Craig VanGalder
• GPY 495 Senior Thesis
• Fall 2008

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Introduction

• The purpose of the present study was to
  investigate the geographic phenomenon of
  diffusion using the particular case of the
  worldwide spread of basketball.
• Basketball is one of the most popular sports
  around the world, second only to soccer, and has
  grown to be of great importance to many cultures.
• Researching the diffusion of the game can give
  one insight into how the game has risen to such
  global prevalence.
• Relationship between the diffusion of basketball
  and the process of Americanization.

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Hypothesis

• A pattern of the games diffusion should be
  visible with, what are considered, the more
  developed countries of the world playing the game
  before the less developed countries.

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Methods

• Adoption of basketball by a nation, rather than
  the initial introduction of the game.
• Date of Affiliation of a national governing body
  with the International Basketball Federation.
• Data source www.fiba.com
• Data input and organized in Excel.
• ArcView GIS utilized to create maps ranging in
  dates from 1932 to 2006.

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Results

• The following sequence of maps shows where and
  when the game of basketball was adopted, not
  necessarily introduced, by a given nation.

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Conclusion

• The diffusion followed a pattern of development,
  with some exceptions.
• Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Pacific
  Islands lagged behind Europe and the Americas.
• Nations, in the aforementioned regions, with
  close ties to countries in Europe and North
  America adopt the game earlier.

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Limitations

• Is adoption the best indicator?
• Political influences on the creation of a
  national governing body.
• No data available for the initial introduction of
  the game.

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Future Research

• Does the diffusion of basketball mirror the
  spread of other aspects of American culture?
• Relationship between the diffusion of basketball
  and the diffusion of hip-hop culture.
• Do other American sports (baseball and football)
  follow the same pattern of diffusion? British
  sports (soccer and cricket)? Other sports?
• Further investigation of relationships between
  countries that lead to earlier diffusion of the
  game.