Essay Example: NBA History

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered a basketball league in America, specifically in the Northern part of America. The league comprises 30 teams with 29 teams coming from the United States while the other team is from Canada (NBA Hoops Online, 1). The league was established on 1946 June 6, and it was formerly known as the Basketball Association of America though it modified its name in 1948 after joining the National Basketball League (NBA Hoops Online, 1). However, not all teams joined BAA in 1948. Precisely, some of the teams, for instance, Anderson, Denver, and Sheboygan merged with BAA on August 3, 1949 (NBA Hoops Online, 2). The first game of the NBA history was played on November 1, 1946, and was hosted by the Toronto Huskies at Maple Leaf Gardens. The first basketball was made at Knickerbockers by Ossie Schectman. The league's season commences in October with every team playing 82 games and ends around April(NBA Hoops Online, 2). In some cases, however, the playoffs extend to June. NBA is an active member of USAB (USA Basketball) which is a known member of FIBA (Basketball Federation) which is the state administrative body for basketball in the United States. The basketball league is known to be the best and the most advanced basketball league for men in the world and has been considered the best-paying basketball league in the world; generally, it has the best average annual salary for its athletes per player. Over the years, the basketball league has improved in various aspects, and its significance to the American culture cannot be undercooked. As such, this document will discuss the importance of the NBA in the United States and Canada.

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NBA Significance in the United States and Canada

Better health. "Basketball - Health Benefits." Better Health Channel - Home, 2013, www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/basketball-health-benefits. Accessed November 13, 2019.

Over the years, the NBA league has improved. As such, it is regarded as one of the most popular Leagues due to massive following in Canada and in the United States and other parts of the globe. Usually, the length of the game, size of the basketball, size of the court and height of the basket vary depending on the players' level, size and skills and age. As such, the game activities often result in health improvements for the players involved. For instance, it is useful in burning calories. Most studies have maintained that an hour of basketball van burns 620 to 750 calories (BetterHealth, 2). Basketball is a risky game but not as dangerous as soccer and hockey. As such, players are paid to practice jumping, lift weights and run, which eventually contribute to burning calories. Besides, the games help in the improvement of athletes' motivation and balance. Primarily, all teams aim at winning by keeping a high level of performance which significantly improves their level of motivation.

The other health benefit associated with the basketball league includes muscle build-up since players have to train regularly to enhance their body fitness and help them keep up with the required levels to play a part in the competition. Besides, players are often checked to avoid doping changes, and thus, it helps in building their discipline and concentration among players.

Pratt, Justin. "What Are the Benefits of a Professional Basketball Player?" Work - Chron.com, work.chron.com/benefits-professional-basketball-player-12559.html.

The NBA league is a significant game, especially to the players since they earn various benefits. The league improves the popularity of their players; for instance, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are the most famous NBA league players. As such, players often earn highly from television, movies and other commercial projects by featuring in various advertisements. For instance, some famous players have featured in top companies such as Amazon, Nike, GoPro and LG companies advertisements where they earn massively. Apart from being involved in various television commercials, players travel a lot to a different part of the globe. As such, players make friendships with multiple people in different parts of the world which improves their games due to the motivation to make keep up with the expected level by their fans

Parker, T. "Retirement Benefits for Athletes." The balance, November 30 2018, www.thebalance.com/retirement-benefits-for-athletes-4570812.

NBA players earn highly for taking part in their teams' competition; for instance, Kobe Bryant earned up to $28 million per year in the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2012, the lowest-paid players in the league received $490000 (Parker 1). Outside the league, players make substantial earnings from other activities such as advertisements or other commercial activities. Professional athletes make millions per year. Besides, players in the league enjoy pensions after ten years of service. The amount is higher ($200000) to players with ten years of service who wait until the age of 62 and is short to players with three years of service; their pension is often around $20000 (Parker, 1)

Blazer, Trail. "How Important Is Basketball In The United States?" NBC Sports Northwest, August 24 2012, www.nbcsports.com/northwest/how-important-basketball-united-states.

Basketball league game is essential in America is vital in various aspects. Majority of the highest-paid player is among the wealthiest athletes in America. As such, the players are often taxed highly at a rate of 37% in most cases. The amount taxed earn a lot of revenue to the United States and Canada, which is used in the development of the country's key projects. Besides. The league contributes to the improvement of social relationships in the country. The football league (Major League Soccer) is not as developed and regarded as the Basketball league is. As such, most American often attend the games to support their teams which therefore improves their social relationships. Thus, the NBA league contributes to government projects through taxation and enhances the level of unity and social relations in the United States and Canada.

Esri. 2019, www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=c9b1dce174974451816ee0be1482c59d.

NBA is essential in terms of affecting the culture of western societies as well as the sports arena at large. NBA has been seen to have an excellent and effective method of marketing itself, and that is the main reason why it is famous than other sports such as NFL AND NHL (Esri, 1). NBA is essential to U.S society because it helps in addressing different social issues in the community. These include issues that affect people daily, such as racism, as well as gay marriages. Therefore, this platform helps in ensuring that the rights of different people are respected despite the background that they come from or their color (Esri, 2). NBA is also crucial in addressing issues of bias as this is one thing that may affect the sports culture in the future. Most of the NBA teams have social media platforms where they air their views and interact with their fans. This is very crucial as one of the necessary foundations of the team's success is the support base and their fans.

Esri. 2019, www.arcgis.com/apps/Cascade/index.html?appid=0f0e56b92bc24bc9aa1b0d4fa9f4a12a.

NBA has been seen to be of very great importance in the economy, and it can make a society develop significantly. Teams that win the NBA have a higher impact in the society economically because they receive huge bonuses that they use in making sure that they develop their arenas as well as their surroundings (Esri, 1). During these improvements or constructions of their arenas, they provide employment opportunities to the locals, therefore, generating income. Winning teams also ensure that they bring more customers to other businesses such as hotels and bars, thus benefiting other businesses. In most cases, when the NBA stars such as Lebron James go to games in different cities, it was discovered that there is an increase in job opportunities, ticket sales rise as well as local restaurant revenue raises (Esri, 2).

NBA teams have an impact on the economy, but also their players have a lot of influence on the development of the different cities and societies. Players in the NBA mostly chose to play for different teams so that they can live in different cities where they can invest. These types of investments ensure that they give back to society by helping in different ways, such as through donations that ensure that they help the disadvantaged in the community. Fans also help in the development of different cities by buying tickets as well as pre-packaged deals, which contribute to the revenue generated as a result of the NBA games.

Berry J. "Today's NBA: More Than Just Basketball | Harvard Political Review." Harvard Political Review, 2018, harvardpolitics.com/culture/todays-nba/.

Basketball and NBA at large have been seen to affect the political field and has impacted on the political views that people have. NBA players have been seen to participate in different elections, such as the 2016 elections, where several of them commented about the proceedings of the elections(Berry,1). Even if the participation of the NBA into politics was not well accepted into society, it continues to be accepted as days go on, and their political sentiments have been seen to influence many people. NBA is so diverse that it attracts so many viewership's in the whole world. The fact that everyone in the NBA has embraced politics from players, league officials, coaches as well as the owners have made the NBA very vocal in politics. This can be shown by examples such as where the Golden State Warriors refused to visit the White House as they were frustrated by the actions of the Trump administration (Berry,1). NBA has been seen to support different political protests in the past years as they wanted to raise concerns such as injustices that happen in society today. This may include policies such as those of immigration that may affect the players that can play in the NBA. Therefore, some NBA players view themselves as activists who are there to speak out on behalf of others. NBA players will, in the coming years, be seen to involve in politics more and more.

"Frank and Oak." Frank and Oak, 2019, www.frankandoak.com/handbook/culture/nba-cultural-phenomenon.

NBA has been seen to have a cultural impact on society. The NBA has continued to carry on its culture throughout the years that it has been operating. Historically, the NBA has produced great stars that have come out of diverse backgrounds, therefore, bringing different cultures to the NBA (Frank &Oak, 1). Another culture that makes the NBA most interesting is the fact that it has intense rivalry between teams and players as they are all motivated and eager to win for their teams. Another culture that has been observed is the connection of the NBA with fashion as well as streetwear in the world (Frank &Oak, 1). NBA devotes much of its time to different sneakers, and they are the ambassadors of different brands. This has made NBA ambassadors become cultural figures in different countries. There are also festivities that the NBA holds, such as the annual All-Star festivities as well as Slam Dunk contests that are of great importance to the culture of the NBA as they help in passing the culture to the young generations.

Conclusion

NBA history has been vividly discussed and its importance discussed in different perspectives. The NBA has been seen to be of much importance both economically, socially as well as politically. The society in which NBA teams play has been seen to advance and grow gradually because of the positive relationship that exists between the NBA and development.