Us Sports Abroad

U.S. Sports Abroad

Taking U.S. Sports Abroad

Aaron Plein

DeVry University

There are several factors U.S. sports franchises must overcome to increase popularity abroad. We will use Major League Baseball for example. Years ago Major League Baseball teams were comprised of all United States athletes. Today MLB drafts players from all over the globe. Understanding social customs is a huge factor. “Asian countries have taken baseball and turned it to the great Japanese, Taiwanese or Korean game. "It is amazing to see that the way in which they play reflects their culture. In Korea, for example, sometimes there are fistfights in the parliament, so if there are fistfights in field, it's not a big deal.” Tal Barak (World Series? Wait a minute…). U.S. sports must also consider the style and coloring of clothing the people wear, their food preferences, and times of the day do they eat. If baseball were brought to Pakistan, for example, they might have a better understanding of the sport because they play cricket. On the other hand, they might not be showing up to support their teams on religious days. Chugging beers or scarfing down all beef kosher hot dogs would not be appropriate. This is an example of how US sports franchises must understand social and religious beliefs of the targeted area. The U.S. must assess the politics in the region and find out the degree in which politics play a roll in a businesses success. US sports must learn about economics and business institutions and potential resources for their products. And finally US sports franchises must appraise the nature of ethics, values and laws. Are the locals competitive or cooperative? It could be confusing or frustrating to do business with foreign countries without knowing if bribes are accepted of expected. The foreign businessman might be insulted if gifts weren’t offered. It could be part of their culture. “In Taiwan, gambling is part of the culture. In the 1990s, a large number of...