The National Basketball Association or NBA is a local league for American basketball clubs yet they call the NBA champion team as "world champion". This is very confusing to people outside of North America.
2007-05-13 00:59:06 · 15 answers · asked by bing 1 in Sports ➔ Basketball
Because it sounds better...we should just stick to saying national champion, your right.
However if I had to make a case it would be because the NBA is open to players of all nationalities and is the most prestigious league in the world excluding the real world championships and Olympics.
2007-05-13 01:02:10 · answer #1 · answered by Big Z 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, a lot of it is simply tradition. At one time, the only professional basketball and baseball leagues in the entire world were the ones in America. So they WERE the world champions at the time! Tradition often holds on, long after it is valid. I still think that the NBA has a legitimate cause for calling their teams the world champions for professional basketball. No other country has a professional league that would compete, and the world's best players come here. Baseball is becoming more questionable, but the question at hand is this: would the best professional team in Japan or another country beat the best professional team here? Until it happens and they do, I don't think it is that illegitimate to claim your team to be the World Champion when you've been claiming it long before other countries even had teams. That said, "dream teams" at the Olympics and such are kind of irrelevant. Most of the players on the teams that beat us are now playing in the NBA. So is San Antonio the world champion? You try to find a professional team outside the NBA that can beat them. But in some sports, you are definitely right. Our best in soccer, for example, would never hold up against the best in Spain or England or France or Germany or Brazil... etc. etc.
2016-05-17 06:20:33 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the history. Who was playing basketball outside of the U.S. before 1950. The NBA champions were labeled "World Champion" because (1) hardly anyone outside of the U.S. played the game, (2) there was no doubt that the NBA champion was the best in the world, and (3) it just sounds better!
The same goes for baseball (World Series) - look at the history of the game, vast majority of it in the U.S. Look at the World Cup. Before it became a truly international game, the champions were labeled "Best Team in the World". It just sounds better. Heck, there was a time where those outside of England didn't think ANYONE in the world could beat the English in football/soccer. Hungary changed that in 1953! Rugby, water polo, etc. - same thing.
I wouldn't label it as "typical American culture" That's just an easy way to blame America.
2007-05-13 02:00:21 · answer #3 · answered by supersafetyman123 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
because the NBA is open to players of all nationalities and bottom line the best players all over the world play in the NBA
2007-05-13 05:48:21 · answer #4 · answered by AJ V 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not only NBA, the championship games for MLB (major league baseball) is called the World Series, too. I am sure you can find other examples as well. I think it has to do with the US culture more than anything.
2007-05-13 01:09:35 · answer #5 · answered by White Polar Bear 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Its because americans think they hv the best players in the world in the nba. dats whos da best in nba is world champions according to dem..
Spain proved em wrong last year
2007-05-13 04:19:23 · answer #6 · answered by bcgh19902004 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
the super bowl champions,NBA champions,NHl champions,world series champions ect ect are called WORLD champions because international players can play them.
2007-05-13 01:16:45 · answer #7 · answered by sunsfan14 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Basketball was actually invented in Canada, on the east coast. Check it out.
2016-10-27 16:14:38 · answer #8 · answered by Ambrose 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because when it comes to sports, Americans have always had an arrogant stance. They feel they have the best athletes in the world and the mopst competitive leagues.
2007-05-13 03:54:19 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
Every thing starts and ends in America
2007-05-13 07:12:51 · answer #10 · answered by Obinna D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋