LeBron James has been thinking big this summer. There are talks of him starting a new basketball league that would tour the world, a venture involving his business partner, Maverick Carter. At the same time, the NBA and the NFL are working on expanding into Mexico City and Europe. Good for those running these leagues, but not everyone is impressed with the rapid commercialization of the sport.
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Expansion has been a major talking point in recent years. Even MLB has considered adding Portland and Nashville into the mix, as it too looks to grow. But this raises a few questions: Is it really good for the fans? Or is it just another way to bring in more revenue for the owners? And will the bubble ever burst?
When Richard Jefferson addressed these questions, he cut straight to the blunt reality of the current state of the sports world. He called out all the expansion stakeholders for being greedy.
“Well, I think we’re in the final push of capitalism. Let’s grab as much money as we can as quickly as we can. So, if one’s expanding, they’re all expanding. It’s true. Show me that I’m wrong,” the former NBA champion professed on Road Trippin’.
They’re hard sentiments to disagree with. People have to admit that nowadays, greed feels more widespread than ever. But we won’t get too political here. Instead, let’s focus on the fact that expansion for the NBA and MLB would make a lot of sense. After all, both sports are played internationally at a high level.
James, Michael Jordan, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge have all become global icons. It wouldn’t be too difficult for those leagues to find success overseas. However, the NFL’s expansion plan doesn’t carry the same logic. This was something Jefferson was quick to point out.
“I think the NFL should expand, but you also think about how many players they have, the cap on really where you can go and what you can do,” Jefferson said. Other countries simply don’t play American football, he further insisted.
“Yeah, the NFL can put a team in Germany. You could put a team in London, and you can grow. But, ultimately, nobody from there is playing that sport,” Jefferson added.
It’s an important thing for NFL fans to keep in mind. Having a team in Europe might be fun and unusual, but it would also take time for the sport to gain real traction. Just look at how long it took MLS to be viewed as even a somewhat legitimate soccer league, and it still faces plenty of criticism.
At the end of the day, the rich will always try to get richer, and sports will continue to expand. But we also have to question whether expansion is truly for the betterment of the league or simply for someone’s bank account. Either way, we should expect to see all three major sports push for new teams in different countries in the coming years, along with the possibility of a new basketball league spearheaded by LeBron, for which a $5 billion plan is being laid out.
