Little
more than six years after it was founded, Euroleague Basketball is
already recognized as managing competitions that rank among the world’s
very best in its sport. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that at the
start of 2007, Euroleague Basketball faces the same great challenges as
any major enterprise on the march: promoting growth while preserving
integrity. That makes the beginning of the new year a perfect moment to
talk with Jordi Bertomeu, the CEO of Euroleague Basketball and
architect of its progress this decade to world-class status among
sports organizations. In this Euroleague.net interview, Bertomeu keeps
his eyes firmly on the present and future while assuming the viewpoint
of those who matter most: the fans. “In 2007, I want fans to enjoy the
game as much as they can,” Bertomeu told Euroleague.net, “so much so
that they feel themselves just as big a part of Euroleague Basketball –
the most important part, in fact – as everyone else.”
Jordi,
with a new year starting and Euroleague Basketball in the middle of
another promising season, how do you see the state of the competition
at this very moment?
“I think that the competition
continues to build upon the competitiveness that we have seen over the
past few years. We are witnessing how teams such as Olympiacos,
Pau-Orthez, Dynamo Moscow, DKV Joventut and others are challenging
traditional powerhouses such as CSKA, Maccabi Elite, Panathinaikos,
Winterthur FC Barcelona, Benetton, Tau, Efes Pilsen and others. This
shows that teams are able to compete at higher and higher levels each
year and in that way keep the competition growing stronger. And of
course, everyone enjoys watching not only these teams but the great
players they have, another mix of established stars like Papaloukas,
Scola, Vujcic, Navarro, Zizic, Diamantidis and Batiste with some
‘newer’ names like Fernandez, Planinic, Campbell, Drobnjak, Wright and
many, many more. The point is that the competition is constantly being
refreshed with new challengers – both teams and players – while also
retaining the traditional strengths against which those newcomers can
measure themselves. It’s a great dynamic and makes for great games,
which is most important of all.”
How do you feel ULEB Cup has been developing?
“We
are very satisfied with how it’s growing and the standard of the ULEB
Cup teams. I think that each day it’s closer to Euroleague standards
and that the Final in Charleroi is becoming a classic annual event. The
agreement that we have reached with Eurosport 2 has given a new
dimension to the competition. We are currently working on new ways of
reinforcing this competition for next season. We are facing ‘problems’
because each year more teams ask to participate in the competition.
However, due to our agreement with FIBA Europe we are not able to have
more than 48 teams participate in both competitions. Regardless, the
‘problem’ simply highlights how well the ULEB Cup is doing.”
The
success of the first six seasons of Euroleague Basketball is now
clearly understood by lovers of the sport worldwide. Where is the
momentum of that success likely to lead the Euroleague in the
foreseeable future?
“When the league was launched in
2000, Euroleague Basketball games were televised in seven countries.
Since then we have set ourselves the goal of bringing basketball to as
many fans as possible and now you can enjoy Euroleague Basketball games
in up to 128 countries. We know that fans want to have more access to
Euroleague Basketball games and so we are constantly looking at
improving the coverage, offering more games and programming. Increasing
the game coverage to 128 countries, most of which are very important
markets, makes the TV space more interesting commercially. Euroleague
Basketball sponsors as well as club level sponsors are able to invest
in the league and find they are getting a very positive return on their
investment.
“However, it’s not only about television coverage,
it’s also about developing new projects that bring Euroleague
Basketball to new places and fans. For example we have just signed a
collaboration agreement with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
offering the opportunity to bring Euroleague Basketball to Chinese
fans.”
Euroleague Basketball is deep into an ongoing
study of expansion opportunities. Is expansion a sure thing starting
next season, and if so, what will be the criteria for including new
clubs?
“The thing that is absolutely imperative when
considering Euroleague Basketball’s expansion opportunities is the
stability of the league. What we are currently doing is considering the
criteria that would eventually permit a new club to enter the league.
Obviously, there are several factors that have to be taken into
account; not only in terms of sporting success but also other factors
such as commercial viability, city infrastructures, etc. What cannot
happen is that we rush into any kind of expansion plan that creates an
unstable league or system. I think that during this season we will be
closer to defining these criteria, and once they have been established
Euroleague Basketball needs to find the projects that would allow for
this expansion to take place. However, we cannot guarantee that we will
definitively find these opportunities or the necessary partners to be
able to make these projects come to light, until we have finalized our
conversations with the different cities and countries.”
 There
have been isolated criticisms coming from Greece lately charging
Euroleague Basketball as being too similar to the NBA, and saying that
sports shouldn't be seen as businesses in competition for fans with
other entertainment products. How do you answer such criticisms?
“I
think that this kind of criticism is counter-productive. For any kind
of professional sport or league to survive it needs to be
commercialised to a certain extent. If you find the correct balance
between the development of the sport and its commercial viabilities,
then you have something that will gain stability, solidness and will
last a long time.
FIBA Europe president George
Vassilakopoulos was particularly outspoken against a Euroleague
Basketball contract for players that is being circulated. What can you
tell us about that?
“I would rather not have to go into
his comments too much, because if I am to believe the press, Mr.
Vasilakopulos has declared that our draft contract violates human
rights, this coming from a man who 24 hours previously was comparing
NBA players with animals. For that reason I would rather avoid
commentaries on such unfortunate situations.
“What I would
like to say is that there is no cause for concern on the subject of the
contract. Since the month of June, and through our own initiative, we
have been in regular contact with the players’ association. At the time
that we first contacted them, they told us that at that precise moment
in time they did not have sufficient representation, however they were
open and interested in dialogue with us. We have agreed to continue our
conversation in the next few weeks. I would like to use this
opportunity to reiterate that our draft contract does not infringe upon
any national law, as some have written. This document is meant to
respect legislation as well as to create a common minimum standard of
rights and obligations, which will help both clubs and players. I think
that these objectives are logical and positive and easy to share if one
has a pan- European point of view.
“I also think that it’s
important for Euroleague Basketball to have stable institutional
relations with all parties who contribute to our game. We have started
talking to players, and we have also begun to develop new ideas to have
stronger institutional relations with coaches, to whom we spoke in the
meeting we held in Athens prior to the draw. I am hoping to have
conclusions to that conversation at the end of this season.
“Clubs
and leagues hold Euroleague Basketball together, but so do players,
coaches and referees, and we must count on them to be able to grow,
because without a doubt growth is in all our best interests.”
How does your relationship with FIBA Europe currently stand?
“We
are a little bit disappointed with the current situation. We haven’t
quite been able to see the coherence in some of their approaches and we
are concerned that there may be some breaches of contract. For example,
since April we have been formally proposing a way for more countries to
have access to participation in Euroleague Basketball competition.
However, we have yet to hear back from FIBA Europe, even though we are
aware that many federations are very interested in the proposal.
Meanwhile, they are proposing to reduce the number of teams that
participate in ULEB leagues using as an excuse that there is a need to
reduce the number of competitions, at the same time that they have just
created a fourth league, which never existed previously and makes no
sense. I think it’s a good opportunity to point out the obvious:
international European basketball can only be developed on the basis of
clubs that have a sporting project and single management standards so
as to avoid confusion. To assume that there are 300 clubs that have
these working conditions is absurd. Our idea is simple: fewer
competitions, more countries at the bottom end of the competition
pyramid, allowing all to develop their projects, and a single
centralised management, to avoid confusion. However, as the way things
are it seems hard to achieve, as it is hard to see whether FIBA Europe
is following through on the contract we signed. Two years have gone by
and they are still unable to ensure that players who participate with
their national teams are insured, which falls under FIBA Europe’s
responsibilities. If not solved prior to the next European
Championships, this may cause a riff. I sincerely hope that we are able
to have a dialogue so as to avoid these situations.”
There
were some reports this autumn - later denied - about Real Madrid of
Spain trying to form an individual relationship with the NBA. How did
Euroleague Basketball react to those reports?
“I have
spoken to Real Madrid’s president and he has given me sufficient
explanations regarding this situation. At the same time, the NBA has
sent out a disclaimer on this issue. Whichever way you look at it, the
only thing that one can deduce is what Commissioner David Stern made
perfectly clear last October when he was here in Europe: that taking
into account the relationship between the NBA and Euroleague
Basketball, without dialogue between those two parties, a project such
as the Real Madrid one could not take place. If I must give an opinion
about this issue, I can only say that on one hand I think that it’s a
difficult project to make happen not only on a sporting level, but also
on an economic one. At the same time, I have to insist one more time
that Euroleague Basketball can only worry about continuing to grow, as
that is the only solution or option for the future. What I can say is
that, as each year progresses Euroleague Basketball is becoming an
increasingly important league for world basketball.”
Of
course, this season started with a groundbreaking weeklong preseason
tournament between NBA teams and Euroleague teams. What was your
assessment of that experience and its possibilities for further
development?
“I think everyone was happy with how the
preseason games developed. We ended the summer with a wonderful World
Championships, where European teams played some great basketball,
followed by the preseason tournament with the NBA, where our clubs
showed a high level of competitiveness and played fantastically,
especially Barcelona and CSKA Moscow. I think we started the season
with extra confidence in our basketball skills and development. As we
begin to negotiate the next round of games, we absolutely want to
repeat the positive experience that we had, furthering the relationship
between NBA teams and Euroleague Basketball teams.”
Back
to this Euroleague season, there are already some remarkable stories in
progress, including a 16-year-old leading the league in steals, Ricky
Rubio. Will it be a priority of yours to find new ways to help the
stars of tomorrow stay in Euroleague Basketball?
“Of
course! I think that the talent drain from Europe to other countries is
bad for basketball overall. What is happening is really unfortunate,
with young talents leaving their European teams having been offered
supposedly fantastic contracts in other leagues. When they arrive to
their new homes, they sit on a bench for five seasons, playing only a
few minutes per game, or are placed in minor leagues. These young
players end up not developing in ways they should be and return to
Europe having forgotten how to play. I think it’s imperative that we
protect the game of basketball by offering players the best growth and
development.
“At the same time, I am somewhat surprised by
FIBA Europe’s lack of reaction regarding this aspect of European
basketball. In fact, when FIBA Europe drafted a working document about
player training in March, there was not a single reference to this
issue in all 25 pages. This indicates that for FIBA Europe this must
not be a problem, when, according to a document that we all signed in
2004, it is they who are supposed to approach this issue, as they are
the only ones who can regulate international transfer issues. However,
what is most important is to find solution so as to avoid the loss of
players, and if FIBA Europe doesn’t do anything about it, we will look
into it and try and find a solution to this issue.”
The
Final Four last season in Prague proved that Euroleague Basketball is
exportable to non-Euroleague markets. Do you plan to keep trying to
bring the game - whether it be a Final Four, an exhibition game or an
expansion opportunity - to places where there are no Euroleague teams
as of yet?
 “Hosting
Euroleague Basketball’s Final Four in Prague last year proved to be
very successful, and we wouldn’t discard the idea of bringing another
Final Four to a market that would have the same characteristics as
Prague. Again, the criteria have to be established and evaluated,
however it’s always interesting to offer an event, or an expansion
opportunity, in new markets such as Paris, London or Berlin, which have
many positive things to offer.
“Regarding exhibition games, as
I mentioned earlier we are preparing to offer a series of clinics and
exhibition games in China along with the CBA,. This would be another
example of how we are looking at bringing Euroleague Basketball to new
and interesting markets. Obviously, this is just an example of how we
are looking to develop relationships with entities not only in Europe
but also in the rest of the world.”
The next Final
Four in Athens will combine a great facility, OAKA Olympic Arena, with
some of the most passionate sports fans of any kind, anywhere: Greek
basketball fans. What are the challenges of staging the Final Four in
Athens?
“When considering the location for Final Four
events, of course the local fan following is always something that has
to be measured. In this case, we are fortunate enough to have solid
Greek teams and supporters, making it a very marketable event while
also guaranteeing a high sporting standard. We are finding that there
is an overwhelming interest from both fans as well as from commercial
entities, which proves that the Final Four is becoming an elite
sporting event in Europe. An example of this demand is that when we put
the Final Four tickets on sale, they sold out in 34 hours. Obviously,
that is very positive, however there was such a large demand in such a
short period of time that it did cause a system overload during several
hours the weekend before Christmas, which caused some people to
experience difficulties in the purchase of their tickets. However, we
feel that these are glitches that can be solved.”
Looking
ahead, and knowing that you consider every new year to be the year of
the fan, what are your hopes for what Euroleague Basketball fans, old
and new, feel by the end of the year 2007?
”I think
that we have a great season coming up that will culminate in Athens. In
2007, I want fans to enjoy the game as much as they can, so much so
that they feel themselves just as big a part of Euroleague Basketball –
the most important part, in fact – as everyone else I have mentioned.”
|