No TV broadcast of Great Britain's EuroBasket games in the UK - Does anyone care? / News - Basketnews.com

BasketNews attempts to explore the peculiar status of basketball in the UK through the views of several members of the Great Britain squad that participate in the 2022 EuroBasket.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Last Tuesday afternoon, Estonia and Great Britain were battling it out on the court of the Mediolanum Forum. Both sides intended to keep their chances of making the EuroBasket final stage alive.

Gabe Olaseni

Position:C, PFAge:30Height:208 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Great BritainProfileNewsStatistics

On paper and standing both at 0-3, the two teams had equal chances of making it to the next round.However, the vibes were diametrically different.

Despite the contest being held on neutral ground, it felt like Estonia were the home team. More than 2.500 rowdy fans from the Baltic country have flown out to the fashion capital to support their national team in a major tournament. Dressed in blue-and-white shirts, Estonians were reacting to every basket, every successful defensive play, and -of course- to any call from the referees that wasn't to their liking.

The game ended up in Estonia's hands, but that's hardly the issue. On the other end stood a team that had much to envy from their opponents. Despite some good spurts, Great Britain will probably go down as this EuroBasket's most forgettable presence. But being blown out by Ukraine, Croatia, Greece, and Estonia doesn't even qualify as the worst thing it could happen to the Brits in this tournament.

The most striking fact about their EuroBasket participation has nothing to do with their on-court performances. In sharp contrast to Estonians, Great Britain's fans are numbered in the Forum, and by all means fewer compared to any other team in Group C.

To add insult to injury, Great Britain has been a unique case in this tournament in every way imaginable:

the squad had just three practices before entering the World Cup Qualifiers and EuroBasket there is no TV broadcast deal in place for UK fans (the only local market with a team competing in EuroBasket without a TV deal) GB is the only team in the competition without a jersey sponsor.

While no one can say whether a few more practice sessions and prep games would have made any difference, the absence of TV broadcasting makes one think that Great Britain's players and staff are all alone in the 41st EuroBasket.

Is there anyone who cares about whether they win or lose, apart from themselves?

"The way we look at it, it doesn't matter who cares and who doesn't," Luke Nelson tells BasketNews.

"We have a lot of guys who do care and we're focusing on the players, the staff, and guys who're spending their own time and money to help us perform at our best level,' the British point guard adds.

Credit FIBA

The only way for UK-based fans to watch the EuroBasket is through the Courtside 1891 platform, FIBA's primary live streaming service, which is also the exclusive place to watch all games in the UK live or on demand.

With no broadcaster picking up the games, Great Britain had to do exceptionally well on the court for more people to get involved back home. But that's not the case.

Nelson thinks GB's bad tournament could further prolong the team's lack of visibility. "No one wants to see losses; especially guys in the locker room are disappointed," he stresses.

"We got to do better as players," center Kavell Bigby-Williams argues.

"If we do better, people would want to watch us play. Every country likes to win. So, if we were able to win some games, we could build a tradition. We got to come out and deliver. In the last EuroBasket, we had a whole month of preparation and didn't win any games," he recalls.

Indeed, Great Britain ended up 22nd in Istanbul five years ago. That's hardly an upset. The UK didn't have any representation in five of the last six tournaments preceding this year's EuroBasket. GB missed two Summer Olympics, a couple of World Cups, and one EuroBasket (2015).

Under the above-mentioned circumstances, their making it to Milan should be looked at as nothing short of a success. But over the last decade or so, the progress made in terms of the country's relationship with basketball has been minimal.

Basketball is one of the most popular sports around the world but has never taken off in the same way in the UK. While there are explanations for basketball’s failures in Britain, a lack of popularity is not one of them.

According to an Active Lives survey, more than one million British people regularly play basketball, and among those aged 18-34, 14% play every week. That makes it Britain’s joint-second most popular team sport among young people – after football, of course – tied with cricket, netball and softball, and ahead of rugby.

However, it's clear that something needs to be done to boost the sport, and this could be achieved through the media industry. Apart from the NBA games being shown on Sky Sports, NOW TV, and NBA League Pass, Sky Sports has committed to transmitting British Basketball League (BBL) matches for the last three years.

There’s no doubt that the BBL needs much higher levels of investment if it is to compete with the most popular sports in the country. Sport England has invested £20 million into the game since 2012, but it's hardly a drop in the ocean compared to the money that changes hands in football.

"Maybe there are references to other sports, not as elite as basketball," Great Britain's captain Dan Clark thinks.

"We all find it embarrassing, but who can we push this agenda? We want to be on TV. Everyone is playing basketball in England, but it's up to the people above us," he goes on to say.

Credit FIBA

"It doesn't surprise me that there's a lack of media interest or coverage of GB at EuroBasket," Sam Neter, founder of Hoopsfix, recently told Ball in Europe.

"This has been the status quo for decades, it's incredibly frustrating that basketball is overlooked by the mainstream media. It's easy to point fingers at the media for not showing interest but there is very little effort made on the side of the federation to engage and get these media outlets onside. It goes both ways."

In the UK, basketball games have also previously been aired domestically on FreeSports and via the BBC’s digital platforms. Still, the UK’s public service broadcaster has not shown the competition since the 2019-20 BBL Cup Finals.

Nevertheless, in the 2022 BBL playoff finals at London's O2 Arena, 15.824 fans watched the Lions secure the women’s title before the Leicester Riders won the men's champion-crowning fixture.

"It's extremely disappointing," Clark, 33, continues.

"Basketball is definitely on the up-and-coming in the UK. People are following the game at the moment, and I think it would have been a success if a network had picked up our games. Unfortunately, that's not the case."

The experienced power forward maintains that "basketball in the UK is considered a minority sport because people in power don't think it's important."

"The general public follows it and likes to watch it," he underlines.

Clark's words echo what former GB player and Olympian Kieron Achara told Sky Sports News in 2020:

"I do feel from a basketball perspective, basketball is not a respected sport. It doesn't get the media attention - unless you're a Luol Deng (the British two-time NBA All-Star), the highest-paid British athlete at the time. And even then, he still walked down the streets and no one recognized him.

The only logical explanation that I can give at this moment is that there is a subconscious bias against basketball - and specifically the demographic that it represents."

Is there a bias towards basketball? "That's one way of wording it," Clark contends. "It's definitely being overlooked; it's not looked upon as other sports."

Clark, who played for the Manchester Giants in his native country in the 2021-22 campaign after spending his heyday in Spain, thinks that players have tried to push some changes, but can't overturn the situation by themselves.

"We need the support of the whole sport," he says. "One area can't do everything. The Boards, the Federations, and the Leagues must support basketball in order to move forward."

"Basketball is one of the most-played sports amongst the youth in our country," Luke Nelson confirms. "But at the highest level, I feel like we deserve more support. Obviously, I'm biased, but we've got a group of guys who support each other," he adds.

Great Britain's head coach Nate Reinking, currently an assistant at the Cleveland Cavaliers, addressed the issue in the press conference following his side's game against Croatia.

"It's something the sport has been battling for a while," the USA-born coach said.

"A lot of people are still searching for answers. If you've been a part of this program for a long time, it hurts that it's not shown in our country. Basketball is a well-participated sport.

These young men in our locker room are trying to be the examples that will grow the sport. Somehow, somewhere, we're going to keep battling and figure things out in order to grow basketball in the UK," Reinking, 49, commented.

Forward Myles Hesson, who attended the same presser, chooses to distinguish each side's share of responsibility.

"All we can do as players is to keep being an inspiration for the players back home, and do the best for ourselves and the nation," the 32-year-old Birmingham native holds.

"Hopefully, people at the top will take more interest in doing things the right way. That's for them to handle."

Credit FIBA

However, his teammate, Kavell Bigby-Williams, strongly disagrees. The 26-year-old big man thinks that the lack of broadcasting and exposure is a collective responsibility, with players at the forefront.

"It goes to show that we got to do more as fans, as players, as a community and country to promote the game. It starts with us. If you can't play with the right intensity and win games, that's not going to allow fans to be involved and get us more exposure," he says.

Devon Van Oostrum has been one of the most promising prospects UK basketball has ever produced. Born in the Netherlands, Van Oostrum made his EuroBasket debut for GB in 2011. He had offers from both sides of the Atlantic but never considered the BBL.

After signing with Spanish club Baskonia at 16, his career has taken him to the Greek, Dutch, Lithuanian, and Finnish league. He has represented England and Great Britain at every level and now, at 29, he's one of the most experienced players serving under Nate Reinking's orders.

Credit FIBA

How does he feel about the lack of exposure?

"I think it's embarrassing," Van Oostrum promptly responds. "We're 24 teams in the EuroBasket, and this is one of the biggest platforms in the world. We're the only country that doesn't broadcast their games.

I feel ashamed and I don't know what to say. We should stick together and push basketball forward," he suggests.

Van Oostrum says he hasn't been able to figure out why there's such indifference towards GB's presence in the tournament, but experience has taught him one thing:

"In these moments, when you go to different countries to play, people always smirk when you say you're from England because they don't take basketball seriously. That's true; otherwise, we would be broadcast right now."

Center Gabe Olaseni, 30, has had a career path similar to Van Oostrum's. Having graduated from Iowa in 2015, he has spent the entirety of his productive years away from the UK. However, he still acknowledges the magnitude of the problem.

"It's disappointing for the fans back home. it's a matter of access. I know there are options online, but it would be nice to try to push the sport more," he admits.

Credit FIBA

Carl Wheatle, a 24-year-old forward who's also been earning his bread abroad for the past five years, calls the situation a "frustrating thing."

"That was the only possibility we had to be seen by the nation and feel even prouder," he explains. "It needs to change in the future. When we work so hard to qualify for these tournaments, and we're not rewarded by even the games being shown on TV, it's a bit of a punch in the gut," he points out.

Wheatle admits that he's not aware of the ins and outs of how TV deals work, but is hopeful that "the future games will be shown on TV and we'll get the chance to be seen by our people."

Credit FIBA

If there's some kind of silver lining to the sinister scenery called basketball in the UK, it can be attributed to an external factor. On the club level, a British team could potentially pave the way for brighter days.

That's the case with the London Lions, who have made some big signings in ex-NBA players Sam Dekker, Kosta Koufos, and former Spanish ACB standout and reality show star Ovie Soko, who's competing with GB in EuroBasket.

Gabe Olaseni believes the London Lions hype is justified and hopes the best is yet to come for the EuroCup debutants.

"Last year, they had a good attendance record. This year, they're doing a great job with their signings," he remarks. "The sport is growing, especially in London. We've got a lot of foreign and domestic fans. Hopefully, they will be able to sell out this year and improve the game."

London-born and raised, Bigby-Williams shares Olaseni's view on the matter. His words reflect the affinity he feels for his hometown and the potential that lies in the ambitious team.

"That's a big situation for us to showcase that we can make some noise in the EuroCup. It's a big tournament. Hopefully, we can win the same games and get more fans behind us," he says.

Credit FIBA

Carl Wheatle, on the other hand, adopts a more conservative stance.

"That's a separate thing," he clarifies. "It's good for the Lions that they play in Europe, but I don't think that directly affects Great Britain as a team and country. It's slightly different.

We have to do our best to put better performances on the court and everything else will take care of itself," he emphasizes.

Well, at least captain Dan Clark stays optimistic.

"I believe basketball will thrive in the UK. Eventually."

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