Changes that can make our passion grow

BUENOS AIRES (Martìn Seldes’ Brave New World) - It’s something that will affect us all. I know all the FIBA columnists could write about this but I can’t stop thinking on how the changes that FIBA will apply in the next years will affect basketball in our regions.

It’s time to plan. That means that some things will take some time (it could be said in months or years) to be better than before. However, with the announcement we know how this will help our region to grow and grow.

We have better players than leagues. Most of our best Puerto Ricans, Venezuelans, Argentineans, Brazilians and Dominicans play overseas. Until now, we could only watch them once a year and only in friendly games unless our home country would organise the FIBA Americas, the South American or the Centrobasket.

This could change. If our national teams can recruit some of the best players to play home and away a couple of times a year, that will make even more people get closer to basketball, which is always our goal. Always.

We have the football experience. Every year, we can see three or four times Messi, Suárez, Arango, Alexis Sánchez and some of the best footballers in the world that play in Europe. If we can imitate half of that in the next five years, we will be happy.

“The leagues will have to stop and the teams will be forced to make the players available for the national teams”, said Alberto García, FIBA Americas chairman.

And so does the football.

In most of the South American countries, football is the most popular sport. Therefore, it’s a good idea to take some ideas from that sport. If the football national teams play every year in their home nation and that helps the sport and the footballers to become more popular, that’s something great and something to imitate.

In most of the Central American countries, basketball and baseball are the main sports but the idea remains the same. Having our guys every year can only be good.

On the other hand, when the big names can’t make it for one or two reasons, this new rule will help young players to be part of some important games.

If Argentina or Puerto Rico, just to mention two of the most successful teams from the Americas, have to play against teams that are still developing the sport in their country, it can be a good option for young guys to show their coaches that they can be part of the big team in the future.

In 2017, basketball will change all around the world. For the time being, I can only imagine how this will affect this part of the world. More games will make the passion grow. And when we show the passion, we really do.

However, we can’t deny the fact that it will be expensive and difficult to bring some our best guys from Europe. I hope I’m wrong when I say that some clubs will put pressure on the players to avoid their guys to travel back and forth to the Americas.

We are optimistic and we see the bright side. Every change has to be for good and so we celebrate it.

Martìn Seldes

FIBA

FIBA’s columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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