Blaze Report: IBL International City List
This is a follow up report to my previous IBL postings. As you can tell I’m a big advocate of the IBL for many reasons. I’ve mentioned how efficiently teams are run, and I’ve also pointed out many of the benefits compared to the PBL, CBA, and whatever you want to call that shameful league that stole the ABA logo.
Now I’ve also posted that going the international route would make a lot of sense as well. I would like to expand on that in this post. Below you will find my list of international cities that OMT should investigate. With the IBL I think we can locate a team just about anywhere, but I will discuss the pros and cons. If OMT locates in Asia that will be a bonus because the IBL already has teams in China and Japan. OMT should consider going across the pond as well. I even think Latin America would be an option. Basically a cluster could be developed anywhere.
Asia
Vladivostok, Russia
Hong Kong, China
Bangkok, Thailand
Taipei City, Taiwan
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Manila, Philippines
Europe
Reykjavik, Iceland
Le Havre, France
Brussels, Belgium
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Europe: Emerging Markets
Tallinn, Estonia
Sofia, Bulgaria
Kiev, Ukraine
Saint, Petersburg, Russia
Latin America: Potiental Southwest Cluster Cities
Ensenada, Mexico
Mexicali, Mexico
Latin America
San Jose, Costa Rica
Acapulco, Mexico
Cancun, Mexico
San Juan, Puerto Rico (U.S. Territory)
Sao Luis, Brazil
Natal, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
You will notice I didn’t include the UK on the list, and that was by design. The cities don’t currently support the BBL, so why should we assume they will support the IBL? I listed Le Havre because it is close to the chunnel. For road games the team could take that to the UK.
Iceland would be a great place for OMT. They currently support a winter league and basketball is very well developed there. Ensenada, Mexico is just south of San Diego. The city is very close to the current Southwest IBL cluster. You will notice I also listed emerging markets as well. Tallinn, Estonia is a beautiful city and they are joining the EU. Their economy is picking up and BC Kalev plays in an arena that seats around 8,000 people. I invite everyone to discuss these cities in the forums. If you are looking for city information, then I suggest using wikipedia. I never cite anything from wikipedia, but overall it is a great way to get a brief city overview.
Now it’s discussion time! Right now my first choice would be Reykjavik, Iceland, but you are welcome to try and persuade me!
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