Building the Case for Iceland
If you follow this blog you know Iceland is a country with a developed basketball system that brings in players from all over the world to play in their Express League. Iceland has 12 professional teams in the Express League and 10 teams in the division below that. This is a country with less than half a million people that supports two leagues. It’s completely normal for a pro game in Iceland to draw more fans than a game in the BBL in the UK (even in large cities).
In case you thought I was joking or you thought I might be exaggerating I brought proof. Check out the video below from the Iceland Express League.
Have you seen this kind of excitement from the fans at a minor league game here in the USA?
Check out the intense rivalry between the two teams (KR and IR) from Reykjavik.
This is what happens when you win a championship in Iceland.
Check out the Iceland Express League All-Star game.
Can you say Iceland AND1 style?
After all that interesting video you have seen with your own eyes that basketball in Iceland is for real. They have more fans showing up to these gyms than I’ve seen at most minor league games here in the USA. Did you see all the sponsor banners and floor signs? Express teams have a ton of sponsors.
How confident are you in the stability of minor league basketball? If you go to IR’s gym you will find a championship banner from 1954. The Express League is extremely stable. Despite the rich basketball history of the country there is still a lot of growth potiental for the league. If OMT came in and raised the salaries (a little) the league would explode with talent by stealing many new D1 graduates from other leagues. Once that happens can you imagine the demand to see a game? We could be talking about building a venue that will seat 4,000 to 5,000 people and competing in the EuroCup.
Believe it or not this next video was shot in Rekjavik at 4 AM in the morning.
This next video is on the yearly fashion show in downtown Rekjavik.
This next video is a shot of the city from the church.
Ready for an outdoor swim this December? Trust me, it will be great.
Minor league basketball struggles with selling season tickets and sponsorships. The Iceland Express League has tons of sponsors and fills the seats. Minor league basketball is extremely unstable. The best league outside the NBDL is brand new. The Express League is older than the Corvette. So, what do you think about Iceland now?
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