Prior to embarking upon a journey over the Atlantic Ocean to compete in the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, the 2012 USA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams celebrated patriotism at the 2012 World Basketball Festival inWashington, D.C. As part of a four city tour which also includes stops in London, Paris and Barcelona, USA Basketball hosted over 3,000 military members and their families at the World Basketball Festival events in Washington, D.C. on July 13-16. Initially created in 2010 to help further expand the sport of basketball globally, the World Basketball Festival is co-sponsored by USA Basketball and NIKE. “Basketball is a universal language. From Brooklyn to Beijing to Barcelona, basketball players share a common bond. Basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world but there is still plenty of room for it to grow to new heights. The World Basketball Festival was created in 2010 as an opportunity to celebrate the game we love and expose U.S. fans to more international talent,” NIKE’s North America Media Relations Director KeJuan Wilkins explained.
In selecting locations for the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s Teams to compete in advance of the Olympics, one thing was certain: Washington, D.C. would have to be on the itinerary. The NBA’s Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mark Tatum explained, “When we were trying to figure out where the team would play before we went to London, one thing that became clear was that we wanted to play in our nation’s capital before we left for the Olympics. When Coach Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo took over [USA Basketball], they emphasized that they want our players to represent to the world that they are proud to represent the USA.”
In recognizing the privilege they have gained by being members of the USA Basketball Team, members of the Men’s and Women’s teams participated in skills clinics and community events with U.S. military members during the World Basketball Festival. These events including hosting open practices and basketball clinics for military members and their families through the Hoops for Troops program, which provides support for United States military personnel and their families through programs, events and partnerships. The teams’ visit to Washington, D.C. concluded with a visit to Arlington National Cemetary, where the USA Men’s Basketball Team particiapted in a wreath ceremony. The focus on the service of other Americans to the betterment of the United States had a lasting effect on Team USA Basketball players. Team member Kevin Durant said, “It was very touching to see so many people who sacrificed their lives for us to walk freely and do what we like to do. It’s hard to really comment on it because you can’t repay them in any way but it’s truly a blessing to walk through and see that because they’ve done so much for us.”
Kevin Durant #5 and Tyson Chandler #4 of the USA Men's National Team sign autographs at the DC Armory during the World Basketball Festival.
While players and fans alike have benefitted from the excitement that events like the World Basketball Festival presents, USA Basketball continues to benefit from its other strong partnerships with brands like Jeep. This year is the first year in which Jeep has partnered with USA Basketball. Head of Jeep Advertising, Kim Adams House noted, “The first thing we take a look at before we select and partner with an organization, is to make sure there’s a common set of core values. Aligning with USA Basketball embraces American pride. One of the things that is very meaningful for us, is there’s a sense of a humble spirit we both embody.”
Jeep continues to be pleased with its decision to partner with USA Basketball, as the brand has found multiple was to dimensionalize its relationship with the organization. “The partnership gave us a broad platform to reach and speak to new consumers based upon the overall platform of USA Basketball,” House said. Jeep’s USA Basketball-based platform is what House describes as a “fully-integrated, 360 degree campaign,” which has included such things an advertising campaign with Chris Paul and most recently, sponsorship of events during the World Basketball Festival. Furthermore, the brand has recognized community leaders at USA Basketball events, by awarding $20,000.00 checks to two community leaders during a Las Vegas USA Basketball clinic event and also flying a group of students from former NBA player, Jalen Rose’s Leadership Academy to the USA Basketball Team’s Las Vegas clinics.
While the Washington D.C. events provided a fitting send-off to the TeamUSA Basketball Teams, it continued to demonstrate USA Basketball’s commitment to the communities it represents, interest in globalizing the game of basketball and continued development of strong sponsorships. “Our game is played all over the world. It’s important to us, because we have fans all over the world, that we engage with them in appropriate ways across the world. Because there is such demand for our game globally, there’s a need for global marketing,” the NBA’s Tatum said. Given the success that USA Basketball has had in each of these areas in recent years, one can expect that community commitment, basketball globalization and strong partnerships will continue to be keystones of USA Basketball’s development.
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