%0 Journal Article
%T Globalisation and Women's Professional Basketball
%A Serkan Berber
%A Douglas Michele Turco
%J International Journal of Sport Management, Recreation & Tourism
%D 2011
%I International Journal of Sport Management, Recreation & Tourism
%X WomenĄŻs basketball is a global game with professional leagues in Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, and the Americas. The WomenĄŻs National Basketball Association (WNBA) in the US is the premier league for the sport. During the off-season, over 100 players from WNBA clubs compete professionally abroad to supplement their incomes. Traveling teams and their visiting friends, relatives, and fans place demands on tourism businesses. This study examines the global migration in womenĄŻs professional basketball, including players living and traveling abroad and their tourism impacts. In-depth interviews with the foreign players participating in the Turkish WomenĄŻs Basketball League 2011 All-Star Game in Eski ehir were conducted. The foreign all-stars spent on average $US 1200 per month in Turkey for living expenses during the season; most had been visited by family and/or friends since becoming a player in the Turkish league. The implications of professional sport team travel on league sponsorship and marketing strategies, tourism businesses, and host cities are discussed.
%K globalisation
%K professional sport
%K womenĄŻs basketball
%K tourism impacts
%K Turkey
%U http://www.ijsmart.eu/Contents.aspx?Y=2011&V=8&Is=a