NBA Expansion to Europe not likely

[Drbio]

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA won't be expanding to Europe any time soon, commissioner David Stern indicated Tuesday at his annual NBA Finals news conference.





"With respect to international expansion, it's becoming clear to us that the infrastructure, meaning buildings, world-class arenas, are simply not there outside the United States yet," Stern said. "The fans in Europe have not been the beneficiaries of a building boom."



Stern noted that new arenas may be built over the next five years in London and Berlin, but that would not be enough to spur expansion across the Atlantic Ocean. Previously, Stern has been cautiously optimistic that expansion could come to Europe as early as the end of this decade.



"We need more than two venues, in my opinion, to have a successful European expansion, but I think if they start, they will become sort of a beacon for ... European cities to see what a world-class arena can do for concerts, family shows, ice hockey, basketball and the like, and become sort of a center of activity, which we take for granted," Stern said.


The league wants four NBA-quality arenas in Europe before it commits.


"I think it's going to happen someday. Oh, absolutely. It's just going to happen (on) a slower basis."


Stern says he is still hopeful of arranging for NBA teams to spend extended training camps in Europe to grow interest, but says the league will not be putting up arenas.



"Our arenas have become places to go ... to entertain and the like. As a center of some part of the cultural life of a city, that is not a European tradition. It's more about dinner and the opera, and soccer, for example, doesn't attract the specific family crowd," Stern said.



The commissioner also said the league is in discussions with the Walt Disney Co., to move one or two conference finals games off the company's cable network, ESPN, and onto its ABC broadcast network.



He also gave an update on collective bargaining talks with the players' union, saying the sides have fostered a better relationship than they had six years ago when a lockout forced the cancellation of almost half of the 1998-99 season. The current labor agreement runs through the 2004-05 season.



"I think we're much more comfortable with each other and our goals. Whether that ultimately leads to an agreement or not depends upon the bargaining process," Stern said.

[Fidel]

Well Germany´s got two arenas that would fit. Both new and modern and with a capacity of 18000+. And we´ll get a third one of those pretty soon in Frankfurt. To me this seems like an excuse. There are other much more difficult problems with a european expansion that Stern probably doesn´t want to discuss, cause it would make him look bad. After all the whole expansion thing was his idea.