TODAY'S LEADERS LOOK TO TOMORROW MEDIA & MARKETING DAVID J. STERN THE WHOLE WORLD WANTS AMERICAN SPORTS
By David J. Stern Edward C. Baig Commissioner of the National Basketball Association since 1984, Stern, 47, passed his global view to Edward C. Baig.

(FORTUNE Magazine) – The NBA is now being seen in some 75 countries. This year we'll gross around $500 million, about $5 million from abroad. The international business has been growing 25% to 30% a year, and I would expect it to continue growing at least at that rate for the next decade. The single thing that's going to propel us is the explosion of programming delivery sources. We won't be setting up NBA franchises overseas, though, but doing ventures with existing leagues. Competition in the NBA's McDonald's Open last year involved the Denver Nuggets, the Spanish league champion, the Italian league champion, and the European champion. The NBA is in a joint venture in Japan with C. Itoh & Co., one of the world's largest trading companies. We'll develop NBA programming and ultimately play games there. Others sports will develop niches too -- hockey in northern Europe and Scandinavia, baseball in the Far East and South America, football wherever people like rugby, soccer, and the like. There's going to be a high acceptance of things American.