The Cultural Diffusion of Basketball

Nike/Adidas + Basketball

Basketball has always been an American sport. Although as time progressed, its popularity spread amongst the European and Asian countries to the point wherein they have made it a part of their own local culture. In the Philippines, for example, it would be difficult not to find a basketball court somewhere; a popular sight in the streets of the country is seeing the locals play along the road on crudely constructed basketball hoops such as this one: 

With the popularity of basketball rising, so did the demand for basketball shoes. Nike and Adidas both advertise their products in a way that implies that their goods help you play on your full potential. In their advertisements, they would always use the best players to endorse their products so that the customers will think that their shoes play a role in how good they are. We can see this from how Kobe Bryant endorses Nike and how Derrick Rose, the best player in the NBA right now with no argument whatsoever, endorses Adidas. They also advertise the technology behind their shoes so that it further reinforces the idea that you MUST get these shoes to become the best basketball player you can be. 

Because of their advertising, Nike and Adidas are both intentionally spreading consumerism to the basketball market that are interested in becoming better at playing. The younger generations have also helped in spreading consumerism of these multinational corporations because they use these basketball shoes for the sake of just fashion therefore creating a different niche of customers.