By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Marshall Glickman was recently named acting CEO of Euroleague Basketball. Tasked with working alongside the new president and director Dejan Bodiroga, he is not committed to staying in the role long-term but is determined to deliver improvements to Euroleague Basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and 7DAYS EuroCup.
The former president of the Portland Trail Blazers discussed various topics in a recent interview with Sportico, including moving closer to the American style in terms of promoting the games.
“I want to see our games, in terms of the audio and visual, become more of a show; become more fun to watch,” he mentioned, “I [also] want us to do [more storytelling] through our digital platforms, our social platforms and through our more traditional [media] channels. That’s a big part of this and what attracts a lot of people.”
Furthermore, he shared his view on potentially opening up more permanent spots in EuroLeague. “There are a whole bunch of markets that are pursuing EuroLeague licenses right now,” he said.
“You have a league where the strongest basketball markets are in the weakest business markets, and the greatest business potential is in places that are not considered traditional basketball markets,” he illustrated the current picture, “There is wide open space for growth, particularly in France, Germany and the greater London area.”
Focusing on London and a potential return to the top-tier competition of Euroleague Basketball, he used the examples of leagues based in North America.
“When the NBA goes to London with exhibition games, they sell out in two seconds. The NFL works in London. Even Major League Baseball works in London,” he said, “We think a permanent EuroLeague team can be very successful there ultimately.”
Of course, Glickman targeting growth does not exclude the teams already in the project of Euroleague Basketball.
“I want to help our clubs grow on the local and regional level, and have a better balance between what commercial assets are best monetized locally by the clubs versus what assets are best monetized collectively by the league,” he suggested.