One of my favorite things we were able to do in Auckland was to attend a game, meet some of the staff members, and meeting the Head Coach of the New Zealand Breakers, a professional basketball team playing in the Australian Basketball League. This experience helped me understand how New Zealand sports teams go about marketing themselves, how the recruit their players, and what a typical professional game’s atmosphere is like. We met the Head coach of the Breakers, as well as two of the staffers who deal with marketing last Friday, and we were able to listen to each of them speak for about 45 minutes each. Throughout their talk I was comparing what they were saying to how an NBA team or how the West Virginia University (WVU) team operates, and there were many differences that I found interesting. One of the biggest differences between the Breakers and a team from the U.S is that the Breakers have two stadiums, both in Auckland. One of these stadiums, the North Shore Events Center, is the older and smaller stadium, while Spark Arena is newer and bigger. I feel like this would be confusing and maybe even annoying for fans. Both of these stadiums, however, do not hold many people, and the average attendance is 5,500, while even college teams in the U.S, like WVU, hold at least 10,000 fans and are sold out consistently. There is also a difference in the game day environment with the Breakers having a much more family oriented game experience, while college and NBA games in the states are full of rowdy cheering and intense fans. Overall, however, I thought the Breakers were a great team and it is one of my favorite experiences so far, but it did highlight some of the cultural differences between the U.S and New Zealand.
