WaltFrazier wrote:Raps in 4 wrote:ATLTimekeeper wrote:
You could maybe draw up something continental in a 4 Nations style. Maybe pairing Australia with Asia. And then Europe, Africa and The Americas?
There isn't nearly enough talent outside the US to do that. Even countries that are good at basketball, like France, Serbia, Lithuania, etc. wouldn't have more than 1-2 players. We can't even do it by continent. Only Europe would have enough players for a team.
It has to be USA vs. World for now.
Hockey is popular in more countries than basketball, and the genetic requirements for becoming an elite hockey player are not nearly as strict so it's easier for small countries to produce lots of elite talent.
Agree with most of your take, but not the bolded. Basketball is the second most played sport worldwide after soccer. Hockey is limited to northern nations with ice and snow winters.
Hockey has multiple elite countries. Canada, the US, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic have all won or contended at major tournaments. Then there are a bunch of countries like Germany, Denmark, Slovakia, etc. that also put together decent teams from time to time.
Basketball is really just dominated by the US. Occasionally we'll get a "golden generation" from another country (like Spain that one time) and the US sometimes decides to not send their best to a tournament, but for the most part, the talent disparity between the US and the next best country is massive. Canada in hockey routinely loses to the US, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Czechia. It makes international competitions a lot more interesting.
In terms of raw numbers, basketball certainly pulls in more viewers globally. But I think more countries take hockey seriously than basketball. And like I said, it's also much easier to produce elite hockey talent. You don't need 6'5"-7" athletic freaks. Most hockey players have average physical builds.
