USATODAY: Yao fans lead traffic spike on NBA Web sites

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/webguide/internetlife/2003-12-08-yao-web-traffic_x.htm

Yao fans lead traffic spike on NBA Web sites

By Michael Learmonth, Reuters

NEW YORK — Call it the Yao effect. With his vast wingspan and towering height, Houston's 7-foot, 6-inch All Star center Yao Ming can change the outcome of a game. With millions of fans in China, he's also changing the international fortunes of the National Basketball Association.

For the first time, more than half the visits to NBA Web sites are coming from outside the United States. The foreign traffic spike is being led by a 3,000% increase in visitors from China in November, the league told Reuters.

During the first month of the NBA season, 51% of Internet traffic to the league's Web sites came from outside the United States, and international traffic nearly doubled to 30 million visits.

"We have a record number of foreign players in the league this year, and many of them are all-stars," said Brenda Spoonemoore, an NBA senior vice president. "As international players come into the league, we see a spike in traffic from those countries."

There are 71 foreign players on NBA rosters this year, up from 68 last year. And increasingly, they're star players who are genuine sports heroes in their home countries. Last season six foreign-born players were named to the All Star team, and six others were named to the all-star rookie team.

The foreign Web traffic is led by China, with 8 million visits in November. Also in the top 10 are Germany, Canada, Spain, and France, all with prominent players in the league. But also in the top 10 are countries and territories with no players in the league, such as Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines .

Spoonemoore said a Japanese player, Yuta Tabuse, was one of the last cuts made during the Denver Nuggets training camp, and there are other Japanese players considered genuine NBA prospects.

Foreign players have an expanding constituency of voters for spots on the All Star team this year, as the league is printing ballots in 17 languages, up from 11 last year.

The NBA's Web sites are primarily marketing vehicles that earn revenue from advertising and merchandise sales. The nine local-language sites are being helped by television contracts in local markets, which put NBA games in 212 foreign countries and territories this season.

The NBA's Chinese site has a partnership with Sohu.com, a leading Chinese portal, which drives traffic to the site, and signed a marketing deal with beverage maker Red Bull.

Spoonemoore said the league is negotiating with wireless providers in China, an important marketing tool in a country where few households have computers.

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