Basketball at the 2021 Summer Olympics in London, England was won by a team from Australia called the Australian NBA Kings. This was their first Olympic Games appearance and they quickly showed why they were chosen over all the other competitors. The team was captained by Steve Francis and consisted of players with titles to their credit such as Steve Francis, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, and Brandon Roy. Basketball in the Olympics is fast becoming an international sport and a lot of fans are taking an interest.
Many Americans have been watching the Olympics regularly because they want to see the United States win a medal. Most Americans are diehard fans of the U.S. National Basketball Association and their entire culture is built around the sport. Basketball in the Olympics is not as popular as football, hockey or track and field but it is gaining popularity nonetheless. Some countries have already shown that they can handle the sport and it will be interesting to see how America fares. It will be interesting to see how France performs against the United States.
There is already a rumor going around that the United States might be dethroned from the current gold medal leaders, Canada and Russia. These rumors have gained enough strength that many people have already made up their minds and have changed their attitude towards the United States. If these teams don't win a gold medal in London they are sure to lose their sponsorships and suffer a lot of backlash. For now it looks like the United States will still be the overwhelming favorite to win the basketball tournament in Japan.
During the last few years, there has been increasing tourism in both Japan and China. As more people from the United States and other countries begin to visit these countries it would be a great opportunity for the United States to promote the Olympics to these markets. The money that will be raised will benefit the Olympic committee and the athletes that represent the United States. In addition to tickets and television coverage the Olympic organizers could make trips to these two countries to meet with the athletes and show support for their athletes.
Many people don't realize that the current straits times Olympic basketball team is America's team. Many of the players wear American uniforms and many of them have made their home here. Right now the United States is the only country that has never won a basketball tournament in its history. However, the basketball team is made up of mostly athletes from Europe and some from the United States.
America hasn't always been the world power right now. In fact, America has only won the gold medal once in men's basketball and that was in 1996. Therefore, if France beats Spain in the semis and Brazil does the same to Colombia in the semis then the United States will go into the Olympic basketball team as the overwhelming favorite. Therefore, this competition will serve as a great boost for the United States in more than one way and I believe that the United States should put forth a very aggressive effort to win this gold medal game.
