Calle de Salvador Tomasetti 21-37. Edgar tells us that, in Spanish-speaking countries, people can use two terms for 'fabric': el gnero (ehl HEH-neh-roh), which literally means 'the gender' but is also another word for fabric. The Philippine Basketball Association, the PBA, was founded in 1975, which makes it the first professional basketball league in Asia, as well as one of the oldest in the world. Like Ron Burgundy said: "It's science." Puerto Rico's Rafael "Piculin" Ortiz, who was drafted 16th overall in 1987 by the Utah Jazz, is considered one of the most famous Latino players in the world. I was in heaven at this point, rooting for my country but definitely relishing the unbelievable circumstances of a down-to-the-wire gold medal game. Here are the 10 Spaniards playing in the NBA's 2016/2017 season. In several occasions, the mens team has reached the semifinals in the FIBA World Cup. Yet it could be argued that the current South American influence began in 2002, the year Manu Ginobili joined the San Antonio Spurs, and the same year in which Nen (and 6'9" famous Argentinean power forward Luis Scola) was drafted. These sentences have been adapted from current online publications to show how Spanish basketball terminology is used in real life. Vote for Your Favourite Hispanic Athletes, (Cuban-American Former Major League Baseball (MLB) Outfielder and Designated Hitter), (Association football player, Association football manager), (American Puerto Rican Basketball Player Who Plays as a Small Forward).
It doesnt matter what language you speak, everybody can understand sports. Leading Latin American and Caribbean women's national football teams 2022. Highlighting the strong relationship between Spain and the U.S. Highlighting the successes of U.S. - Spain relations. The neba is the Spanish translation of "NBA", and is a multimedia marketing campaign targeted specifically at Latino/a NBA fans. But there were many other groundbreaking players that serve as role models throughout Latin America. The GBL, the Greek Basketball League, is among the top domestic league in Europe. Basketball is the second most popular sport in Spain, directly behind association football. When they hosted the Olympics, it changed the country. Even in Zapatista villages in the jungle hills of Chiapas, Mexico, where the people are known more for their militant indigenous-rights-based political revolution than anything else, basketball courts exist. The largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, referring to population size, is Mexico with over 118 million people (2013). By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. In Paraguay, Spanish is one of the two recognized official languages ( the other is Guaran ). 20 countries count Spanish as their official language, including: Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Spain Uruguay Venezuela Well take a look at the countries where this sport is widely played and followed. He has two NBA Championship under his belt. That U.S. team, of course, was absolutely stacked: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony, to name a few. America is beginning to respect and learn about basketball in other countries, and this changing landscape is creating a melting pot of basketball knowledge and talent in the NBA. For their part, the Spanish team had some pretty good ballplayers, too: Ricky, Rudy, Jose Calderon (who was out for the gold medal game), Juan Carlos Navarro, and, as they call them in Spain, los hermanos Gasol. by Alisonmullan. The newest generation of Latino players has made the greatest impact on our game, most significantly in these 2004 Olympics, when Puerto Rico and Argentina both beat a United States team lead by Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. 5; Manu Ginbili, an Argentine-Italian professional basketball player; Lorena Ochoa Reyes, a Mexican professional golfer; Juan Manuel Mrquez Mndez, a Mexican professional boxer; and Carmelo Anthony, an American professional basketball player are some of the famous Hispanic athletes. She is an actress and producer, known for Maria Full of Grace (2004), A Most Violent Year (2014) and The Bridge (2013). Mostly they are white, but a Hispanic can be of any race. This is just one example of how basketball in Latin America has adapted to cultural differences. Needless to say, when a country has such great triumphs in the international arena, the games popularity explodes. For their part, the Spanish team had some pretty good ballplayers, too: Ricky, Rudy, Jose Calderon (who was out for the gold medal game), Juan Carlos Navarro, and, as they call them in Spain, los. The growth of basketball throughout the region is somewhat unexpected. I traveled for 6 months through Central and South America to get a closer look at the international development of the game from an anthropological perspective. With billions of fans and new leagues popping up all over the world, it is safe to say that this sport is among the most popular in the world. As a result, there are many basketball schools and courts where young talent can be developed. "English-Spanish Basketball Glossary." Only one in Europe. You only need to take a look up at the backboards for evidence of the immersion of the sport with the local culture. Native Spanish speakers: 6 million (68%) The Bolivian culture is rich and diverse. Your email address will not be published. I can't talk about what other countries do wrong, only about what Spain does right, and one thing seems clear to me: they're doing something right, and I'm not just talking about the paella, which, it must be noted, is phenomenal. The first ever Latino player in the NBA was Alfred "Butch" Lee from Puerto Rico. All of the nations and territories that have Spanish as their majority language are (in alphabetical order): Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since 1998. by Stpaulsmodlangs. But more so, it gave Latino players confidence to not only compete at the highest level of play in the world, but also impact the NBA game using their unique style of play and interpretations of the game. Players like Manu Ginbili and Andrs Nocioni, who not only played in the NBA for years but also beat USAs Dream Team a couple of times, became role models for kids all over the continent. intransitive verb phrase. The golden generation of Argentinian basketball players that won the gold medal at the Olympic Games of Athens 2004, also played a big role in Latin Americas current love for basketball. : +41 22 545 00 00Fax. The sport is always competing for national attention and funding with the continent's number one athletic attraction, futbl (soccer). Jose Juan Barea Jose Juan Barea is an active player for the Dallas Mavericks. If you're looking at Spain's success on the basketball court, you have to start with their player development. Athletes from Spanish speaking countries have had a lot of success in the U.S. Lots of people might not even know that some of the great athletes in the NBA, MLB, NFL, and other major leagues are Spanish or have a Spanish heritage. Yet wherever you go people are playing the game. Are you ready to learn about sports in Spanish? (A few other countries do this as well, including Greece.) He played for the French national team on multiple occasions. The purpose now is to shed light on the feats of those who might not have enjoyed the mainstream spotlight in the U.S. but have nevertheless made important contributions to their sports and countries. Spanish Speaking Countries in Asia: Philippines For more than 370 years, the Philippines was a colony of Spain. Basketball is a quite popular sport in Australia. Once in a while, if our trainer needed a smoke break, I'd peek my head into the gym to watch them for a bit, and I was always kind of amazed. These are some of the most well known Mexican Americans in the United States. And as a result, the sport has gained a bunch of attention in the country. Actress | Maria Full of Grace. The language exposes communal and lingual standards to make a pattern of understanding each other norms and senses. If you're a basketball fan, you probably remember the gold medal game at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I used to see these Spanish youngsters, anywhere from 8-14 years old, working out in my team's gym, especially if I'd go in at night to get treatment from our crotchety old Spanish trainer. Which countries speak Spanish? Volleyball. However, after a few years, basketball slowly started to gain its prevalence back. Many professional basketball players have sponsorship deals with some of the largest brands in the world. Mxico In the 2021-22 season, 107 players from 39 countries were on NBA rosters. The simplicity and accessibility of basketball made it easy for the Philippines to become obsessed with the sport. A person who speaks Spanish is Hispanic. b. jugar al baloncesto. Therefore, it wont come as a surprise that this country is also where basketball is, arguably, the most popular. The foreign players who fill today's NBA rosters bring a persona from their home cultures influenced by attitudes and values of their national psyche. There are 79 Spanish speaking countries around the world, and sports have always played an important part of their culture and lifestyle. Since 1980, French television started to show NBA games. These kids were learning and practicing key basketball basics, but they were also being taught important social lessons about the game. In addition to Spanish, there are 36 recognised indigenous languages in Bolivia. Each country I visited is an example of a certain stage of basketball development, which is why I will discuss them from least to most developed. China is an interesting nation when it comes to basketball. It is a team sport that is played on a court with a net. Baseball is also one of the most played sports in Spanish speaking countries particularly in Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela. Yet at the time, NBA basketball was barely reaching Europe. This truly showed that Australians are still interested in the sport, despite a sudden decline a few years back. The smallest country is Equatorial Guinea with around 740,000 (2013). In Canada, the popularity of basketball is continually growing, with millions of Canadians following the sport every year. Over 67% of the population speaks Spanish. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have a basketball team. Pau Gasol is the best player on one of the better NBA teams in 2010-11. Lucha de Toro (Bull Fighting): Being a national game of Spain, this game retrieves the cultural heritage of Spanish countries. In Spain, young players don't just play basketball, they learn basketball. Romo threw for 34,183 yards, 248 touchdowns, 2,829 completions, and 117 interceptions throughout his 13-year NFL career. He played only a few more seasons due to a career ending injury, but before retiring, he collected a championship ring with Magic Johnson and the "showtime" Lakers. The most successful team in the league, without a doubt, is the Panathinaikos. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Famous Spanish Sportspersons This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. With large competitive leagues like the NBA and multiple college leagues, basketball has a huge following. https://www.thoughtco.com/english-spanish-basketball-glossary-3079950 (accessed March 2, 2023). The vocabulary below represents some of the most common terms used by Spanish speakers, but it shouldn't be considered complete. Needless to say, when a country has such great triumphs in the international arena, the games popularity explodes. Despite the growth we have observed in the sport around the world, basketball is certainly not yet a way of life in Central and South America. 6. Many youngsters who dont feel attracted to. In the United States, Major League Soccer begins in mid-March and concludes in November. Their top league, the ACB, is widely considered to be the best domestic league in Europe, with five teams having already qualified to play in the Euroleague, a competition of all the top clubs overseas. by Moslanguages. The Hispanic population has a lot many athletes who are champions in their respective teams and received several medals and awards. My classmates and I are going to play basketball on the courts after school.Mis compaeros de clase y yo vamos a jugar baloncesto en la cancha despus de la escuela. Volleyball is a popular sport because it is easy to learn and does not require a lot of expensive equipment. The nation has won the FIBA World Cup on more than one occasion; in 1998, they won their first title in Greece, under the FR Yugoslavia. If this sounds like a typical description of European style basketball, it's only logical to look at the popularity of futbl there as well. Basketball is a review game that naturally builds in differentiation! So, as someone with experience playing in Spain, was I amazed that the Spaniards pushedTeam USAto the brink? They have the most Greek Basket League Championships and have won the Euroleague multiple times. There are more than 450 million native speakers of Spanish, making it second only to Chinese in terms of the most spoken languages in the world. It continues to be dominated by the United States, however, so it shouldn't be surprising that much of the Spanish-language vocabulary of the game comes from English. The United States is actually the country where basketball originated. I had just finished my first season playing in Spain (and my second professional season overall), so watching my native country, the United States, and my adopted home, Spain, get it on for the gold was something that gave me an embarrassing amount of joy. Spanish is the third most studied language in the world, after English and French. From Belize to Colombia, Uruguay to the well-established basketball countries of Argentina and Brazil, you can see a progression of basketball infrastructure. Of course you will always find players who love to dribble the ball, but the importance of advancing play with the pass is often a natural idea even for pre-adolescent Latino players. S2 Spanish - Countries - Los Pases Match up. I can only speak about the reality of the situation as I've seen it, and about the paella, but only because I love it so much. The cultural popularity of the sport is growing exponentially and is well documented in China, Africa and throughout Europe. By taking the time and money to create an entirely separate marketing campaign, the NBA is showing the Latino community that it values it as a fan and supporter. 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