Sports Popularity as a Network Phenomenon
In the United States, sports like basketball and football have long been a part of the culture, dominating airwaves and water cooler chatter. These American sports have begun spreading worldwide, eyeing expansions in several profitable global markets. The NFL has moved games to London and the NBA has begun moving games to China. The popularity of such sports in the US can be viewed as a network phenomenon. After being created and shared in the US, a preferential attachment became established. The more well known the sport, the more likely it is played and in conversations and the more likely it spreads.
There are dozens of less popular sports from previous years that have stagnated in popularity like Jai Alai, once thought to have extremely marketable appeal. The rich get richer effect has propagated a small number of sports worldwide and staunched the growth of others. The NFL and NBA are now trying to tap into the preferential attachment to the sport and specific teams in markets across the globe. The goal of these organizations is to tap into the rich get richer effect fully and in a few years time be able to find a Lakers fan in New York City as easily as in Beijing.
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2015/10/29/detroit-lions-nfl-expanding-london/74846406/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/darrenheitner/2015/03/25/nba-commits-to-further-growth-in-china-schedules-two-games-in-october/