Sunday afternoon the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the San Antonio Spurs, hopped on a plane and then ended up in Paris for a trip that was more than two years in the making and carries more weight than just one basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets normally would. .
For some members of the team it’s the first time in any part of Europe. It’s an opportunity for the Cavaliers to grow their worldwide brand in a unique way. It’s a way for the organization to push forth an internal mantra they’ve had for more than four years.
That mantra is ‘take Cleveland to the world’
“We really view sport and the NBA, in particular, as this intersection of sports and fashion and entertainment, little bit of pop culture as well,” says Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, the umbrella of which the Cavs fall under. “Now we view this opportunity in Paris, which is what we got really excited about a couple of years ago, as a chance for us to build upon and extend that initiative of how do we take Cleveland to the world, and really showcase what we say here is, is a world class city without world class egos, but showcase that fashion that kind of iconicness of who we believe we can be, or who we aspire to be.”
Part of bringing Cleveland to Paris is doing activations, such as ‘Cafe de Cavs’ and giveaways for fans as a way to increase the team’s following in Europe. It’s also being the home team for the game against the Nets. The Cavaliers took roughly 40 members of the game operations staff to help put the game on. In total, the travel party is approximately 250 people, roughly five times greater than the travel party for a standard road game.
“You typically see after these type of events, you see a really nice spike in followership and growth,” Barlage says. “So, that obviously helps us take and kind of grow our ecosystem as we go forward as we think about commercial opportunities we may have in the future or just at a bare minimum, growing a fan base, which is really important to the vibrancy and the vitality of the organization.”
The trip to France also means the opportunity to see a different part of the world exists for members of the team. For some, it’s the first time playing basketball outside of the country, while others, like guard Max Strus, have been part of this type of game before.
“It was cool,” Strus recalling getting to play in Mexico City last season while a member of the Miami Heat. “Fans are passionate, and you could tell that, you know, people all around the world follow the NBA. So, it is cool to see that and, feel that support from other countries. And it's cool to put on a show for them and let them experience an NBA game.”
While the basketball game itself on Thursday has to be the main thing for the team, there still is time for sightseeing and sampling of French cuisine.
“ Definitely seeing like the Eiffel Tower, hopefully get over and see the Mona Lisa,” forward Georges Niang says. “Yeah, if you couldn't tell, I like carbs. So, croissants will definitely be on the on the menu. I'm excited to get over there and have some good food.”
“I hear everything is completely different,” rookie guard Craig Porter Jr. says. “Especially the food. I want to see what the food is about. I see a lot of talk on the internet about it. So, I want to see what the portion sizes are looking like, but really just to see how the culture of everything is down there.”
The game, which takes place Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and the trip to Paris as a whole, is about more than just expanding the footprint for the Cavs. It’s about growing the game of basketball. NBA games being played outside of the United States (and Canada) has become more common in recent years. The Cavs are hoping to take the NBA to the world, and bring Cleveland with them, too.
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