Connect with us

Podcasts

#12 Sports Talk ― Matt Beyer Outlines Ambitious Vision for East Asia Super League

The EASL’s CEO recalls working as a Chinese interpreter for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and shares insights on the plans for his league’s inaugural season.

Matt Beyer believes now’s the right time to launch a regional pro basketball league in East Asia. He says it’s an untapped market and the potential for quality competition in the EASL is great.

The EASL, featuring eight teams for the first season in 2022-23, will give fans opportunities to attend games throughout the region. Top teams in Japan’s B.League (Utsunomiya Brex, Ryukyu Golden Kings), Philippines Basketball Association (two TBD teams), Korean Basketball League (Anyang KGC, Seoul SK Knights), Taiwan’s P. League+ (Taipei Fubon Braves) and Hong Kong’s Bay Area Dragons (an expansion team that will be based in Manila due to COVID-19 travel restrictions) will be divided into a pair of four-team groups and play home-and-away series to kick off the inaugural season.

As the EASL’s chief executive, Beyer has cultivated relationships with the NBA and FIBA. He talks about his relationship with Yao Ming’s former agent, Bill Duffy, who has had an influential role in his career.

Beyer, the first foreigner to be certified as a basketball agent in China, enthusiastically describes how the EASL’s plans for an in-depth reality series about its inaugural season is one example of the league’s robust marketing strategy.

The American-born sports executive has a never-wavering commitment for the EASL to become one of the world’s top three basketball leagues, including the involvement of former NBA players as investors in the league. He explains how the upstart league can take concrete steps to make it happen.

RELATED:

Join the conversation as SportsLook goes live with Twitter Spaces every month. The announcement will be made on our Twitter account. Feel free to share any suggestions in our comment section below.

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed on JAPAN Forward's [Japan Sports Notebook] here on Sundays, in [Odds and Evens] here during the week, and Twitter @ed_odeven.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. ayakomx

    August 7, 2022 at 12:29 am

    This is a very interesting interview that features Matt’s life story and strong connection with China. This clarifies why he is a co-founder of the East Asia Super League. Across Asia, he is making new history in basketball!

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Advertisement

Sign-Up to Our Newsletter

Sign-up!

Receive regular sports updates and news directly in your inbox

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Advertisement logo

More in Podcasts