The 2023 FIBA World Cup has been an emotional rollercoaster. The fans have witnessed it all. From Lithuania defeating the US by just a 6-point margin, to the America’s historic comeback against Italy in the ensuing match. Despite the riveting games providing the anticipated thrills and frills, there is one aspect that has disappointed fans globally.

Even though fans might have biased views when it comes to their favorite basketball teams, there is one thing that unites fans worldwide.

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The 2023 FIBA World Cup set new records just on the opening day as it witnessed an astounding 38,115 fans gather in the Philippine Arena. The new number surpassed the previous record of 32,616 fans that gathered in Toronto to watch the final showdown between the US and Russia at the 1994 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Furthermore, all ten Global Partner slots for this year’s game were filled for the first time in FIBA history. However, there are still some countries that are left out of the loop and do not offer live-streaming services for the matches, while others require premium services to view the matches.

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While users with a Courtside 1891 Plus can view extended highlights for free, the OTT platform requires a Courtside 1891 Max subscription in order to view live games and watch full game replays. This system of coverage has left many fans frustrated, as they took to social media to express their annoyance.

Fans create fuss on social media

Basketball fans around the world have expressed their dissatisfaction with how their country is covering the FIBA World Cup in 2023. They unanimously agreed that their nation favors their own team when covering international sports. They claimed that other teams were receiving little to no coverage. One fan said, “As an American and huge fan of FIBA I’m embarrassed at how media in my country covers the World Cup.”.

While a German fan believed otherwise, “I really enjoy the german coverage. They are a bit cringey to a point with some of their segments but its also endearing (? If thats the right word to use) at the same time. But its also mostly storytelling and not so much deep dives into xs and os, but i guess thats to be expected.” Another German fan offered a different perspective, “The bad part is, that it’s only on a private channel. Yes they show the german games for free, but as long as it isn’t shown on any of the big national channels, most people outside of the basketball bubble won’t see it.”

Basketball receives far less media attention than football, according to Italian fans.
On the flip side, the same user commented, “But this year there’s not much to complain about: every match of the Italian team has been broadcast live on the free national television network, and Sky, the main pay per view player in the country, has full coverage. Still, mainstream media and population don’t care much even if we have reached the quarter finals for the first time in 25 years.”

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It is evident from the fan reaction that basketball does not receive the same level of coverage as other international games. And that’s what makes it a partisan coverage.