Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
American sports leagues have become increasingly global over the last couple decades, which is inarguably a boon to business and fans alike.
Why it matters: The global nature of American professional sports represents our shrinking world, increased diversity and the melting pot of cultures that this country was built on, but right now, as with everything else, it's hard not to look at this through the lens of the coronavirus.
- How many players in the three major leagues most impacted by this — the NBA, NHL and MLB — are stuck, thousands of miles from their families, wondering when they'll see them next?
Driving the news: The NBA and NBPA have issued a memo telling players that they are barred from traveling outside North America.
- The NHL and MLB have not, to this point, enacted similar bans, as both leagues trailed the NBA in discovering players who'd tested positive.
The NBA (491 players) has the highest percentage of Americans, but also the greatest global reach, despite being the smallest of the three leagues:
- U.S.: 363 players (73.9%)
- Canada: 21 (4.3%)
- France: 13 (2.6%)
- Australia: 7 (1.4%)
- Serbia, Germany, Croatia: 6 (1.2% each)
- Turkey, Spain, Latvia: 4 (0.8% each)
- Slovenia, Nigeria, Italy, Greece, Brazil: 3 (0.6% each)
- 11 countries: 2 (0.4% each)
- 20 countries: 1 (0.2% each)
MLB (1,192 players) just barely trails the NBA in terms of American representation:
- U.S.: 822 players (69%)
- Dominican Republic: 150 (12.6%)
- Venezuela: 91 (7.6%)
- Cuba: 28 (2.3%)
- Puerto Rico: 23 (1.9%)
- Mexico: 16 (1.3%)
- Canada: 11 (0.9%)
- Colombia: 9 (0.8%)
- Japan, Panama: 8 (0.7% each)
- Curaçao: 6 (0.5%)
- South Korea: 4 (0.3%)
- Four countries: 2 (0.2% each)
- Eight countries: 1 (0.1% each)
The NHL (731 players), as you could have guessed, has by far the largest non-American contingent:
- Canada: 305 players (42%)
- U.S.: 201 (27.5%)
- Sweden: 83 (11.4%)
- Russia, Finland: 35 (4.8% each)
- Czech Republic: 32 (4.4%)
- Switzerland: 10 (1.4%)
- Denmark: 8 (1.1%)
- Germany: 6 (0.8%)
- Latvia: 4 (0.5%)
- France, Austria: 3 (0.4% each)
- Six countries: 1 (0.1% each)
The bottom line: Maybe a couple hundred homesick athletes doesn't move the needle for you in the same way that a shortage of ventilators, tests and answers does, but while fans clamor for their favorite leagues to start back up again, it's important to remember what the athletes are going through, too.