Maccabi’s Maceo Baston on the way to the basket
Photo: Reuven Schwartz
Basketball powerhouse draws fire
Local officials say longtime champion Maccabi Tel Aviv “too good” for Israeli league
TEL AVIV – Local basketball officials are saying the unremitting supremacy of current European champions Maccabi Tel Aviv threatens the game's future here.
The team may be a source of national pride, they say, but fans are quickly losing interest in the local league.
Maccabi's 54-point victory over cross-town archrival Hapoel Tel Aviv earlier this season seems to have refueled the longtime debate. Indeed, an unmatched budget and firm dedication to excellence have kept the championship trophy in Maccabi's hands for 34 of the past 35 seasons.
The team is by far Israel's most popular sports club, and has won the European championship three times, most recently last year. Its Thursday night European league games have become an honored tradition here and draw huge television audiences.
Local Basketball Association Chairman Yirmi Olmert says he is aware of the problem. He says a long-term plan is need in order to address the growing imparity between Maccabi and the rest of the league.
"None of the teams, with the exception of Maccabi, plans for the future," he says.
‘Maccabi is managed like an NBA team’
Maccabi's assistant coach Jacob Gino, meanwhile, proposes that the number of teams in the league be cut back, in order to ensure only the most qualified and financially secure clubs are allowed to compete.
"Other teams must get closer to Maccabi in terms of organizational culture, not the other way around," he says.
Senior basketball official Moty Amsalem agrees with Gino's assessment. He says Maccabi's organizational culture has been the key to the team's success over the years.
"Maccabi is managed like an NBA team and is the best club in Europe," he says.
Amsalem says Maccabi's budget gives it a decisive edge over local competition. Maccabi's Vice President David Federman has revealed the team's budget for this season stands at $11.5 million, more than triple that of any other club.
Team leads league with 20-1 record
Maccabi's sound financial status stems from several factors, including a longstanding, generous sponsorship agreement with local food giant Elite. Lucrative European championship broadcasting rights, as well as high ticket sales, also are factors.
Amsalem, however, says the answer does not lie in imposing a salary cap or limiting Maccabi in any other way, dismissing sarcastic proposals suggesting the team only field four players at any given time, instead of five.
"You can't put a limit on Maccabi," he says. "We need to see how to move forward, not how to pull them back."
Not everyone here, however, is pessimistic about the future. Hapoel Jerusalem's assistant coach Avner Yaor, for example, says he sees positive overall trends in the way local basketball has progressed in recent years.
He says, however, that teams need to end their dependency on local municipalities and enlist sponsors that can help push them forward.
"This is important in order to build a proper, solid economic base," he says.
Amsalem, too, says not all is bleak on the local basketball scene, and points to the parity among most teams in the league, with the exception of Maccabi.
"If we ignore Maccabi, we have the most interesting league in Europe," he says.
Meanwhile, Maccabi is well on its way to yet another local championship, with a current 20-1 record. The team also won the top spot in its European pool, and is gearing up for making a run at another European championship.
