In the September 9 news, basketball commentator Yang Yi compared the phenomenon of naturalization in basketball and soccer. Yang Yi confessed that the naturalization investment in soccer is just too high. It is reported that the five naturalized players of China's men's soccer team have invested more than 500 million RMB. Yang Yi said bluntly, "Football has invested so much money, in fact, it is not necessary at all." Immediately after, Yang Yi in-depth analysis of the cost of naturalization of basketball: "Compared to soccer, the naturalization cost of basketball is much lower. After all, the level of American basketball players is very high, but the cost of naturalizing an American basketball player is not high. You don't need to look for players ranked in the top 50 or 100 in the NBA, and a fallen player like Croatia's Smith can play well in Europe. The Bosnia and Herzegovina Basketball Association has even naturalized because of lack of travel expenses, and what is the cost of such a naturalization when a player hits consecutive threes? For example, we could talk to Dominic Jones, who only made $500,000 in Jilin, wouldn't he take another $500,000 on top of that?" There are also differences in the naturalization rules between basketball and soccer. Why is it that after soccer naturalization, the gap with the top teams is still apparent? This is because soccer naturalization does not limit the number of players, but requires that naturalized players must have lived in their country for more than five years. As a result, the naturalized players in our national football team are players who have played in the Chinese Super League for more than 5 years, and these players are no longer at their peak on the world stage. Unlike basketball, we don't have to search for Jones, there are plenty of players to choose from. Basketball only needs one naturalized player on a team and there are no restrictions on length of residency, just a change of passport. Therefore, naturalization in basketball is easier and less costly, which is the difference between basketball and soccer.
