METHODOLOGY - A Qualitative Study Exploring the Migratory Push-Pull Factors of American Basketb

This research implored qualitative measures to explore and understand the push and pull factors that affected American professional basketball players to move to China and to play in the CBA. This chapter describes the design and methodology used for this research, data collection techniques and measurements.

Research Framework

The construction of this research is based on qualitative measures, similar to the methods of Botelho and Agergaard’s (2011) study on female soccer players who play in Scandinavian countries. This research used in-depth interviews to ascertain foreign players’ motives to move to China for their basketball careers, their perspectives about their decisions to migrate and how it impacted them. The push-pull factors researched in Botelho and Agergaard’s (2011) study could be different from the players in this study, which is part of the purpose of this study, to understand and reveal the factors involved with migration of American basketball players who move to China. The factors could differ due to differences in sport, gender, location or competition league between samples. by the players

The researcher interviewed each player individually, in confidence and under anonymity, in order to see what push and pull factors influenced their migration choices. Conducting personal, face-to-face interviews of each player is the best method for collecting such detailed information, because every player has his own experiences that are unique to him, and he will be able to express and explain them in his own words.

Contrary to Maguire (2008), the “media filters” were removed (Carter, 2011) by going directly to the source, the basketball players. Interviews were conducted in person, as it is difficult to quantify such varying experiences and assign proper measurements to weigh and analyze the factors influencing them.

Foreign players, specifically American nationals, were the focus group. Their responses were analyzed, grouped on similarities and compared by differences.

Based on the push and pull factors for migrating, conclusions were drawn to determine common themes amongst the participants’ responses in order to better understand the types of basketball players who moved to China.

Research Procedures

This qualitative study began with the inquiry into why foreign professional basketball players chose to play basketball in China, which became the research topic of this research. With the exploration of previous research, this research topic became the research questions, spilt into three levels of the main question, as to why the players migrated. Once the research questions were identified, the literature review revealed important theories and possible migration factors that impacted professional players of other sports and their decisions to migrate for their careers. The theories that proved more relevant were various migration theories, sports labor migration theory, and Grounded Theory.

After thorough investigation through previous research, the research design was carefully devised and crafted into the following research below. The research sample was identified and narrowed based on specific characteristics that will lend the greatest insight to this endeavor, professional American basketball players (male) that play in the CBA during the 2017-2018 season. In order to conduct the interviews, a questionnaire guide was necessary to obtain the essential data for the research. So an interview guide was created based on previous research and information about the CBA and the background information collected about players in the league. Then the researcher planned the data collection process, including player confirmation, travel plans, interview logistics and recording methods. After the interviews were completed, the researcher transcribed each interviews. Consequently, the interview data was analyzed, categorized, and theorized, using the Grounded Theory method, which you will see in Chapters 4. Finally, from the data analysis, the research established conclusions and theories from the data collected. The research procedures are shown below in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1. Research procedures.

Population

Based on the diverse player backgrounds and previous playing experiences, players were intentionally selected for their migration, professional, and athletic experiences. They all share the fact that they migrated from geographically distant countries, which have distinct cultural differences from those of China. The population of this research is foreign players that play in the CBA. The research highlights American basketball players and investigates the common threads among

Determine Research Topic

Formulate Research Questions

Perform Literature Review

Identify Research Design and Sample

Create Interview Question Guide

Collect Data

Transcribe Interview Data

Analyze Data

Generate Conclusions & Suggestions

their reasons for migration and the factors that influence their migration decisions.

This population then is narrowed to focus on Americans, because they come from the country in which basketball was formed and has prevailed as one of the most dominant sports, a place where there is ample opportunities to compete in professional basketball.

During the 2017-2018 season, the CBA is comprised of 368 total players on 20 teams, which included 59 foreign players, of which 46 are American players, which is displayed in Table 1 below. In terms of proportions, foreign player make up more than 16% of the league and more than 77% of the foreign players are from the United States. Of the foreign players, more than 74% have played at least one season in the NBA; not all American players have previously played in the NBA. The sample for this study includes 10 American players who vary in age, professional experiences, international competition and play, prior NBA experiences, and varying in other personal and professional aspects. A full list of all the players in the CBA for the 2017-2018 season can be found in the Appendix A. Player background information was gathered from the basketball website, Real GM, and compiled by the research to understand the league composition. A few things to note about the player basketball experience information found in the Appendix A-D (player information charts):

1. Players can play in multiple leagues, on multiple teams in a single season.

Each season is counted as having played in a league; there is overlap for some players in the number of seasons played.

2. Some player competed on a team for the full season on that team (indicated with ‘full’ under the column ‘Current Status’), while others played the first part of the season (indicated by ‘1’), and some played only the latter half, (indicated by ‘2’).

3. The “Other experience” column refers to leagues player played in that are not the NBA, CBA, or European leagues, this can include, but not limited to other Asian, South American and Middle Eastern leagues.

Table 3.1.

CBA Composition of Foreign Players (2017-2018 season)

Based on the player demographics, American players are often sought out for their competitive advantage, their athletic skills which, for many, were groomed and developed through their years in the NBA.

CBA player and team information and statistics were collected from the

online website RealGM

(https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/40/Chinese-CBA/players), and double-checked for accuracy on other basketball websites. The information of all the foreign players in the CBA during this season was compiled into a chart which can be found in Appendix C, titled “Foreign Players in CBA (2017-2018

Season)”. During the 2017-2018 season, the CBA was comprised of 20 teams, with a total of 368 players. There were 59 total foreign players on all teams except Bayi Rockets (the Chinese military team); this did not include Taiwanese players according to the CBA definition of a foreign player. So foreign players make up about 16% of the total players in the CBA, as shown in figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2. CBA Composition.

Of the foreign player population, 46 players were from the United States.

The rest of the foreign player population migrated from the following countries:

Argentina (1), Brazil (1), Canada (2), Greece (1), Iran (2), Jordan (1), Lebanon (1), Lithuania (1), Palestine (1), Poland (1), Serbia (1). Statistically, more than 77% of the foreign players were from the United States, as shown in Figure 3.3.

Figure 3.4 shows the percent of American basketball players that make up the total player population of the CBA, which is 13%.

Figure 3.3. Foreign Player Composition.

Figure 3.4. American Player in the CBA.

Figure 3.5. Dual-citizens foreign players in the CBA.

Figure 3.5 above depicts the percent of foreigners that have dual citizenship in the CBA. The Appendix shows the chart that contains all the foreign players in the league and their professional experiences in various leagues/regions.

One standard for the targeted interview population is that the basketball players are professional players that played for a CBA, referred to as a player’s

“status” in this study. Although many of the players have previous basketball experiences from other leagues in various countries, they must have played in the CBA for at least one season, during the 2017-2018 season. For the sake of this study, they must have been in the CBA for only part of the 2017-18 season. Due to various shifts of team rosters throughout the season (player injury, team trades, player performance, etc.), some players only competed for a portion of the season, not playing in the entire season. So this population includes players that competed during the entire season, which means being on a CBA team roster for the entire

duration of the season regardless of number of games played. On the other hand, some players were on a team roster for part of the season, or trade among teams, in which these players were enlisted as partial season players, (indicated with a 1 or 2 in the “Status” column in the chart in the Appendix D).

The chart in the Appendix D also shows each player’s previous professional playing experience in other leagues besides the CBA, categorized into 4 types of experience, CBA, NBA, Europe, and Other. Of all the foreign players, almost 75% had played at least one season in the NBA, not all American players have previously played in the NBA. In contrast, more than 49% of the foreign population has played in European leagues, and 45.76% played in other leagues outside of the NBA, CBA, and Europe. There is some overlap of seasons between leagues, because some players played in multiple leagues and/or on multiple teams within one calendar year. A full list of foreign players in the CBA is available in Appendix C, which includes nationalities, league experience and basketball information.

Sample Profile

The sample for this qualitative study included ten professional American basketball players who played in the CBA during the 2017-2018 season. All players interviewed have played in another country prior to migrating to China whether it is the NBA, European leagues or other. The players vary in age, professional experience, playing position, and other factors. With their previous experiences, they will be able to draw a picture of current and past experiences, on which comparison and contrast will be made. Players in the interview group range from first year to ten years of playing experience in the CBA, in which this range can draw contrast in duration and their motivations.

The study participants were intentionally selected for their migration, professional, and athletic experiences, which are specific to the research questions.

They all share the fact that they migrated from a geographically distant country (USA), which has distinct cultural differences from China. This research concentrated on American basketball players and investigated common threads among the push-pull factors that influenced their migration decisions, including personal, cultural and professional factors. This sample population focused on

Americans, because they come from the country in which basketball was developed and has prevailed as one of the most dominant sports, a place where there is ample opportunities to compete in basketball. Basketball in America is considered to be the most competitive, athletic and the highest echelon of conception in the world. American basketball players over time have proven to be more competitive and popular than most players from other countries, mainly due to the popularity of the NBA. So it was intriguing to witness a number of players from the USA choosing to move to China, instead of staying domestic and playing in their home country.

The sample for this qualitative study included 10 professional American basketball players who played in the CBA during the 2017-2018 season. Based on the descriptive statistics of the sample group, the average age of the players is 29.

Seven of the 10 players (70%) have previously played in the NBA at least one season, which is fairly consistent with the American foreign players in the league (82.61%). On the other hand, six players (60%) have played in Europe and five (50%) have played in other leagues. Looking closer at the CBA statistics, only two of the players (20%) have played in the CBA before this current season under study, meaning eight of the ten players (80%) were in their first year in the CBA;

they have never played in the CBA prior to the 2017-2018 season. Six of the players (60%) were on a team’s roster for the entire season, while four (40%) partially played in the CBA this season. In addition, two of the players (20%) claim dual citizenship, one being with the U.S., close to the 15.25% of the American players proportions in the CBA.

Instruments

The instruments used for this study involved the researcher creating a questionnaire guide and conducting individual interviews with each American player. Prior to the interviews, the researcher examined and documented each player’s personal demographics and professional statistics that were relevant to this study. The researcher then created the interview questionnaire guide that directed and guided the in-person interviews, which can be found in Appendix B..

The interview question guide was created based on Castillo-Montoya’s (2016)

“Four-Phase Process to Interview Protocol Refinement (IPR).” This process

includes the following 4 phases: 1) Interview questions connect with the original research questions, 2) Create a question-based dialogue, 3) Review questions and receive feedback on interview procedures, and 4) Conduct a pilot interview process (Castillo-Montoya, 2016). During the development of the interview questionnaire guide, professors and research experts reviewed the questionnaire guide. In addition, the researcher also examined the past literature on the topic of study, which was useful in formulating questions based on the research questions in this study.

The questions in the interview guide were split into three sections, three types of push-pull factors: personal level, professional level and country or cultural factors, all of which could influence a player to migrate. Each section contained questions about specific push-pull factors, comparative questions of past and present experiences and self-reflective questions, all of which could possibly contribute to their migration decisions. The interview guide also incorporated numerous open-ended questions that encouraged players to provide more details.

Although the guide was used to assist and lead the interview, the research also asked follow-up questions based on the respondent’s answers and his willingness to describe the details his experiences.

The researcher personally met with each player in person to discuss his professional basketball career and his personal experiences while in China. Based on the personal experiences in athletics and knowledge of American sports and professional leagues, the researcher was qualified to understand and analyze the data that was gathered. The researcher possessed a complete knowledge and skilled background of the NBA and the CBA alike, acquainted with the organizational structure of each competition league, the organizational structure of the teams, recruitment processes, and international living experiences, all of which aided the analysis process and theorized of the research and data.

In addition to player information, research was gathered about the league and team composition statistics, in order to better understand how the league and teams function, laws and restrictions, and information pertaining to international players. Obtaining such detailed information about the players’ personal choices and professional push-pull factors that contribute to their decisions to play in the CBA was vital to the current research. All players were willing to speak freely and provide details, obtaining accurate accounts of their professional career, which

was used with the prior research to aid in the interview process, to gain confirmation of the information posted on online websites and resources.

Data Collection

Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, which were conducted on two separate trips to China. Prior to the interviews, most of the demographic information was collected from online resources (https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/40/Chinese-CBA/players), and then confirmed by the players during the interview. This study was semi-directed with an in-advanced, planned interview questionnaire to prompt responses of players’ recent experiences while playing in the CBA that are culturally, professionally, personally based.

In order to answer the research questions, this study was designed with sports labor migration and globalization as the persisting theories. This study focused on American basketball players and why they migrated to China to play basketball in the CBA. Participants were initially contacted to obtain consent for the interview, such as social media private messages and through mutual colleagues who worked with the players. After initial contact, the research met with the players and conducted the interviews in China, in a face-to face manner.

Before the interview, each player was debriefed about the study’s purpose and background information. Each player agreed to confidentiality, privacy and consent for audio recording of the interviews.

The researcher met with them based on their availability and convenience, because in order to conduct this research she had to meet them in the cities in which they played games. The players had limited free time and strict training and competition schedules that varied from player to player and team to team. So, interviews were conducted around each player’s schedule, whether it be at meal times, after practice, during “shoot around,” or during leisure time. The researcher was capable and willing to traveling to various cities in China (Beijing, Jinan, and Guangzhou) to meet with each player in person and to collect the necessary data for this study. The researcher took two separate trips to China to conduct the interviews and collect data. Each interview lasted 15 to 60 minutes, based on the

willingness of the player to talk with the researcher and time constraints due to the player’s schedule. The interviews were all recorded and noted before and during each interview, and personal notation after the interviews. The data collection procedures are illustrated below in Figure 3.6.

Figure 3.6. Data collection procedures

Data Analysis

Statistical analysis was conducted on the player demographic information to explore possible trends among all foreign players, and then separately the American, in the CBA and their migration patterns, which is shown in the charts

Data Collection Procedures

Contact Sample Population

Schedule Interview Meeting

Plan Travel and Logistics for Trips to China

Obtain Consent for Interview

Conduct the Interview (audio recording)

Annotate Interviews

Transcribe Interview Data

Code Data

Analyze Data

above in the sections for population and sample profile.

The data analysis process for this research is modeled based on "Grounded Theory,” which was originally developed by Glaser (1992). They generated the Grounded Theory as a way to develop new theories from data, specific to a defined population, idea, or circumstance. According to Willig (2013, 69-70), this theory was designed to “open up a space for the development of new, contextualized theories.” Grounded Theory engages the systematic creation and application of codes, categories from research data, which in turns helps the research formula a new theory about a concept. Grounded Theory is a research

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