With a catchy slogan that passionately states Marcel Reece Authentic Jersey , "I Love This Game!" the National Basketball Association (NBA) has a lot to live up to. While the league seemingly presumes its fans' eternal affection for the sport, a valid question remains is the league as fan-friendly as in previous years? The official attendance statistics answer that it is. By most viewpoints, the 2005-06 season was a rousing success. The NBA ended the season with the highest average attendance in history and the highest total attendance, surpassing the previous records established in 2004-05. The average attendance of 17,558 fans per game beat the 2004-05 record of 17,314 fans per game, and the 1995-96 average of 17 Andre Holmes Authentic Jersey ,252. The new total attendance record of 21,595,804 eclipsed the previous record of 21,296,497 established in 2004-05, and the 1995-96 total of 20,513 James Jones Authentic Jersey ,218 fans buying tickets to regular season games. Overall, NBA coliseums were filled to 91.4 percent capacity. NBA Commissioner David Stern, when asked about the league's growth in popularity said: "Our attendance record shows the extraordinary connection that exists between players and fans, and we are thankful for our fans continued support and passion for the game." Rated as the most authoritative commissioner of any major U.S. sport, Stern garnered the #1 place on the 2006 Sporting News "The Power 100" survey. The game of basketball has exploded in popularity around the globe in the last 20 years. The NBA now has 11 offices in locations outside the United States, and during the 2005-06 season sent programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages, according to NBA. League games now reach an audience of 3.1 billion viewers globally Antonio Smith Authentic Jersey , and merchandise is sold in more than 100 countries on six continents. The second-largest market after the United States is China. Reflecting the global aspect of the sport, opening night team rosters for the 2006-07 season featured a record 83 international players from 37 countries and territories, barely surpassing last season's 82. Twenty-eight of the 30 teams employ at least one international player. With a total league roster of 440, foreign-born players account for a full 19 percent. So, it appears that the NBA is moving smartly in the right direction as the league continues to grow in popularity around the world, drawing young future potential players from all corners of the planet. It seems fully in keeping with the current trend to predict that the number of foreign-born players will continue to grow for the foreseeable future. Along with more players from different countries will naturally come more national interest from the people in those places. In answer to the inquiry posed in the title, as it turns out a multitude of fans all around the world would indeed say Justin Tuck Authentic Jersey , "I love this game!"The Wooden Ball When golf first came about, the balls used were made from hardwoods such as beech and crudely rounded with tools. This period lasted from the 14th Century to the 17th Century. In the late 16th Century it is recorded that one William Mayne was producing clubs for the nobility in Scotland. In 1603 Mayne, a bowmaker by trade was appointed, among other things, clubmaker to King James VI of Scotland, shortly before his aession to the throne of England. Record books also show that in 1447 King James II issued his now famous edict in Parliament that golf was to be outlawed. His concern was that his subjects were more interested in golf than training how to use the warfare weapons of their time! Worried this would leave his country defenceless; he banned golf (although it was still played, just not by the masses.) The Feather Ball The feather ball period was the longest period of stability in the history of the golf ball. The feathery ball period lasted from as early as the 14th Century to as late as the 16th Century and was produced until the early 1850’s. In its beginnings the leather golf balls were likely to have been filled with wool or hair. These balls quickly lost their resilience and ultimately it was discovered that the use of feathers produced a livelier and longer lasting ball. Producing a feathery was a time consuming process that required considerable expertise. The craftsmen themselves vied with each other for the contracts from the richest patrons of the game and were often scathing about the results their petitors achieved. Enough feathers went into each ball to fill a Top Hat and contrary to the name of this ball it was as hard as a stone and could travel in excess of 250yds. Feather golf balls were not round and were more often than not oblong in shape. There were a variety of sizes and weights and the ball would be marked with its weight in drams clearly visible along with the maker’s name. Despite not being round feathery golf balls did fly and roll with remarkable trueness and were perfectly suited to the crude greens of the day. The Gutty Ball This is where the modern era started Charles Woodson Authentic Jersey , with the feathery being replaced by the gutty. The industrial revolution was booming in the UK and factories started to manufacture many more products using rubber...it was only a matter of time before someone would substitute the feathery with a more durable material. In the end Reverend James Patterson, a keen golfer discovered the gutty-percha whilst on missionary work in Malaysia. Gutty-percha is a similar material to rubber that is made from the dried sap of a tree and James discovered almost by mistake that this material could be used to make golf balls with. Two-piece metal mouldings were made to produce perfectly round spheres. At first only smooth balls were manufactured but golfers soon began to realise that the more the ball nicked and marked, the easier it was to predict their shots. This eventually led to manufacturers producing gutty balls with surface markings to enhance their aerodynamic qualities.