Given the USA basketball team’s recent struggles (the 2008 Olympics notwithstanding) and the influx of foreign players in the NBA, it’s clear that basketball has become a global game. And while its talent level can’t quite compare to the NBA, Euroleague Basketball has become one of the world’s top professional sports leagues.
Yes, this is the same league in which washed-up NBA players Dominique Wilkins and Arvydas Sabonis starred in as their careers were winding down. But it’s also produced stars such as Toni Kukoc, Manu Ginobli and Andrei Bargnani.
Much like the league itself, the Euroleague Basketball app is a good — but not elite — app. Genera Mobile put plenty of stuff in the app, but at the same time, there are way too many flaws with too many of the features.
The $1.99 app sports a nice design and very professional look. Simply put, everything you really need to know to follow the league is here, and the inclusion of a video and podcast section is a major plus.
The news articles are really just blurbs — a picture and about 100 words that does not link to a full-length story. The app also includes scores, schedules and standings, though you can only access scores from the previous day. Furthermore, no stats are included.
The app’s “Devotion” section should be a highlight, as it is the kind of thing that makes a good sports app a great one. Unfortunately, none of the content (interviews, blogs and podcasts) has been updated since the end of the league’s 2008-09 season. The 2009-10 season began in October, and it’s silly to include these features if they aren’t up to date.
As for the video section, it consists of game recaps, player profiles and highlight packages. But the videos are below-average quality and — as of this writing — there were only nine available, with many being from last season. Once again, I love that a video section is included, by what’s the point if it’s not updated?
There’s also a “Teams” section that looks like it’s should show team rosters, but instead is just a collection of team logos that link to nothing. An odd choice, to say the least.
There are plenty of things about Euroleague Basketball that will get you excited, but almost all come off as disappointing. The app desperately needs an update to clean up some bugs and to add content for the current season. While this one could be a contender, it will struggle to win more than a few fans as is.
