We might as well call it the INTER-National Basketball Association.

Commissioner David Stern has announced that the NBA will cut around 80 jobs (about 9%) from its U.S. staff. The reason? The NBA is preparing itself to be hit by the economic downturn and it's hard to blame them. A decline in ticket sales is the only thing to be expected in this type of downward, roller-coaster economy. In large market areas, corporations and businesses alike will most likely cut back on unnecessary expenditures… meaning that luxury suites and courtside seats may be left empty; small market teams will see families saving their money for more pressing needs.

NBA Commissioner David Stern, shown at a news conference Sunday in London, said the economy was affecting season-ticket renewals.

While Stern claims that "sports tickets are very much disposable income," the NBA still believes that their overall revenue will increase from last year's mark. Lucrative television contracts with ABC/ESPN and TNT are expected to garner an estimated $7.5 billion in the coming 8 years alone, and the most recent NBA Finals match-up between the Lakers and the Celtics could only be described as a dream come true for NBA execs. Read more after the jump.

However, Stern's announcement on domestic job cuts comes from across the pond in London where the New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat played an exhibition game for the NBA's Europe Live 2008 tour. More importantly, they played in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,000 this past Sunday in the O2 arena.

Recognizing the potential profit overseas, the NBA will continue to hire staff in Europe along with Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Rather than choosing to maintain the domestic workforce, Stern is banking on the NBA’s popularity and appeal of their superstars to create a worldwide phenomenon that would bring in even more revenue. The commish has even made it a goal to play at least one regular season game in London before the arrival of the 2012 Olympics.

Keeping to the overseas theme, the NBA has partnered with AEG to build 12 "NBA-style arenas" throughout major cities in China. This comes months after a successful U.S.A. Olympic gold medal run in Beijing that saw many Chinese fans rooting for the "Redeem Team." The NBA is a de facto ambassador of the United States to China as the popularity of the sport is increasing exponentially among Chinese youth.

Let’s not forget the seemingly constant influx of international players coming into the NBA and finding success in the American game. Houston Rockets' big man Yao Ming is a 6-time all star, German super star Dirk Nowitzki a former MVP of the league, and Tony Parker of France received the NBA Finals MVP award after leading his Spurs team to a championship at the end of the 2006-07 season. - William Wei, Special to Bobby v. The World