tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946728861244552771.post4946957156576089198..comments2023-06-21T06:32:38.271-05:00Comments on laissez-faire ball: Why do NBA fans turn off?Travishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08695540069504024146noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1946728861244552771.post-78746541253132503442007-05-29T01:15:00.000-05:002007-05-29T01:15:00.000-05:00I think a second question to add might be:Are inte...I think a second question to add might be:<BR/><BR/>Are international fans drawn to the NBA playoffs?<BR/><BR/>Manu, Parker, Oberto, Okur, Kirilenko, Nash, Nowitzki, Varejao, Pavlovic, et al.<BR/><BR/>But let's face facts, NBA fans are a dying breed. Hell, I barely watched the WCF and NBA Finals last season (but most of that was during the time of my new job and such) and even then, I was more interested in the WCF of Suns-Mavs than the NBA Finals.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I think one of the keys is piss-poor NBA marketing.<BR/><BR/>For example, this is how important NBA marketing to large cities is...have you seen the commercial for the NBA Store where pretty woman, mid-20s guy, kids, etc., are parading around in NBA jerseys to show what's available?<BR/><BR/>Look at the jerseys in that commerical (this is from memory, so I might be wrong on some of them).<BR/><BR/>1. J-Kidd<BR/>2. Nash (or it might have been Amare)<BR/>3. Kobe<BR/>4. Channing Frye<BR/><BR/>Channing Frye? He couldn't find a consistent spot in our fantasy league this season, much less the Knicks rotation! Was Malik Rose's jersey unavailable for the shoot? They couldn't even use Stephon's? Channing Frye? A popular enough player that a little boy would seemingly be <I>happy</I> to parade around in his jersey while his friends rock Kobe and Nash.<BR/><BR/>Here's the jersey list (via InsideHoops)<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Basketball Jerseys<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Official Most Popular NBA Jerseys List<BR/>Updated Jan. 10, 2007<BR/><BR/>basketball jerseys The Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant has the most popular jersey in the NBA, moving up three spots from the end of last season on the NBA's Most Popular Jersey List. Bryant, who had the most popular jersey during the 2002-03 season, regained the lead from the Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade who held the top spot since May 2005. Wade drops to No. 2 on the list and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James comes in at No.3.<BR/><BR/>The rankings are based on jersey sales at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2006-07 NBA season through Dec. 31, 2006.<BR/><BR/>New teammates Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets round out the top five with the fourth and fifth most popular jerseys, respectively. Following the Dec. 19 trade to the Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers, Iverson moved up three spots on the list from his No. 7 rank before the trade.<BR/><BR/>The Los Angeles Lakers remained No. 1 on the league’s Most Popular Team Merchandise List for the fifth consecutive season, while the NBA Champion Miami Heat moved up one spot to second. The New York Knicks rank third and the Chicago Bulls are fourth. The Cleveland Cavaliers made the largest jump on the list this year, moving up to No. 5 from No. 8 last year.<BR/><BR/>The Washington Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas and 2006 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year Chris Paul from the New Orleans/OK City Hornets make their debut in the Top 15, coming in at No. 8 and No. 14, respectively.<BR/><BR/>The NBA’s Most Popular Jersey List and the Most Popular Team Merchandise List are listed below.<BR/><BR/>TOP 15 PLAYER JERSEY SALES LIST:<BR/>1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers<BR/>2. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat<BR/>3. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers<BR/>4. Allen Iverson – Denver Nuggets<BR/>5. Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets<BR/>6. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns<BR/>7. Vince Carter – New Jersey Nets<BR/>8. Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards<BR/>9. Shaquille O’Neal – Miami Heat<BR/>10. Stephon Marbury – New York Knicks<BR/>11. Dirk Nowitzki – Dallas Mavericks<BR/>12. Tracy McGrady – Houston Rockets<BR/>13. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics<BR/>14. Chris Paul – New Orleans/OK City Hornets<BR/>15. Tim Duncan – San Antonio Spurs<BR/><BR/>How many of those players in the top eight have been marketed in some form or another as "The Next Michael"?<BR/><BR/>The NBA kind of has to, though.<BR/><BR/>In football, while players are facially identified, they're still technically in helmets and massive padding.<BR/><BR/>Baseball, while players are facially identified, they're still technically in hats and TV cameras aren't in their faces and the action so close to readily identify. Also, basketball and baseball's fan bases are indeed different.<BR/><BR/>There's a historical identity to baseball while I can pick 20 random Spurs fans and I bet half can't tell me the city where the team originated from before moving to SA.<BR/><BR/>You and I both know there are some damn good players in these series, how much of America knows?<BR/><BR/>You're right. Casual fans wouldn't recognize the story and fun of Deron Williams' coming out party, Manu taking over quarters or Rip Hamilton's never-dying dedication to playing the game (and Cleveland sucks, so they get no love in this paragraph).<BR/><BR/>Why is that? Because the NBA blew their marketing wad on Vinsanity, Carmelo and AI, LeBron and is now paying the price.<BR/><BR/>Watch these two commercials (granted it's Nike, but it proves my point).<BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMX9PGX0iYI<BR/><BR/>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umZTMnrLvhU<BR/><BR/>The satirical nature of the second one isn't too far from the NBA's marketing.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04172932833086670092noreply@blogger.com