Post by John on Jun 19, 2006 15:42:27 GMT -4
Reps from Hornets, league meet about keeping team profitable
June 16, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
NEW ORLEANS -- Making the Hornets profitable in post-Katrina New Orleans is "a tough road to hoe," but the NBA will do whatever it takes to help the team succeed, executive vice president Joel Litvin said Friday.
Litvin and other NBA officials had a 90-minute meeting with representatives of the Hornets, the city and the state to begin outlining a sales and marketing strategy for the Hornets' six games in New Orleans next season and their full-time return for the 2007-08 season.
The Hornets spent last season in Oklahoma City and will play 35 games there next season. The Hornets were last in the NBA in attendance during the 2004-05 season in New Orleans. The city's population, more than 400,000 before Katrina, is estimated to be half of that.
"The concern is the obvious one: The ability to make sure that the team can be profitable in 2007-08, that the arena is full or near full," Litvin said. "It's a challenging situation that is without precedent.
"It's a small market. It's a two-team market. It's going to be a tough road to hoe. That's why we're here."
The Hornets finished 11th in the league in attendance this season, playing 36 games in Oklahoma City, one in Norman, Okla., one in Baton Rouge, La., and three in the New Orleans Arena. The first two games in New Orleans sold out and the third fell just short of a sellout.
Hornets owner George Shinn has been lukewarm about returning to New Orleans, but NBA commissioner David Stern has repeatedly stated that the league will honor the Hornets' lease, which runs through 2012, and the league recently awarded its 2008 All-Star game to New Orleans.
Litvin said he expects that greater involvement from NBA officials in the Hornets' sales and marketing efforts will lead to greater sales than the team had for three seasons after relocating from Charlotte, N.C., in 2002.
"We have a SWAT team of marketing whizzes at our office back in New York," he said. "The commissioner has made it clear that we are going to devote whatever resources are necessary to make sure the return is successful. I think we're on our way."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
June 16, 2006
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
NEW ORLEANS -- Making the Hornets profitable in post-Katrina New Orleans is "a tough road to hoe," but the NBA will do whatever it takes to help the team succeed, executive vice president Joel Litvin said Friday.
Litvin and other NBA officials had a 90-minute meeting with representatives of the Hornets, the city and the state to begin outlining a sales and marketing strategy for the Hornets' six games in New Orleans next season and their full-time return for the 2007-08 season.
The Hornets spent last season in Oklahoma City and will play 35 games there next season. The Hornets were last in the NBA in attendance during the 2004-05 season in New Orleans. The city's population, more than 400,000 before Katrina, is estimated to be half of that.
"The concern is the obvious one: The ability to make sure that the team can be profitable in 2007-08, that the arena is full or near full," Litvin said. "It's a challenging situation that is without precedent.
"It's a small market. It's a two-team market. It's going to be a tough road to hoe. That's why we're here."
The Hornets finished 11th in the league in attendance this season, playing 36 games in Oklahoma City, one in Norman, Okla., one in Baton Rouge, La., and three in the New Orleans Arena. The first two games in New Orleans sold out and the third fell just short of a sellout.
Hornets owner George Shinn has been lukewarm about returning to New Orleans, but NBA commissioner David Stern has repeatedly stated that the league will honor the Hornets' lease, which runs through 2012, and the league recently awarded its 2008 All-Star game to New Orleans.
Litvin said he expects that greater involvement from NBA officials in the Hornets' sales and marketing efforts will lead to greater sales than the team had for three seasons after relocating from Charlotte, N.C., in 2002.
"We have a SWAT team of marketing whizzes at our office back in New York," he said. "The commissioner has made it clear that we are going to devote whatever resources are necessary to make sure the return is successful. I think we're on our way."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service