State of the NBA

David Stern needs to read this blog. Ok I know there are a million bloggers out there who have all the answers but seriously I am right. The NBA needs to seriously reconsider its marketing strategy. And I will tell you why.

First lets look at who the NBA markets. The NBA markets 13 year olds. 13 year old who don’t know what a chest pass is. All they care about is seeing LeBron highlights on the 6:30 AM Sports Center before Pre Algebra. This is a horrible marketing plan. The NBA wants to sell jerseys not tickets. It is awful on many fronts.

As I think about it I understand it more. The NBA wants to sell the league as whole not individual teams. The only problem with this is that it doesn’t create brand loyalty. There is no tradition. When I was 12 years old the Pacers swept the Orlando Magic, beat Atlanta in 6 and went on to the Eastern Conference finals. To that point Indiana had never had a professional sports organization do didly poo. The Colts were still awful and the Pacers to that point had been the essence of mediocrity. Anyway I have a brand loyalty to the Pacers.

What I am saying is this. Take Lebron for instance. Middle school kids all over the country purchased his Cleveland jersey. Fine. But the NBA needs to keep those kids accountable to that franchise. Instead they will market the next high school phenom to come through, and those kids will switch else where. The problem with fair weather fans is that they don’t purchase tickets. Lebron comes through Indianapolis twice a year? Kobe once, Garnett once and so on. No one wants to see the Pacers play another mediocre team. NFL fans on the other hand love seeing the mediocre Steelers play the mediocre Seahawks. Hell look at the ratings for Super Bowl XL.

The NBA has to start looking big picture. And I am sorry to say it, but the inner city is not the answer. It might hurt at the beginning, but you have to make it a corporate/ family event. I am not spending my hard earned money to watch ghetto superstar Stephen Jackson and his ugly jump shot. I would spend my hard earned money to see Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Kareem Abdul Jabaar.

Here is what I propose. The first thing is simple. Start drafting basketball players. Larry Bird was a 6 foot 7 inch power forward. He might be a second round draft pick now. Danny Granger is a basketball player, Michael Redd is a basketball player. Jermaine O’Neal is an athlete who plays basketball. There is a huge difference.

I think the one and done rule is solid, but I propose at least 2 years in college. I would go as far as to consider having a college diploma. Hear me out. You can get a general studies diploma in 3 years. You don’t think Jay Williams (former Duke Star/ Bulls point guard) who blew out his knee in 1 year is glad he did the work for that general studies degree.