Vincent M. Mallozzi of the New York Times wrote an interesting piece on promotions NBA teams are working on to get fans in the seats. It is no surprise the Nets’ reversible jersey promotion was talked about. The article contains a few quotes from NBA players including Dwyane Wade and Brook Lopez. Dwyane Wade had this to say about the promotion:
Wade, the Heat’s star guard, called the concept “totally awesome.”
Wade added: “It’s a very unique idea. It takes a confident organization to give their fans merchandise associated with players from other teams. I look forward to the day when we’re in town and I get to see all those Wade reversibles out there.”
Brook Lopez also talked about it:
Nets center Brook Lopez was asked if the reversible-jersey promotion was a blow to the egos of him or his teammates.
“Not at all,” he said, laughing. “I can speak for most of the guys who think this is a very cool promotion. I think it will actually help all the teams involved, and it’s a great way to bring enthusiastic fans to the games and raise the energy level in our arena.”
Wade’s reaction should be no surprise. You are the away team and you are getting more of your fans into the arena. Back when Mark and I talked about this at length, I mentioned that I thought it was a good idea, because most of the fans coming for the promotion wouldn’t be there any other way. However, nobody was sure how the players felt about it, and these comments from Brook prove that this is a good idea. Listen, when the Nets are on the road, they play in front of crowds larger than they see at home, so I the Nets need to do anything they can to get the stadium as full as it can be. Brook sounds genuinely excited about playing in front of a larger crowd, and if that helps him play better, it could be an added bonus to this promotion. I am guessing that I am in the minority here though…