Dollars & Sense - Federal Court Says No to Sports Betting in New Jersey

Is there really anything in America as hypocritical as sports betting?

"Well, you can do it in Nevada, Delaware, Oregon, and Montana, but everywhere, yea, sorry about that," they say.


New Jersey is the latest state to feel the hypocritical wrath of America's stance on sports betting.  On Tuesday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 against legalized sports betting in the state. Governor Chris Christie has made the legalization of sports betting in the state a priority, citing increased revenue.

According to an article on Philly.com, casinos in the state of New Jersey brought in $1.77 billion. In 2008, the effective New Jersey casino tax rate was 9.5-percent, thus giving the state a large chunk of change when it comes to taxes.

After losing the judgement, New Jersey can appeal further to either a different U.S. Court of Appeals circuit or to the U.S. Supreme Court. New Jersey is trying to amend the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that bans sports betting in all but four states.

Opponents to legalized sports betting often cite famous examples of game/match fixing and point shaving scandals as a reason to keep the practice illegal.  Perhaps the most famous example of fixing is the 1919 Black Sox Scandal where eight members of the Chicago White Sox purposely threw games so that the Cincinnati Reds would win the MLB World Series and the gamblers would cash in on big bets.  Pete Rose has been famously banned from the MLB and the Hall of Fame for their roles in gambling with the game of baseball.

Match fixing has been a prominent topic in tennis, recently. Star players like Nikolay Davydenko have been caught up in major betting scandals.  According to a recent ESPN Outside the Lines report, Bobby Riggs allegedly threw the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973 against Billie Jean King.

Those in favor of legalized sports betting often cite the increased economic benefit to the increasingly cash-strapped state governments and that legalizing the action will allow the states to benefit from the illegal black market that exists.  Job creation can also be cited, though on a lower level relative to other gambling outlets like, say, casinos.

Delaware legalized sports betting in 2009 to the heavy opposition of the four major sports leagues and the NCAA. Since then, though, it does not seem that the sports world nor the state of Delaware has been torn apart by any scandals relating to the legalization.  The simple fact is, what can be done in any newly legalized state can already be done in any previously legalized state.  Perhaps the most logical opponent to that fact would be that the sports books can be more easily monitored and policed if they are kept in only select few states.

Either way, no matter which side of the sports betting argument you are on, the hypocritical law continues on. No worries, though, did you see the MGM Mirage has the San Francisco 49ers favored by 10 over the Indianapolis Colts this week?  The Colts just got Trent Richardson from the Browns!  I'll see you in Las Vegas.


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - The Man Behind The Winning Pirates

How bad is your favorite team? Maybe they are really bad or, if you are lucky, maybe they are really good. They could also fall somewhere in the middle – like toiling between the eighth and ninth spot of the NBA playoffs every year middle – but fans are too emotional to ever admit being in the middle.

For years the Pittsburgh Pirates were one of those teams that were really bad. Really, really bad. Just ask Bryan Fyalkowski who used to write the Route 30 Detour for us. A tortured Pirates fans for all of his years on earth, the years of losing certainly got to him.

espn.com

But now, as of this very week, the Pirates are winners. After 20 straight losing seasons, the beloved Buccos have reached 81 wins meaning that no matter what they do the rest of the way they will finish .500. Just talk to a Pirates fan and you will see what it feels like to get a monkey the size of an entire city off your back.

The greatest news of all is that the Pirates have the framework in place to keep winning. Last year looking like the year that they were finally going to do it until a wretched final month and a half of the season derailed their chances. This season they finally did it, and they can do it again going forward.

At the core of the Pirate’s recent success is All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is only 26-years-old and is working off of one the most team-friendly contract in all of baseball after signing a6-year $51.5 million extension prior to last season. “Cutch” has also been able to keep his name in the National League Most Valuable Player discussion for the last two years, going for 31 home runs, 96 RBI, and a .327 average last year followed by 18 home runs, 75 RBI, and a .320 average through 135 games this season.

Even though he plays in Pittsburgh, McCutchen is marketable as well. He has a notable endorsement with EvoShield, a company that makes protective athletic gear such as McCutchen’s shin guard. He is most known, though, for his appearance on the cover of the popular video game MLB 2013 The Show.

Most importantly, in this day and age when the actions of athletes are often overblown, McCutchen has managed to stay away from it all. Keeping a clean image in the current social media ultra-microscopic climate is essential and something that McCutchen recognizes which helps to boost his approval amongst fans and endorsers alike.

It is difficult for an MVP caliber player on-the-field to be just as effective off-the-field, but McCutchen is doing just that. Now that the Pirates have broken the 20-pluc year curse, McCutchen’s marketability will continue to climb and he will continue to put Pittsburgh on the baseball map.

Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - Will Washington Ever Change Their Nickname?

The football team in Washington has a racist nickname.  Really there's no way around it.  Well, of course, it's only racist if you think about it.  And when you think about it, you probably have an image of the skinned skull of a Native American or of the outwardly racist former owner, George Preston Marshall, or some combination of both.  Yes, this is the same Marshall that was the last owner to integrate his football team in 1962 and only did so because the league stepped in.

Some contend that the nickname is to honor the Native Americans and their fighting attitude.  This seems to be a bit disillusioned and a Hail Mary pass to save the name in the face of public outrage.

In Dan Snyder's defense, it's tough to toy with a brand that was recently valued at $1.7 billion by Forbes.  But, you know, sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. 

Either way, tough decision or not, the name is racist.  The name needs to change. Let's be honest with ourselves; enough is enough.

Enough is exactly what many mainstream media outlets are saying to Washington's nickname.  Slate is the latest media outlet to join in a a boycott on using the nickname.  The New Republic and Mother Jones also followed suit.  The team will now be known as "the football team from Washington."  Heck, the nickname is even on the list of words band from the National Scrabble Championship that used to air on ESPN. 


So how much is a team's nickname -- their brand, if you will -- really worth?  ESPN's Peter Keating recently wrote about this, and below is a quote from his article:

It might seem that the Redskins, who have represented our nation's capital for nearly 80 years, have a uniquely powerful brand. But pro football teams get most of their value from the sport they play (62 percent, Forbes says) and the market they're in (17.4 percent). Just 6.5 percent, on average, comes from their brand equity -- the value teams get from fans being able to identify with individual franchises. Put an NFL team in DC and it would be worth more than $1 billion even if you called it the Washington Smallpox.

This is pretty major research considering how much emphasis we put on the importance of a team name (Exhibit A: New Orleans Pelicans). But, nonetheless, it shows that there are much much bigger factors into a team's value.

Many people shy away from talking about changing the name because, well, that means they need to come up with a new one.  Everybody is trying to avoid a Pelicans-esque catastrophe.  Personally, I think that Pigskins is a viable candidate.  It's a perfect candidate at least until Liberals start trying to protect pigs (Hint: If you are trying to argue for or against something, never bring up Liberal or Conservative agendas.  It makes you look like a conspiracy theorist and lose all credibility.)



So as owner Dan Snyder continues to live in his money-filled bigoted world -- "you can use caps" -- it may be coming time to change the name.  The financial hit won't be as big as Snyder or his supporters "estimate" in the press.  Changing the name is a long-term move for society and for the team.  As the number of media and people refusing to use the nickname grows, the number will sure exceed the number of those refusing to continue supporting the team if the name changes.

The time is now to change the nickname of the football team in Washington.


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - Numbers Don't Add Up For NCAA

I know, I know. This is usually a space reserved for professional sports, not "amateur" sports. However, some of the so called "amateur" sports make money. A lot of money, to be somewhat exact. But happens when you try to up the jig when the jig is already up? Well, you get this little organization called the NCAA.

Throughout the offseason, the media has become fixated on Johnny Football. Really it's quite graphic. They seem more willing to talk about Johnny's tendency to sip a Stella Artois than Johnny's tendency to win football games and, you know, the Heisman trophy. It doesn't even matter that Johnny's last name is actually Manziel - errr, I think - and that Johnny Manziel is human being.

Nope, he's just a recently felled carcass ripe for the feasting.

That's why when paired with his recent run-in with the egregiously overbearing NCAA rule book, I still kind of feel bad for Manziel.  Yes, he broke a rule (read: a stupid rule) by allegedly accepting money for autographs. And yea, breaking rules is bad.  But sometimes it takes somebody of Manziel's stature to show us how bad the rules really are.

(Related: No matter your view on Manziel, Wright Thompson's take on Johnny Football is worth your time.)

One of the angles that has been taken by some, ahem, journalists has been focused on Manziel's family money. Why does Manziel need the money if his family is already filthy-oil-rich? [*Checks current location; still in America*] If the same, ahem, journalists are so outraged by Manziel's greed, then maybe they need to take a quick look around our countries landscape and realize greed's prominence in our culture. Whether you believe that to be right or wrong, it's omnipresent nonetheless.

Johnny Manziel is only eight months removed from taking home the
Heisman Trophy, but his world has been turned upside down. (ESPN)

Anyway, back to the real point here. Manziel's alleged actions show a major injustice within the NCAA rules. Sure, many of us knew that these injustices existed, but maybe some of us needed a little reminder by perhaps the most famous and polarizing college athlete of right now getting caught in one of those infamous unjust NCAA scandals.

Check.

How much longer can the NCAA hang on to its profit-mongering ways? The O'Bannon case is in full swing, and the case by the current and former players involved is looking stronger and stronger by the day. Certainly not helping the NCAA's case is that the public perception of the organization tanks every time it goes after a player or botches one of its one investigations.

Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of NCAA profiteering is in its jersey sales. Year after year, the NCAA sells jerseys from each of the schools and with certain numbers and no names (obviously).  However, the numbers just so happen to match the numbers of the prominent and most popular players at each school. Hmm, something seems a bit too fishy here. Do you really believe that the No. 2 Texas A&M jersey hanging in the window of your local sporting goods store isn't Johnny Manziel and it just so happens to be a randomly selected number?

Right. It almost feels like our intelligence is being insulted.

Well, ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was tired of his intelligence being insulted by the all-to-convenient jersey numbers (he's a lawyer too, so we know what happens when you insult them).

On Tuesday he took to Twitter and NCAAShop.com.  Over a series of tweets throughout the day, Bilas tweeted out screenshots of what comes up when you search certain players in the site's search bar.  Needless to say, the results were astounding.

You can check out his timeline to see for yourself. My personal favorite was when he search for former LSU safety Tyrann Mathieu, the same Tyrann Mathieu that had been SUSPENDED by the NCAA last season for failed drug tests, and his jersey still came up.

Notwithstanding his suspension, NCAA still sells Tyran Mathieu, searchable by his name, on http://t.co/qpH4tNnIpH. pic.twitter.com/FtN3Y0NLQD
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) August 6, 2013

Later in the day, the NCAA disabled the search feature on the site.

Bilas's work completely undermines the NCAA's spoken stance on the issue.  They are defending themselves in the O'Bannon suit partially under the idea that a No. 2 Texas A&M jersey is simply a No. 2 Texas A&M jersey and not a Johnny Manziel jersey.  Getting off on the technicality that there is no name on the back looses its footing when you can find a No. 2 Texas A&M jersey on NCAAShop.com by entering "Johnny Manziel" in the search bar.

As the NCAA continues investigating the case against Johnny Manziel, remember that the NCAA has also racked up quite the case against themselves.  The hypocrisy is as transparent as ever and widespread change seems to be on the doorstep of college athletics.  If there's one person that knows all about the NCAA hypocrisy it's Johnny Manziel because we all know that he didn't earn the nickname Johnny Football by going to math class.


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - A-Rod's Impact on Minor League Attendance

For a paper in one of my classes back in my freshman year of college, I sat down with the General Manager of the Trenton Thunder (NY Yankees Double-A affiliate), Will Smith, to talk about what it is like to be a GM at the minor league level.  Of course, one of the major points that I wanted to touch on was how to consistently put butts in the seats, which is the goal of any GM in sports but especially minor league baseball.  He went through the laundry list of business promotions, the focus on selling to groups, the whole nine yards.  But minor league baseball has a unique attendance draw that nobody else has.

Rehab assignments.

Now, he was clear that they do not ever root for a player to get hurt just so that there will be the inevitable rehab assignment.  But these assignments are such a huge draw.  Where else can you see major league stars play while sitting in a $10 seat in the first row?

Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees third baseman recovering from hip surgery, recently began a 20-day rehab assignment through the Yankees’ minor league system.  A-Rod’s presence was certainly felt, drawing huge crowds (Single-A speaking) out to the ballpark.

usatoday.com

The assignment began in Charleston, N.C. with the Riverdogs, the Yankees’ low-A affiliate.  According to Bleeding Yankee Blue, last year the Riverdogs averaged just under 3,800 fans per game.  Their stadium seating capacity is about 6,000.  On July 2^nd, the first game that A-Rod played in Charleston, an impressive 8,255 fans came out to Joseph P. Riley Park.  It was the second largest crowd on head at the park, just behind its opening day in 2007.  

After another night with the Single-A Riverdogs and another night above capacity, A-Rod made his way down I-95 (Hey, that’s us!) to play for the high-A Tampa Yankees. The night prior to A-Rod’s arrival, Tample had a crowd of about 1,500 fans.  The very next night with A-Rod in the lineup, the Tampa Yanks more than doubled the attendance with 3,148 fans in attendance.

As A-Rod moves his way up through the system, more of the Yankees’ farm system will feel the power of having a superstar major-leaguer on their field.  With likely stops in Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, A-Rod’s name will be a huge draw.  Eduardo Nunez recently finished a rehab game with Trenton on the Fourth of July and Derek Jeter has been in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a few days.  

Although Thunder GM Will Smith said that they certainly do not root for players to get hurt, he certainly does not mind the extra faces in the stands. The Thunder are one of the more successful minor league franchises and even after a couple of days of fireworks and a retirement party for their long-time bat-dog, Chase, A-Rod’s presence will surely bring the best crowds of the season.  

 Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - Stevens Making the Leap from College to the NBA

With the sports news in an afternoon lull, it looked as if we were all going to be heading into the evening wondering what A-Rod will do in his couple of at-bats at Single-A Charleston.  And then... BOOM!

thesportsbank.net

Out of nowhere, the Boston Celtics plucked the 36-year-old coaching prodigy, Brad Stevens, from the tight grasp of the Butler Bulldogs.  Stevens, who led Butler to two NCAA Championship games in his six seasons at the helm, has reportedly agreed on a six-year deal worth $22 million.  Having turned down the UCLA head coaching job earlier in the offseason, the Celtics must have been one of Stevens' dream jobs that he said would be the only way that he would leave Butler.

The opening on the Celtics bench was created when previous head coach Doc Rivers was traded (yes, the coach was traded) to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2015 first round pick.  The Rivers trade was one of two major deals that the Celtics have made in their rebuilding offseason; the other was sending superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as well as Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Kris Joseph (wait two Kris's with a "K"?) and three future first round picks.

With all of the movement at the head coaching position in the NBA this offseason, the Celtics' move to hire Stevens now joins the Nets and newly retired-player-turned-head-coach Jason Kidd as the two major coaching stories to watch going into next year.

Stevens' situation is particularly interesting for two reasons: 1) Stevens is making the leap from college to the NBA, and 2) the Celtics are rebuilding.  Stevens is certainly not the first coach to make the leap, but given his status and accomplishments at Butler, he is one of the most intriguing.

The Celtics are no stranger to hiring college coaches.  Prior to Doc Rivers, the last three Celtics coaches had a wealth of college head coaching experience.  John Carroll took over after Jim O'Brien's resignation.  Carroll was a one-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year at Duquense.  Before Carroll, it was O'Brien, who won the 1996 NCAA title as an assistant at Kentucky.  And of course, how could we forget Rick Pitino, who bolted from Kentucky after the 1996 NCAA title.  In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to give Pitino all of the keys to the organization.

Last time the Celts hired a successful college coach, he kicked things off by stealing Red Auerbach's presidency. This can't go worse.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 3, 2013

Of the three coaches before Rivers, O'Brien had the best record going 139-119 for a .539 winning percentage.  The three combined to go 255-287 over seven seasons.  At Butler, Stevens went 166-49 in six seasons.

Stevens though offers great hope.  Although the Celtics may struggle this coming year, the franchise is clearly building for the future and are willing to ride it out with Stevens as indicated by the six-year deal.  It will be interesting to see how Stevens handles the NBA-size egos, although many have already made the joke that he coached better talent at Butler than he will this year with the Celtics.


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - Business Fallout For Aaron Hernandez

"You should probably lay low for a while because you're probably wanted for murder." - Anchorman

Alright, so maybe Ron Burgundy was talking to Brick Tamland and not Aaron Hernandez, but at this rate he may as well have been.  The troubled New England Patriots tight end seems closer and closer to finding himself with a murder charge on his record sheet after his Wednesday morning arrest, something that does not look so nice next to his 175 receptions, nearly 2,000 yards receiving, and 18 touchdowns.

bostonglobe.com

Of course, nothing is official yet.  Hernandez could be hit with just the original obstruction of justice since breaking a security system and busting a cell phone are not exactly aiding justice, per se.  Then again, maybe Hernandez gets off with nothing at all.  Some may cry professional athlete with that, but who knows, maybe all of the evidence that is piling up against Hernandez like the winter snow in Foxborough is just a big inconvenient coincidence.

In addition to feeling the heat from the authorities, Hernandez is beginning to feel the heat on the business end as well.  Cytosport, a sports nutrition company best known as the makers of Muscle Milk, has dropped Hernandez from their athlete portfolio.  Other athletes that endorse Cytosport are Clay Matthews (Green Bay Packers), Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers), and most recently Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles Dodgers) among others.

Upon hearing the news of Hernandez's arrest, the Patriots promptly released the 23-year-old.  As for his contract with the Patriots, Hernandez signed a 5-year, $40 million extension in 2012 that included $16 million guaranteed.  He is represented by Athletes First.  It remains to be seen if the Patriots could recover some of the guaranteed money that they owe Hernandez, although that will likely be contingent on the legal proceedings.

The Patriots had already asked Hernandez to stay away from Gillette Stadium and all team facilities.  Owner Robert Kraft said that he did not want the Patriots' facilities to become a media stakeout like Hernandez's North Attleboro home has become.

athletetattoodatabase.com

Many will try to breakdown Hernandez's involvement (or lack thereof) in the murder of Odin Lloyd and pin it on a certain piece of character that may look questionable.  Is it because Hernandez has tattoos?  His alleged gang involvement?  The jock culture sense of entitlement?

Circumstantially, you could make an argument in favor of any of the three.  That is the easy way out, though. Read Charles Pierce's piece about Aaron Hernandez and the American Way because he puts my thoughts in much more eloquent writing.  You will enjoy it, trust me. But even if there are guns in the world, just don't shoot people.  Is that too much to ask?  Professional athlete or not, I don't think we are asking for anything too outlandish.


Now Hernandez is arrested and in the hands of the police.  If Hernandez is charged in connection to Lloyd's murder, he will become just another athlete that threw it all away.  Then again, he already lost his endorsement and his contract, so maybe he already has.

Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - US Open Brings Big Money to Philadelphia Area

The 2013 US Open tees off from Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, P.A. this morning, but the impact has already begun to be felt.  With three days of practice rounds already in the books, the Philadelphia area has likely already seen a boost in the local economy.

Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Inquirer took a look at amount of money that the area is set to take in.  They pegged the figure between $100 and $120 million and about 190,000 spectators, volunteers and staff over the course of the week.  To set a standard for comparison, the article used the 2002 X Games, which brought in $40 million and 235,000 spectators over ten days.

This kind of eight to nine figure economic impact within a week to two week span is something that professional teams cannot offer.  Teams tout their impact on the local economy, but study after study shows that in most cases there is simply a shift in where the the impact is felt within a certain region, not necessarily resulting in an overall gain.

However, major events like a US Open bring in people from outside of the country and sometimes from outside of the United States.  Hotels have reported that they have seen reservations from foreign countries like Germany, Ireland, and Japan, according to the Inquirer.

With Monday's practice round a washout, it is uncertain how much the impact will be, well, impacted.  If you only had tickets to Monday's practice round, would you have left early, hung around and checked out the area, or hung around and tried to get tickets to another practice round?  Maybe the combination would result in no change to the overall estimated impact.

Either way, the pros are ready to take on one of the most historic courses in the country, Merion Golf Club.  Though short, Merion will prove to be a difficult test for many especially when it comes to making disciplined decisions and club selections.  The pros are ready to play, but are you ready to spend?


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense - Top 3 Brands to Watch in the NBA Finals

I would ask who all of you think will win the 2013 edition of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs, but the clear favorite seems to be the Heat.  I already asked about where the NBA Finals will stand in terms of television ratings, but I did that at another time in another place.  Taking things in a bit of a different direction here are my top three brands to watch during the NBA Finals.

We have already seen guys like Golden State's Stephen Curry and Memphis' Mike Conley and Indiana's Roy Hibbert (before his distasteful comments) vault their way into the next level of stardom.  Curry, doing things that are not even possible in video games, looked dangerously close to putting all of Golden State - well, San Francisco - on his back to the Western Conference Finals.  Conley's Western Conference Finals performance may have fallen short of the show he put on in the previous round against Curry's Warriors, but he finally looked like a player deserving of a 5-year, $45 million contract.  Hibbert sky-hooked the Pacers within one game of the NBA Finals and is looking to be reviving the dying bread of old school centers.

With the playoffs now down to two teams, which three players have the most to gain in the NBA Finals?

Chris Andersen (Miami Heat, Forward)
NBA followers have known about "Birdman" for years, and at 34 years old, it's tough to tell whether they know him for his on-court doings or his ever-growing collection of colorful tattoos.  Either way, for a brand's sake, truthfully it doesn't matter where the positive attention is coming from.

But is enough of the attention paid to Andersen positive?  His public image is, well, what is the opposite of clean-cut?  There are jokes about the evolution of his tattoos and jokes about cocaine.  No matter how you look at it though, he has been an important role player for the Heat bringing hustle and intensity off of the bench.


Of course, he is not going to garner much attention, if any, from the major national brands.  But what about niche brands?  I can see Andersen possibly reaching teenage audiences like the X Games and extreme sports, it's just a matter of a company putting themselves out there and taking a big chance.  At the very least, people should know that it's Andersen not Anderson by the end of the series.

Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs, Forward/Guard)
Leonard may not be a name that has made it into the households of the NBA's casual fans, but he's certainly knocking.  Only 21 years old, Leonard is a burgeoning star in the league and making quite the case to take over the reins from the Spurs' trio of thirty-somethings in Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili.

Only two years into his young career, the one thing we know for sure about the forward from San Diego State University is that he's a physical freak.  Standing at 6-foot-7, Leonard has a wingspan of almost 7-foot-2.  Check out this recent episode of ESPN's Sports Science on him.

Leonard has not had his major breakout performance or series yet, but it is on the horizon and approaching quickly.  He plays the game with intensity and heart along with his athleticism.  As the Duncans, and Parkers, and Ginobilis in San Antonio slowly ride into the sunset, look for Leonard to become a team leader and spokesman for the other players.  His marketability has a chance to boom.

LeBron James (Miami Heat, Forward)
I know, I know.  How could the 2013 NBA Finals really impact LeBron James?  James is going for rare territory here.  For his entire career, he has stared comparisons to Michael Jordan straight in the face and done a pretty good job keeping up.  The media may have expected LeBron to have broken the all-time scoring record and have eight rings already, but in reality, he has done a fine job handling the expectations.

He is 28 years old now, still with a nice chunk of his career ahead of him.  If the Heat win this year, then LeBron has two career rings.  Each ring from here is one big step closer to Jordan, and one big step ahead for his brand.


LeBron is a mega-brand of our era.  His Q-Score was 17 as of January this year which is near the top of the NBA.  Also, he has the wins and statistics to back everything up.  He has endorsements with some of the largest national brands in the US like Nike, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Samsung.  Another championship ring will just further cement his place in the sports business realm and take one step closer to Jordan.

Honorable mention: Chris Bosh (Miami Heat forward that may find himself on the trading block) and Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs forward from Brazil that has a chance to continue growing the game in his home country)

At least one player will come out of these NBA Finals with the chance to see their marketability and popularity boom.  Who will it be?  We find out when the NBA Finals tip off tonight on ABC.


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Broken News - Sports Media Rights Bubble

The sports media business is a lucrative one.  We know that.  Of course over the years, especially via sports, we have become desensitized the incredibly large dollar figures (read: Alex Rodriguez's contract).  Media, namely TV rights deals, have had the same effect of late.  Look no further than ESPN's vast portfolio:

Property - Annual Payment From ESPN

NFL Monday Night Football -  $1.9 Billion

MLB - $700 Million

NBA - $930 Million (TNT shares some of the cost)

US Open (Tennis) - $75 Million

Big East - $18 Million 

ACC - $100 Million  

Big Ten - $260 Million  

Mountain West - $18 Million

Big 12/PAC 12 - $450 Million (split with FOX) 

Orange Bowl - $55 Million      

Sugar Bowl - $80 Million

Rose Bowl - $80 Million

If you cannot do math, I assure you that it is a ton of money.  And with a reported $125 million new studio in the works, money in Bristol, Conn. seems to be, well, endless.  ESPN is also in the process of creating an entire network for the SEC, so even though there are no numbers on cost floating around the Internet, we can be sure that ESPN will be going all in on the project (their recent hire of Paul Finebaum is an indication of this). 

The expenses are adding up, and that's not to say that ESPN is becoming financially unstable.  Earlier this month, Disney's (ESPN's parent company) stock hit an all-time high.  And with the television ratings for sporting events the closest thing to a sure thing in media right now, advertising will likely see a steady increase as well.

But you have to wonder, how long can this go on?  The sports media rights bubble will eventually burst.  It's inevitable.  But when?

Last week, ESPN announced that they would be laying off between 300 and 400 employees.  Certainly not a great sign of things to come.  The pressure is certainly felt in Bristol.  Whether it is from the Disney stakeholders, the competition of NBC Sports and the upcoming Fox Sports 1, cable subscribers pushing back against rising costs, advertisers becoming increasingly cash strapped, or what have you, the pressure is unquestionably there.  Nothing is forever.

The point is not to say that the pin is within an inch of the balloon, just that it is coming.  As more viewing options become available and crowds further disperse to different viewing experiences, the days of rights fees reaching nearly $2 billion annually may be closing in on us. 

The question is, "when?"

Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.

Dollars & Sense: NBA Rebranding in New Orleans and Charlotte

This week marks the beginning of the conference finals in the NBA playoffs – Memphis Grizzlies against the San Antonio Spurs (Spurs lead 2-0) in the west and the Miami Heat against the Indiana Pacers (Heat lead 1-0) in the east.  However, this week has been the week for the losers.  Between the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday and the current rebranding efforts in New Orleans and Charlotte, the losers are becoming just a little bit more lovable.  Or at least they are trying to be anyway.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans franchise has been marred by weak performances over the years and even weaker stability.  Making their debut in the league as the Charlotte Hornets in 1988 alongside the Miami Heat, the Hornets were constantly struggling in their first three years.  Names like Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Glen Rice helped build the franchise to the point where Rice led them to their first back-to-back NBA playoff appearances in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

Rice, Bogues, and Mourning (Soletron.com)

However, attendance and fan base found themselves in rapid decline after the 1997-98 season.  Dropping from their peak in the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons where they averaged 24,042 fans per game, the Hornets found themselves averaging only 11,286 in 2001-02.  That was the final straw for the franchise in Charlotte.

The Hornets relocated their franchise to New Orleans searching for greener pastures and greener wallets.  What they found was a relatively small increase in attendance though.  In the 2003-04 season, the Hornets ranked 28^th in the NBA in attendance. 

When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the New Orleans franchise split their time in Oklahoma City due to the destruction in their home city.  Though the Hornets played in Oklahoma City to wonderful attendance success – proven success that later aided the Seattle Super Sonics in their controversial relocation to Oklahoma City in 2008 – it was not their home town.

Now settled back into their home in New Orleans with a couple of high profile talents on their roster in Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis, the franchise is beginning to feel like they have an identity again.  One problem… The Hornets name is still from their Charlotte days.  They want their own.

Enter the New Orleans Pelicans.  Currently undergoing the transformation, the Pelicans are now official and awaiting game one of the 2013-14 regular season to show it off.  After walking away with the sixth pick in this summer’s NBA Draft after Tuesday’s draft lottery, the Pelicans will look to add some more fire power to their young squad.

ESPN.com

The early stages of the transition from the menacing Hornets to the seemingly friendly Pelicans has been met with its fair share of criticism.  Is the criticism warranted?  It is tough to say because anybody can sit back and criticize when they have not been in the driver’s seat on this type of decision.   Let’s just give them their credit in that the logo designers made the most intimidating pelican possible.  And let’s be honest, the New Orleans franchise was doomed for a unfitting name when the Utah Jazz – Utah! – took the Jazz nickname.

Charlotte Hornets

After the Hornets left Charlotte for New Orleans in 2002, the city was left without an NBA franchise.  However, despite the declining attendance numbers that pushed the Hornets to New Orleans in the first place, the NBA saw potential. 

NBA.com

The city was not without an NBA franchise for long as the Bobcats were born in 2004, two years after the Hornets left.  Expansion had been on the mind of the NBA for a little while, and Charlotte had supported a franchise in the past.  Had the NBA known the potential in Oklahoma City – potential that was not realized until after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – maybe Charlotte would still be waiting for the NBA’s return. 

Problem was that bobcats are not really synonymous with the Charlotte areas, or many areas in the world, so the nickname seemed a little bit out of left field.  Sure it sounds fierce, but that is not the point.  In the NBA where there are so many classic team names - think Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, 76ers -  few people could envision the Bobcats (or the Pelicans for that matter) becoming a name of that stature.

But now, with the Hornets becoming the Pelicans in New Orleans, the window is now open for the Bobcats to return to their roots by switching back to the Hornets.  Basically, now instead of having two cities with confused nicknames, we have one wrong righted and one team still trying to figure it out and create their own identity.

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Regardless of how you feel about the Pelicans or the Hornets or the Bobcats, one thing will always ring true: winning cures everything.  Look at the opposite end of the spectrum in Major League Baseball last season with the Miami Marlins.  Known as the Florida Marlins since their first season in 1993, ownership decided to rebrand the team with new colors, a new ballpark, a new roster, and a more geographically narrowed home in Miami prior to the beginning of last season. 

Of course, we all know that the Marlins went on to completely implode last year finishing in last place in the National League East and resulting in the fire sale of players this past offseason, and now they are terrible again.  Oh, and attendance is back to its pre-Marlins Park numbers.  If the Marlins would have kept winning, then maybe they could have build on the momentum of the new park and the infusion of talent.  Now that would have been a rebranding success.

What has become a relatively quiet rebranding success is the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL.  With a rich history in the WHA and then the NHL from 1972-1996, the Jets were a relatively successful franchise before being moved to Phoenix to become the Coyotes in 1996.  Never missing the playoffs in more than two seasons in a row in their NHL days, the Jets were always in it.  In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg and brought the tradition back to life.

This past season, the Jets found themselves four points behind the New York Islanders for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they were certainly in it.  Also, and probably more importantly, the Jets averaged 100-percent attendance with just over 15,000 fans per game (remember that basketball attendance capacities in arenas are higher than hockey).  It is hard to ask for more from a team that just wrapped up their second season in a new city.

By now, it should be clear that the key to rebranding success for the Pelicans and the Hornets is to do exactly the opposite that the Marlins did.  Winning is a major player in building a loyal fan base, and winning is something that the Marlins are not doing but the Jets are.  Whether it is the NBA or the MLB or the NHL or any other professional sports league in the world, the formula is simple.  Just win, baby. 


Follow Kevin Rossi on Twitter @kevin_rossi.