O/T what happened to the NBA? Bad Marketing?

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Posted By: Al C.risafulli

Here's another thing that bugs the HELL out of me, and I realize it's part of the nature of the beast these days, but that doesn't make it any less irritating.

My season tickets cost me a few thousand dollars. For that kind of money, I expect to go see a basketball game, maybe a little entertainment during time outs and halftimes, maybe bring a client to the club for a drink at halftime.

I do NOT expect to see commercials everywhere I look. I can understand stadium naming rights, and I can understand various signage around the arena. I do NOT want two LED boards running around the perimeter of the stadium bowl, showing moving ads DURING the game. I do not want a jumbotron showing commercials during every stop in play - and sometimes during play itself. I do not want to hear the team introduced as "Nets Basketball presented by Jackson Hewitt Tax Service," nor do I want to hear every single thing sponsored by somebody.

At the Izod Arena (heh), the VISITING TEAM'S LOCKER ROOM has a sponsor (really). I can't have a drink at the Winner's Club, I need to have a drink at the Dewars' Whiskey Winner's Club. The Courtside Club is the Nissan Courtside Club. The non-alcoholic section is the Aeropostale Family Zone, or something like that. It seems like every square inch of space has a sponsor.

If I stay home and watch the game on TV for the price of my satellite service, I can expect to see two minutes of commercials during timeouts, and a few more during halftime. If I pay a few thousand for season tickets, I'm bombarded with ads during the entire game. It's ridiculous, it's distracting, and it totally disrupts my enjoyment of the game.

Part of what's great about basketball is the rhythm and the flow of the game. There's constant motion on every section of the court. Even the play-by-play has a rhythm to it. It's a beautiful thing to watch. To me, the barrage of ads totally interferes with that rhythm.

And that's coming from a marketing guy.

-Al