New Marketing Plan: The NJ Nets and Mikhail Prokhorov
As many of you know, the NJ Nets have only won 8 games this season and are likely to break the record for worst record in a season.
Most of this is self inflicted. They announced a, since stalled, move to Brooklyn years ago that so far as only succeeded in driving NJ fans away. In the wake of the real estate collapse, owner Brett Ratner had to slash payroll and traded away three all star caliber guys for a bag of peanuts.
I still get email promotions encouraging me to come to games. Things of course have gotten so bad that they have recently changed their tone. Now, they are promoting the arrival of new owner, Russian oligarch, Mikhail Prokhorov. Today’s email promoted Prokhorov’s interview on 60 Minutes this weekend and included the following excerpt from the supporting CBS News story
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He then became well known in Europe for a headline-making incident involving eight Russian “models” – an incident that ultimately left him Russia’s richest man.
The women were flown into France by Prokhorov for a new year’s party he was throwing for his friends; the French authorities reacted by detaining Prokhorov under suspicion of promoting prostitution.
“It was absolutely a police misunderstanding,” says Prokhorov.
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HAH!
This is going to be awesome. He is even keeping Jay-Z in the ownership structure! The temporary move to Newark(!), a lottery that favors the Nets getting the #1 pick ( John Wall ), and the likelihood that Prokhorov is willing to use both the carrot (hookers) and the stick (hostage taking) in his LeBron James recruiting pitch all add up to a strong argument for getting season tickets. Who wants in?
Nets fever! Catch It!
Posted on March 26th, 2010 Filed in: Sports
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I have considered season tickets – not a full season, but one of those packages of 15 games or so. But I won’t do anything until the finally kick the hippies out and break ground on the new stadium.
I went to my first Nets game a few weeks ago. Lebron James was in town, so I figured it was worth it. What a miserable experience. NJ Transit to Seacaucus, and then a shuttle bus through traffic to the stadium. Took an hour from Midtown.
But yeah, when I can walk home for the Stadium I might be in on this.
It’s interesting because for Jets or Giants, you can now take a nj transit train straight to the meadowlans. They did not do it for the Nets because the Nets are moving
Before they get to Brooklyn though, it should be noted that they are moving to Newark next year (for either 2 or 3 or infinite years).
The Prudential Center is cool for several reasons – people call it the ROCK, it is only two years old, and it is completely PATH accessible so to get to it all you have to do is be on the west side.
If America’s mayor, Corey Booker has his way the Nets will stay in Newark forever.
WOW – that 60 minutes piece on Prokhorov was freaking genius
I dunno if the highlight was him showing steve kroft how to use a Russian special forces automatic weapon or when they went to what looked like the most awesome dance club in Moscow
Totally what the NBA needs to rehabilitate it’s image. Predictions – Gilbert Arenas becomes Nets GM, Client #9 gets a sweetheart consulting gig, and all Nets games are schduled for midnight or later.
I like the way he said “Frankly speaking…I like…women”…all the pauses…and that serious russian-cartoon accent…super funny