Post by slash on Jul 12, 2010 15:53:30 GMT -5
"Rave" Institutes Activity Stimulus Bill
The New York Times has just received information from a high ranking official in the SSBL League Office that the league will institute a new "stimulus bill" that will encourage activity during the playoffs and free agency period.
The New York Times has obtained a copy of the internal memorandum, which is circulating today to all league owners and General Managers.
It has been a tough year for our basketball league. Since January 1, the new Euro has weakened the American market, which has also caused a small crunch on every team's finances, let alone the whole league.
With the growth of the Internet, we have seen the appearances of worms and viruses that can wreak havoc on whole networks. Several computers here have been afflicted by the Melissa worm.
Our attempts to expand our basketball market in China are threatened by the Chinese government's attempts to control Internet access.
Our brand of basketball has some bright spots and young stars, but overall, we seem to be in a lull due to the gradual fade of the old guard of established stars. This has resulted in some rather unexciting basketball, and perhaps this has challenged our GMs' commitment to running good teams.
We are also deeply saddened and shocked by the shooting at Columbine High School, which has claimed the lives of 15 people.
Such events make the following policy important for many reasons.
To facilitate activity, marketing, publicity, and to do our part to help people cope with tragedy, we need to bring more basketball, and to do so by writing articles.
Beginning today, and until the results of the 2nd Day of Free Agency are announced, we will credit teams who write articles to obtain a $100 per article.1 So when teams write good articles, power rankings, and the like, they can make an additional $100. This all adds up for you, and it adds up for the league, as the playoffs and the beginning of the offseason are exciting times for the league.
We hope that GMs will make good use of this policy, and will enrich the league and the rest of society by focusing more on basketball, a growing sport and a growing brand.
1This "stimulus" bill can only be claimed for two articles per team.
Questions arise about the health of the league, and concerns are exacerbated by the fact that the Collective Bargaining Agreement is due to expire soon, and as always, there is a threat of a lockout or strike.
"If you're going to talk about the health of the league, why don't you talk about the commissioners' ability to oversee the general managers?" asked a former GM and associate of the SSBL leadership. "They've been way too lax and way too lackadaisical."
While some may question the leadership, others point to the reality of the situation. One current GM stated, "Listen, running a basketball team takes a lot of time, and all of these General Managers have business interests and commitments outside of basketball. These guys have worked together for years, and they know how to run their teams and function in a league like the SSBL. You've got to be realistic and recognize that they're all doing their best."
Ultimately, one can wonder about the relevance of basketball. It is quickly being left in the dust by Major League Baseball, which is experiencing a renaissance of sorts thanks to an emergence of power hitting (see page C14 for an article on power hitters today). While the NBA has exciting young players in Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and Allen Iverson, there seem to be a wider number of baseball players who are just as exciting and marketable.
And one cannot forget the ultimate factor. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player in history, is enjoying retirement, leaving a league without a de facto face for the first time in a decade. Football is doing just fine, baseball has a plethra of talents and a dominating franchise in the Yankees, but who does basketball have?
Without Jordan, the league's revenues are down significantly:
Hence the memo. Clearly co-commissioners Slash and Ray want the GMs to buy into their larger picture strategy, and to capitalize on current events and new developments. If all goes well, the General Managers can leverage attention paid to young stars into a renewed interest in basketball. Sure, His Airness is gone, but the league has Shaq, Kobe, Tim Duncan, Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Carter, and other young players who are refreshing the league with fantastic new talents.
In the memo, Slash and Ray urge GMs to make use of a unique environment to market up-and-coming stars and teams.
"It's just a matter of raising attention to these players, especially to smaller market players like Garnett, or to exciting smaller market teams like the Kings," asserted one league official. "Combine that with new trends in technology, and we could see a meteoric growth in league revenue and interest. The talent is there! We just need GMs to do their part by upping their publicity efforts too."
As activity picks up, so does interest. As interest picks up, so does revenue. But until things pick up, this league might be stuck in tough times.
The New York Times has just received information from a high ranking official in the SSBL League Office that the league will institute a new "stimulus bill" that will encourage activity during the playoffs and free agency period.
The New York Times has obtained a copy of the internal memorandum, which is circulating today to all league owners and General Managers.
It has been a tough year for our basketball league. Since January 1, the new Euro has weakened the American market, which has also caused a small crunch on every team's finances, let alone the whole league.
With the growth of the Internet, we have seen the appearances of worms and viruses that can wreak havoc on whole networks. Several computers here have been afflicted by the Melissa worm.
Our attempts to expand our basketball market in China are threatened by the Chinese government's attempts to control Internet access.
Our brand of basketball has some bright spots and young stars, but overall, we seem to be in a lull due to the gradual fade of the old guard of established stars. This has resulted in some rather unexciting basketball, and perhaps this has challenged our GMs' commitment to running good teams.
We are also deeply saddened and shocked by the shooting at Columbine High School, which has claimed the lives of 15 people.
Such events make the following policy important for many reasons.
- One, we must strengthen our brand by stepping up our publicity efforts.
- Two, we must encourage competitiveness and activity by writing articles that commend and critique each other for managerial activities.
- Three, we must leverage the use of Internet bulletin boards to develop a stronger fanbase.
- Four, in light of the tragedy at Columbine, it is imperative that we do what we can to provide an outlet and a "pick-up" from such a terrible tragedy. In addition, we find this a great opportunity to focus our publicity and marketing on education and awareness about issues like school safety.
- Five, we recognize that some GMs in this league are not doing enough to stick around in this new era of SSBL.
To facilitate activity, marketing, publicity, and to do our part to help people cope with tragedy, we need to bring more basketball, and to do so by writing articles.
Beginning today, and until the results of the 2nd Day of Free Agency are announced, we will credit teams who write articles to obtain a $100 per article.1 So when teams write good articles, power rankings, and the like, they can make an additional $100. This all adds up for you, and it adds up for the league, as the playoffs and the beginning of the offseason are exciting times for the league.
We hope that GMs will make good use of this policy, and will enrich the league and the rest of society by focusing more on basketball, a growing sport and a growing brand.
1This "stimulus" bill can only be claimed for two articles per team.
Questions arise about the health of the league, and concerns are exacerbated by the fact that the Collective Bargaining Agreement is due to expire soon, and as always, there is a threat of a lockout or strike.
"If you're going to talk about the health of the league, why don't you talk about the commissioners' ability to oversee the general managers?" asked a former GM and associate of the SSBL leadership. "They've been way too lax and way too lackadaisical."
While some may question the leadership, others point to the reality of the situation. One current GM stated, "Listen, running a basketball team takes a lot of time, and all of these General Managers have business interests and commitments outside of basketball. These guys have worked together for years, and they know how to run their teams and function in a league like the SSBL. You've got to be realistic and recognize that they're all doing their best."
Ultimately, one can wonder about the relevance of basketball. It is quickly being left in the dust by Major League Baseball, which is experiencing a renaissance of sorts thanks to an emergence of power hitting (see page C14 for an article on power hitters today). While the NBA has exciting young players in Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, and Allen Iverson, there seem to be a wider number of baseball players who are just as exciting and marketable.
And one cannot forget the ultimate factor. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player in history, is enjoying retirement, leaving a league without a de facto face for the first time in a decade. Football is doing just fine, baseball has a plethra of talents and a dominating franchise in the Yankees, but who does basketball have?
Without Jordan, the league's revenues are down significantly:
- TV ratings for nationally televised games are down 10%
- The All-Star Game only garnered a 2.4 rating
- Merchandise sales are down 5%, cutting down NBA revenue
- The New York Knicks, the league's most valuable team in terms of assets and revenue, have the 10th poorest TV ratings and revenue due to an "unexciting" style of play (revenue last season was at $200 million; this season it is down to $174 million)
- Jersey sales are down by 8% at Modell's, Sports Authority, and major retailers
Hence the memo. Clearly co-commissioners Slash and Ray want the GMs to buy into their larger picture strategy, and to capitalize on current events and new developments. If all goes well, the General Managers can leverage attention paid to young stars into a renewed interest in basketball. Sure, His Airness is gone, but the league has Shaq, Kobe, Tim Duncan, Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Carter, and other young players who are refreshing the league with fantastic new talents.
In the memo, Slash and Ray urge GMs to make use of a unique environment to market up-and-coming stars and teams.
"It's just a matter of raising attention to these players, especially to smaller market players like Garnett, or to exciting smaller market teams like the Kings," asserted one league official. "Combine that with new trends in technology, and we could see a meteoric growth in league revenue and interest. The talent is there! We just need GMs to do their part by upping their publicity efforts too."
As activity picks up, so does interest. As interest picks up, so does revenue. But until things pick up, this league might be stuck in tough times.
