NBA teams, New York Times

If Ya Gonna Be Bad, Be The Worst…

Sports is always a game of extremes…those who excel get the spoils, those who don’t get…well…nothing. However even worse than losing is mediocrity. In sports fans gravitate to the winner but can also tolerate the loser, and those who lose the most always have a sort of macabre curiosity. We never remember the 8-8 New York Jets…we remember the 0-14 Tampa Bay Bucs or the New Orleans ‘Aints. The 9-72 Philadelphia 76ers have reunions, the 41-41 Milwaukee Bucks don’t. The 1962 Mets are as celebrated as the ‘86 World Champions, but last years Mets are well, forgettable. So along those lines again come the New Jersey Nets, now 0-11 heading into their Saturday matchup with the Knicks. Always looking for a chance to get publicity, the Nets staged a whole series of promotions…featured in USA Today, AP, on radio and TV…going into their loss Tuesday night to Indiana. Even the New York Times, which does not staff the team regularly for games, gave the team and their 0-10 promotion sizable space, with all the detail going into the why of the event. So is the celebration of losing acceptable as a promotion? It certainly is not across the river, where the Knicks and their one win are not staging ticket and fan promotions, nor would it ever be for the Yankees, even in the darkest of days. Same for the Giants. Those three brands in particular still view themselves as gold standards not to be trifled with, and subsequently the acceptance or acknowledgment of losing as anything positive would never come into the mix. Is that denial and stickiness to brand effective in today’s challenged times? It depends and it does have some merit. People paying elite prices and brands looking for prime exposure, no matter how the onfield product is doing, do not want to be part of the sideshow. However that elite group in these tough times is dwindling and more and more elite brands will look to unique promotions or giveaways, once never considered, as acceptable to fill distressed inventory and satisfy ROI. There is also the way the promotion is presented. The Nets used it for a rally cry, not a way to cheapen the franchise value. Now if they approach the record of 0-17 and start throwing parties that’s another thing entirely. However to get some buzz in what would have been a dismal November weeknight, as well as move some tickets and get a few more fans to appreciate the fact that they are appreciated even in trying times, tells people that the team from a business standpoint continues to try and give some value. Losing is a brutal business, and rest assured continued losing won’t garner celebrations or sales. However for one night and for one shot at promotion, the Nets again proved that we love our extremes, and if you are gonna be bad, you might as well be the worst.