WOJ: Hawks owner Bruce Levenson to sell team after racist email

[DStebb716]

@WojYahooNBA: Owner Bruce Levenson will sell the Atlanta Hawks after revelation of a 2012 racist email, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces.

[DStebb716]

To be clear: he voluntarily informed the league that he made the mistake and informed them he would sell the team due to his actions.

[PJR]

Sounds like he just kept it real in regards to Atlanta crowds in an email. :lol

Good for him to self report it, before the blogs and the media got a hold of it to publicly shame him.

His ownership group is likely going to turn quite the profit, though. They bought the team for 250 million. Since then, the Bucks sold for 500 million, and the Clippers sold for 2 billion. Franchise values have sky-rocketed.

[TylerOO]

I forgot the Hawks were an NBA team. Do they still got Shareef?

[Meticode]

To be clear: he voluntarily informed the league that he made the mistake and informed them he would sell the team due to his actions.
Makes me feel like someone was gong to leak it to and he decided to come clean first.

[Kblaze8855]

His statement:


[QUOTE]“Over the past several years, I've spent a lot of time grappling with low attendance at our games and the need for the Hawks to attract more season ticket holders and corporate sponsors. Over that time, I've talked with team executives about the need for the Hawks to build a more diverse fan base that includes more suburban whites, and I shared my thoughts on why our efforts to bridge Atlanta's racial sports divide seemed to be failing.

In trying to address those issues, I wrote an e-mail two years ago that was inappropriate and offensive. I trivialized our fans by making clich

[atljonesbro]

Well, hopefully we get an owner who's willing to make shit happen at least.

[Dr. Ice]

*Reads statement*

Well one thing's for sure, i'm glad he lost his battle in getting country music over hip hop, because that would mean that we wouldn't have the best dj in the league right now

[Dr. Ice]

Here is the e-mail

From: Bruce Levenson
To: Ferry, Danny
CC: Foreman, Todd (ucg.com); Peskowitz, Ed (ucg.com)
Sent: 8/25/2012 11:47:02 PM
Subject: Re: Business/Game ops
1. from day one i have been impressed with the friendliness and professionalism of the arena staff — food vendors, ushers, ticket takers, etc. in our early years when i would bring folks from dc they were blown away by the contrast between abe pollin’s arena and philips. some of this is attributable to southern hospital and manners but bob and his staff do a good job of training. To this day, I can not get the ushers to call me Bruce yet they insist on me calling them by their first names.
2. the non-premium area food is better than most arenas, though that is not saying much. i think there is room for improvement and creativity. Levy is our food vendor so we don’t have much control but they have been good partners. i have wished we had some inconic offereing like boog’s barbeque at the baseball stadium in balt.
3. our new restaurant, red, just opened so too early for me to give you my thoughts.
4. Regarding game ops, i need to start with some background. for the first couple of years we owned the team, i didn’t much focus on game ops. then one day a light bulb went off. when digging into why our season ticket base is so small, i was told it is because we can’t get 35-55 white males and corporations to buy season tixs and they are the primary demo for season tickets around the league. when i pushed further, folks generally shrugged their shoulders. then i start looking around our arena during games and notice the following:
— it’s 70 pct black
— the cheerleaders are black
— the music is hip hop
— at the bars it’s 90 pct black
— there are few fathers and sons at the games
— we are doing after game concerts to attract more fans and the concerts are either hip hop or gospel.
Then i start looking around at other arenas. It is completely different. Even DC with its affluent black community never has more than 15 pct black audience.
Before we bought the hawks and for those couple years immediately after in an effort to make the arena look full (at the nba’s urging) thousands and thousands of tickets were being giving away, predominantly in the black community, adding to the overwhelming black audience.
My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base. Please dont get me wrong. There was nothing threatening going on in the arean back then. i never felt uncomfortable, but i think southern whites simply were not comfortable being in an arena or at a bar where they were in the minority. On fan sites i would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don’t know of a mugging or even a pick pocket incident. This was just racist garbage. When I hear some people saying the arena is in the wrong place I think it is code for there are too many blacks at the games.
I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while i don’t care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that’s our season tixs demo. i have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black.
Gradually things have changed. My unscientific guess is that our crowd is 40 pct black now, still four to five times all other teams. And my further guess is that 40 pct still feels like 70 pet to some whites at our games. Our bars are still overwhelmingly black.
This is obviously a sensitive topic, but sadly i think it is far and way the number one reason our season ticket base is so low.
And many of our black fans don’t have the spendable income which explains why our f&b and merchandise sales are so low. At all white thrasher games sales were nearly triple what they are at hawks games (the extra intermission explains some of that but not all).
Regardless of what time a game starts, we have the latest arriving crowd in the league. It often looks and sounds empty when the team takes the floor.
In the past two years, we have created a section of rowdy college students that has been a big plus. And we do a lot of very clever stuff during time outs to entertain the crowd. Our kiss cam is better done than any in the league.
We have all the same halftime acts that other arenas have but i question whether they make sense. people are on their cell phones during half time. i wonder if flashing on the scoreboard “$2 off on hot dogs during halftime tonight” just as the half ends would be a better use of our halftime dollars and make the fans happier.
We do all the usual giveways and the fans are usually their loudest when our spirit crew takes the floor to give away t-shirts. It pisses me off that they will yell louder for a t-shirt then for our players.
Our player intro is flat. We manufacture a lot of noise but because of the late arriving crowd and the fact that a lot of blacks dont seem to go as crazy cheering (another one of my theories) as whites, it is not great. Even when we have just returned from winnng four straight on the road, i am one of the few people in the arena standing and cheering when our team takes the floor. Bob has kicked around ideas like having the starters coming down aisles rather than off the bench during intros. Sounds cool but may highlight all the empty seats at the start of games.
Not enough of our fans wear hawks jerseys to games. i have just begun to push for ideas like discount food lines for folks wearing jerseys, special entrances, etc. I think we need a committed and perhaps incentivized fan club. We need to realize atl is simply different than every other city. Just adopting nba best practices is not enough. we have to create our own.
I am rambling and could probably go on forever. If you have any specific areas you would like my thoughts on, let me know.

[imnew09]

Sell it to donald

[IGOTGAME]

this is silly. what did he say that was wrong or worthy of selling the his share of the team.

[D-FENS]

I hope they get moved to a better market. Atlanta fans don't support the team. I actually think they would get more support with a black owner, but that probably won't happen.

Time to move to Seattle, Las Vegas, or Vancouver

[atljonesbro]

I hope they get moved to a better market. Atlanta fans don't support the team. I actually think they would get more support with a black owner, but that probably won't happen.

Time to move to Seattle, Las Vegas, or Vancouver
No

[Dr. Ice]

I hope they get moved to a better market. Atlanta fans don't support the team. I actually think they would get more support with a black owner, but that probably won't happen.

Time to move to Seattle, Las Vegas, or Vancouver
Hush

[Jameerthefear]

To be honest what he said really wasn't racist...

[Akrazotile]

this is silly. what did he say that was wrong or worthy of selling the his share of the team.


He probably just wants to cash out anyway, and is putting this out there to avoid any disruption from it being released down the road at an inconvenient time. :confusedshrug:

[D-FENS]

[QUOTE=Dr. Ice]

[Akrazotile]

It pisses me off that they will yell louder for a t-shirt then for our players.



:roll:

[IGOTGAME]

What's wrong with this fool? Atlanta is about 55% black. What does he expect? Instead of focusing on this shit, why not focus on why black people in Atlanta don't have disposable incomes? Why not have a marketing campaign aimed at fathers bringing sons to the games?

A lot of assumptions about race here, I'm glad this tool quit.

- why would he care about this?

[Real Men Wear Green]

I bet he's just sick of owning the Hawks.

[Inactive]

His email doesn't seem that bad to me.

He supposes that large black crowds, and hip hop music scared away racist southern whites. I don't know if he's right, but it sounds plausible, and isn't racist. He supposes that season ticket sales are low, because the affluent black community isn't large enough to support a significant season ticket base. That sounds plausible, and isn't racist. He supposes that merchandise sales are low, because their fanbase doesn't have much disposable income. Sounds plausible, isn't racist. He thinks "a lot of blacks dont seem to go as crazy cheering as whites", which seems weird, but still isn't exactly racist.

Where is the racist part?

[Shade8780]

inb4 SuperSonics.

Nvm, too late.

[navy]

Trying to cash in.

[Akrazotile]

His email doesn't seem that bad to me.

He supposes that large black crowds, and hip hop music scared away racist southern whites. I don't know if he's right, but it sounds plausible, and isn't racist. He supposes that season ticket sales are low, because the affluent black community isn't large enough to support a significant season ticket base. That sounds plausible, and isn't racist. He supposes that merchandise sales are low, because their fanbase doesn't have much disposable income. Sounds plausible, isn't racist. He thinks "a lot of blacks dont seem to go as crazy cheering as whites", which seems weird, but still isn't exactly racist.

Where is the racist part?


To be fair, I don't see it reported as "racist" by anyone other than Woj's tweet. Levenson called it inappropriate and potentially offensive.

[Haymaker]

I think he was talking about the specifics of the whole demographic clientele. There was nothing racist or hateful about the email. He was talking about target audience. That kind of talk is the daily bread of ad agencies and marketing firms. The problem is that if the email got leaked, someone could've used it and twist it to cause harm. There's no reason to sell the team, but maybe he just wanted damage control and decided it was not worth going through a PR crisis. That way he saves face and sells the team for a profit.

[fpliii]

I don't know if the email itself is racist (and since I'm not black, it shouldn't be up to me to determine whether or not it is), but some of the implications are. Some of it is just the discussion of simple demographics, but to suggest that you want to not only increase the # of white fans but reduce the # of black fans (as well as white-wash fan involvement at the games) is pretty problematic.

[swagga]

To be fair, I don't see it reported as "racist" by anyone other than Woj's tweet. Levenson called it inappropriate and potentially offensive.

****k wrong with this country? inappropirate and potentially offensive my ass. Them ATL ****** don't got the cash wtf this man supposed to do? Give them money from his pocket? There was nothing racist right there, that was some cold hard truth and this fagggot sensationalist press is aching to get more shit after the sterling monkey business.

LMAO at this forum, what a sensitive bunch. Man the fucck up, it's business. If he wrote something like: "we should take some measures to kick these ****** out so we can get that white confederate cotton cash" that would be racist. Dude was just wondering why can't he sell tickets when ATL is a big market and their services were quality.

[navy]

****k wrong with this country? inappropirate and potentially offensive my ass. Them ATL ****** don't got the cash wtf this man supposed to do? Give them money from his pocket? There was nothing racist right there, that was some cold hard truth and this fagggot sensationalist press is aching to get more shit after the sterling monkey business.

LMAO at this forum, what a sensitive bunch. Man the fucck up, it's business. If he wrote something like: "we should take some measures to kick these ****** out so we can get that white confederate cotton cash" that would be racist. Dude was just wondering why can't he sell tickets when ATL is a big market and their services were quality.
Who are you talking too? lol, mad for no reason.

The dude leaked an email nobody knew about and said it was offensive and then proceeded to put his team on the market despite nobody asking him too.

Nobody caught feelings except for you.

[swagga]

I don't know if the email itself is racist (and since I'm not black, it shouldn't be up to me to determine whether or not it is), but some of the implications are. Some of it is just the discussion of simple demographics, but to suggest that you want to not only increase the # of white fans but reduce the # of black fans (as well as white-wash fan involvement at the games) is pretty problematic.

that is racist tbh. Black or not black we are all human beings, there are no distinctions, you can determine it as well as any other guy, being black doesn't make one an expert on social issues.

And btw he didn't say he wants to decrease the number of black attendents.

Have I stayed too long in europe that I don't understand US anymore? :oldlol: WTF 15 years ago this type of thinking was unheard of.

[swagga]

Who are you talking too? lol, mad for no reason.

The dude leaked an email nobody knew about and said it was offensive and then proceeded to put his team on the market despite nobody asking him too.

Nobody caught feelings except for you.

lol I'm not mad, you don't hear such shit in germany so it dazzles me to see replies such as "it was racist" or that a white guy can't say if it was racist or not.

[fpliii]

that is racist tbh. Black or not black we are all human beings, there are no distinctions, you can determine it as well as any other guy, being black doesn't make one an expert on social issues.

And btw he didn't say he wants to decrease the number of black attendents.

Have I stayed too long in europe that I don't understand US anymore? :oldlol: WTF 15 years ago this type of thinking was unheard of.
Disagree. I feel the same way about the entire Redskins thing. It should be up to the offended party to determine what is racist.

[Akrazotile]

http://thyblackman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/blackbusinessman.jpg

Meh. It's just a business email. Whatever.





http://www.theblaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/rachel-maddow.jpg

Everyone listen up!!! This just shows how racist and stupid the WHITE MAN is!!!! It's like, the white man and his corporations are trying to turn racism into the new religion so that all the stupid white sheep will watch fox news which is just promoting stupid RACIST WHITE PEOPLE who are stupid and evil, stupid racist white people!!!! gawd im so cool, everyone look at me!!!!

[Nash]

It is racist for the simple reason that none of this would have been said if it was the other way around. Get it?

[fpliii]

These two portions seem to constitute the bulk of it:
[QUOTE]4. Regarding game ops, i need to start with some background. for the first couple of years we owned the team, i didn

[hawkfan]

He just wants to get rid of his shares.
Now the league or someone else will buy them.

[Akrazotile]

Imagine now after the 2 billion dollar Sterling sale, self-reported racist comments by owners just start bubbling up all over the place, and every owner is just like "darn! guess im gonna have to sell!" :lol

[Inactive]

Disagree. I feel the same way about the entire Redskins thing. It should be up to the offended party to determine what is racist.In my opinion, you're using the word racist too loosely.

Determining whether or not something is offensive is entirely subjective.

Determining whether or not something is racist isn't. There can be a subjective element to it, i.e speculation about subtext, codewords, or implications. But ultimately a statement is either racist, or it isn't, and the color of your skin does not give you any special insight into the matter.

[dubeta]

So he basically sold himself out? :rolleyes:

How much more beta can you get?

He shouldve denied everything, remained silent, and dragged this out in a court case if need be

At least Sterling was Alpha about the situation

[hawkfan]

Imagine now after the 2 billion dollar Sterling sale, self-reported racist comments by owners just start bubbling up all over the place, and every owner is just like "darn! guess im gonna have to sell!" :lol

The Hawks ownership tried selling their shares before, but that sale didn't go thru.
This time, I think the owners will get out, even if that means the league buys them a la New Orleans.

[navy]

So he basically sold himself out? :rolleyes:

How much more beta can you get?

He shouldve denied everything, remained silent, and dragged this out in a court case if need be

At least Sterling was Alpha about the situation
Sterling got torched. :oldlol:

Got declared mentally incapacitated so he cant even touch his assets.

[fpliii]

Real talk...

How much can the Hawks fetch? As of January, they were worth $425M:

http://www.forbes.com/nba-valuations/

The Clippers going from $575M->$2B has to throw a wrench in things for sure though. Not everything will scale linearly, but I wonder if he'd get an offer for $1B?

[fpliii]

In my opinion, you're using the word racist too loosely.

Determining whether or not something is offensive is entirely subjective.

Determining whether or not something is racist isn't. There can be a subjective element to it, i.e speculation about subtext, codewords, or implications. But ultimately a statement is either racist, or it isn't, and the color of your skin does not give you any special insight into the matter.
Probably. I should've said:


It should be up to the offended party to determine what is offensive.

[navy]

Real talk...

How much can the Hawks fetch? As of January, they were worth $425M:

http://www.forbes.com/nba-valuations/

The Clippers going from $575M->$2B has to throw a wrench in things for sure though. Not everything will scale linearly, but I wonder if he'd get an offer for $1B?
Depends on who is desperate enough to buy them.

[gts]

So was this E-mail discovered by someone or did the owner just out of the blue decide to out himself?

[fpliii]

Depends on who is desperate enough to buy them.
Do you think the league will mandate that they stay in Atlanta?

[navy]

So was this E-mail discovered by someone or did the owner just out of the blue decide to out himself?
He went through his inbox and dug it up himself.

[UK2K]

To be honest what he said really wasn't racist...
Not only was it not racist, it was true.

[navy]

Do you think the league will mandate that they stay in Atlanta?
No, the market here is horrible.

[boozehound]

His statement:
great time to cash in. Seems interesting that hes reporting an email from 2 years ago now, when team values are at an all time high.......

[gts]

He went through his inbox and dug it up himself.

If so it would seem on the surface he's cashing out.. probably for all the reasons in the e-mail

unless somebody is threatening him behind the scenes and he decided to nip it in the bud before it became big noise on CNN

[fpliii]

No, the market here is horrible.
Ah, you're from the area?

What do you think the issue is? Do you think games aren't being marketed correctly, or do you think it's an impossibility to turn it around?

[Haymaker]

Move the team to the West and send Memphis back to the East. End of problem. :applause:

[navy]

Not only was it not racist, it was true.
Well he was just theorizing actually. Would be odd for him to call out racism if he was racist himself.

[quote]On fan sites i would read comments about how dangerous it is around philips yet in our 9 years, i don

[ballup]

Not really racist, but when you start making theories, you are treading on mighty thin ice.

[rhowen4]

I'm glad people here aren't up in arms about this.

Btw he sent the email to the nba in July I think, after the sterling stuff had just come to light. He wouldn't have seen the crazy price tag the clippers would fetch. Maybe he did feel it was better to explain and release it on his terms than someone else's leak... People were completely frantic about sterling.

Sent from my iPad

[navy]

Ah, you're from the area?

What do you think the issue is? Do you think games aren't being marketed correctly, or do you think it's an impossibility to turn it around?
I attend emory university.

The issue is
1) Team has been on the treadmill for far too long. There is no reason to root for a team that isnt going to contend nor ever acquire superstar talent as it can only trade and get midlevel draft picks.

I think the fact that whites are scared by the blacks is also a factor, that I never really considered. I don't think it is the main reason as much as the Joe Johnson and Josh Smith era. If you ask anyone why they don't go to Hawks games, it is always been about the team not the people around. Although I suppose they could have just been hiding their racism.

[hawkfan]

The Hawks need a new owner who actually wants to own the team.

[hawkfan]

Even as bad as the Hawks are, we still are better than the Knicks.

[Richesly]

This will break my heart if the team moves. It will literally make me depress.

[stalkerforlife]

White people are the main consumers of NBA basketball. (Monetary wise)

Atlanta has a large black population and they refuse to or can't support the Hawks monetarily.

I stand with the owner and I hope he gets a billion for that crap franchise.

AND WHY ISN'T THAT FRANCHISE MOVING TO SEATTLE?

[hawkfan]

This will break my heart if the team moves. It will literally make me depress.

The team isn't moving.

[navy]

The team isn't moving.
Why not?

[Richesly]

The team isn't moving.


All it would take is for the new owner to want the team to move and Levenson never said anything about only selling to people interested in keeping the team in Atlanta.

[hawkfan]

All it would take is for the new owner to want the team to move and Levenson never said anything about only selling to people interested in keeping the team in Atlanta.

The league wants a team in the Atlanta.
Also, the league understands the Hawks are competing with SEC football and the Falcons half the season, plus the economy hasn't been that good for a few years.

[knickscity]

Kinda suprised folks are saying they dont see any racist tones in that email.

[chocolatethunder]

The league wants a team in the Atlanta.
Also, the league understands the Hawks are competing with SEC football and the Falcons half the season, plus the economy hasn't been that good for a few years.

Atlanta has a history of not supporting basketball.

[hawkfan]

Kinda suprised folks are saying they dont see any racist tones in that email.

He admitted there were.

But there are issues of getting more crowd diversification.

Still, the Hawks are better than the Knicks.

[hawkfan]

Atlanta has a history of not supporting basketball.

Go through our draft history and you will see why.

[bdreason]

This guy found a way to get out of owning the Hawks. :applause:

[swagga]

Disagree. I feel the same way about the entire Redskins thing. It should be up to the offended party to determine what is racist.

This is what I'm talking about. Here in Europe it's about common ground and some well defined limits. In the us it's up to the offended party to determine which is which and this reeks of incorectness because you can say some correct shit and then an somebody comes and says that he is offended based on the most wildest interpretation. And the race card is just a vehicle for the most inane idiocies.

It's like street ball . If the attacker calls his fouls like durant then you know it's about to go down into a fight or a bitchfest. Use a ref. As in... use the law and stick to it. If you got a problem with the ref file a complaint to the ref board. If you (as an individual or group) have a problem with the law you open a case like state vs X. Bottom line: you are not the law, the common reasonable interpretation is.

I actually think that leaving it to the offending party, as you imply it here, is racist because it leads to unlawful seggregation between lawful parties based on personal not legal stances. That's why I say use the law and common reasonable human (not black/white) sense.

I'm reading some posts here and :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm :facepalm
For the love of god I can't see what did this dude say that can be considered racist. Yeah, blacks are poor as was I 20 years ago. No crime in saying a group has no money. Yeah blacks are renowned for their parenthood issues. Acknowledge and solve brotha not bitch about being called out about it. ATL is a black town, it has black problems and it shows in big business like an NBA team. When that much money is on the line these things are analyzed like this guy was doing it. Nothing wrong in that.

Shit, I'm too old for this new US thinking thing. 20 years ago it was different. Shit is ridiculous now, you can't even talk about stuff because you're not from some group or other group, instead of uniting people through communication and understanding this mentality seggregates.

Glad I'm in germany/europe now tbh. Here people are much more direct on these issues.

[tpols]

Kinda suprised folks are saying they dont see any racist tones in that email.

What's funny is how universities and employers across the country constantly talk about getting more black people into their programs/businesses but the second a guy claims they need more white people he's a racist.

[AnaheimLakers24]

anaheim please

[Dr. Ice]

What's funny is how universities and employers across the country constantly talk about getting more black people into their programs/businesses but the second a guy claims they need more white people he's a racist.
Because it was. You don't see the falcons owner complaining about needing more white people, despite the fact that the hawks and falcons are literally right beside each other and share the exact same fanbase.

Our owner was just trying to find some sort of scapegoat for their poor management of the organization during those years. Instead of putting the blame on himself he decided to idiotically make it racial.

[swagga]

Because it was. You don't see the falcons owner complaining about needing more white people, despite the fact that the hawks and falcons are literally right beside each other and share the exact same fanbase.

Our owner was just trying to find some sort of scapegoat for their poor management of the organization during those years. Instead of putting the blame on himself he decided to idiotically make it racial.

so comparative analysis with the other 29 teams in which a clear ethnic distribution difference sticks out is making it racial? do you even think before you type that shit? :facepalm

[Dr. Ice]

so comparative analysis with the other 29 teams in which a clear ethnic distribution difference sticks out is making it racial? do you even think before you type that shit? :facepalm

Then why aren't any of the other teams in the state making this claim? Why is the first time we've EVER seen this type of complaint?

I'm not even sure why i'm responding to this, he CLEARLY tried to make it seem like race was the reason we have attendance issues, when it has more to do with their terrible management. So yes, he clearly made it racial. :facepalm

[knickscity]

Even as bad as the Hawks are, we still are better than the Knicks.
I'd betcha Levenson wouldnt be so willing to sell if he owned the Knicks.

Not even sure the Hawks have ever been better than the Knicks even ON the court....they've sucked as an NBA team their entire history.

[IGOTGAME]

Kinda suprised folks are saying they dont see any racist tones in that email.

Nope. I actually don't see anything wrong with it or the conclusion it draws. This coming from an African American. Seems reasonable.

[hawkfan]

I'd betcha Levenson wouldnt be so willing to sell if he owned the Knicks.

Not even sure the Hawks have ever been better than the Knicks even ON the court....they've sucked as an NBA team their entire history.

Who made the playoffs last year?

:wtf:

[BigBoss]

What if Sterling bought the Hawks? :lol

[Duderonomy]

Great now every owner who wants to sell gets a freebie racist remark on the way out.

[Haymaker]

What if Sterling bought the Hawks? :lol


He can't touch his assets.

[knickscity]

Who made the playoffs last year?

:wtf:
One year eclipses an entire history?:roll:

By your analogy the Hawks are better than the Lakers.

[IGOTGAME]

One year eclipses an entire history?:roll:

By your analogy the Hawks are better than the Lakers.
Go reread your post.

[bagelred]

How is this even racist? He's talking about demographics and how to attract OTHER demographics to attend the game...companies do this all the time. :hammerhead:

[Legends66NBA7]

Even as bad as the Hawks are, we still are better than the Knicks.

Last year, but it's not like that's saying anything.

As an all-time franchise ? No
.

[HOoopCityJones]

This cat just wants a huge payday for his failing management of this Team and whats worse he's using racism as an out.

@Swagga , you're a ****ing idiot if you think Europe isn't just as racist against blacks as most American southern states.

[hawkfan]

Last year, but it's not like that's saying anything.

As an all-time franchise ? No
.

Over the last 15 years, no debate on who has been better.

[Legends66NBA7]

Over the last 15 years, no debate on who has been better.

It would be a debate that doesn't mean much.

Franchises since their existence > A 15 year interval. And considering they have both been in the league for roughly the same time period (Knicks 1946 and Hawks 1949), the Hawks haven't been more successful overall in that 60+ year time period than the Knicks, including the 15 year gap.

[tpols]

Because it was. You don't see the falcons owner complaining about needing more white people, despite the fact that the hawks and falcons are literally right beside each other and share the exact same fanbase.

Our owner was just trying to find some sort of scapegoat for their poor management of the organization during those years. Instead of putting the blame on himself he decided to idiotically make it racial.

The nfl doesn't have that problem apparently.. footballs huge in the south.. NBA isnt. I'm sure a lot of older white southern males would be turned off by it as a sport. The truth isn't always pretty guy. This owner was simply stating the financial and socioeconomic realities as they were in his business. They're was nothing demeaning about the email at all.

[Kblaze8855]

That email is nothing to make a big deal of. Something out of nothing

[knickscity]

How is this even racist? He's talking about demographics and how to attract OTHER demographics to attend the game...companies do this all the time. :hammerhead:
He isnt selling his share because of demographic.

[hawkfan]

If the Hawks had gotten Deng, wonder if he would have disclosed this.

[gts]

Because it was. You don't see the falcons owner complaining about needing more white people, despite the fact that the hawks and falcons are literally right beside each other and share the exact same fanbase.

Our owner was just trying to find some sort of scapegoat for their poor management of the organization during those years. Instead of putting the blame on himself he decided to idiotically make it racial.

Considering the Falcons have the worst fanbase in the NFL maybe the owner should be complaining

[D-FENS]

Hush

Atlanta can't support a team.

[knickscity]

If the Hawks had gotten Deng, wonder if he would have disclosed this.
They couldn't even attract a star player that was born there, even took a fine trying to sell tickets on a pretense of having cap space to acquire him.

[hawkfan]

They couldn't even attract a star player that was born there, even took a fine trying to sell tickets on a pretense of having cap space to acquire him.

And we ended up losing in the first round, same as Houston.

[gts]

Anybody considering buying that team after reading that e-mail is going to be thinking about moving the team... Maybe not out of Georgia all together but certainly into a more diverse market

[32jazz]

Not really racist, but when you start making theories, you are treading on mighty thin ice.

This. Making generalizations based upon superficial observations is foolish.


He doesn't address the historical ineptness of the Hawks nor the fact Atlanta is just a transient city. . A huge population with fans from elsewhere who simply don't care about the Hawks.

[Akrazotile]

Anybody considering buying that team after reading that e-mail is going to be thinking about moving the team... Maybe not out of Georgia all together but certainly into a more diverse market



I cant imagine there is a more viable option within Georgia itself for supporting a major pro sports team.

[Richesly]

I cant imagine there is a more viable option within Georgia itself for supporting a major pro sports team.

There isn't... the other main two options are Augusta and Savannah... Savannah is just a vacation city and Augusta is a joke of a city.

[Richesly]

I cant imagine there is a more viable option within Georgia itself for supporting a major pro sports team.


Since when the **** were you a cavs fan? Is this a ****ing joke?

[knickscity]

And we ended up losing in the first round, same as Houston.
Matters none, hawks cant attract top talent.

[32jazz]

Considering the Falcons have the worst fanbase in the NFL maybe the owner should be complaining

And despite that the Falcons ranked near the top 10 in average home attendance last season(11 or 12) at near 100% seats sold. Although as I have said Atlanta is large metro ,but with a transient population so the visiting team fans may help those numbers.

If he put out a consistently better product the numbers would improve.

[BoutPractice]

This is nothing like Sterling... does raise an interesting question though: if you're a businessman and catering to the "white" demographic at the expense of a currently majority "black" demographic is your best way to increase revenue, should you always do it or are there moral reasons not to?

[Hey Yo]

Considering the Falcons have the worst fanbase in the NFL maybe the owner should be complaining
:biggums:

Over the last 10 years, they've avg. like 70,000 fans at approx. 95% capacity

[jimmy77x]

There isn't... the other main two options are Augusta and Savannah... Savannah is just a vacation city and Augusta is a joke of a city.

Georgia is a joke of a state, outside of Atlanta what is there? :lol

[32jazz]

This is nothing like Sterling... does raise an interesting question though: if you're a businessman and catering to the "white" demographic at the expense of a currently majority "black" demographic is your best way to increase revenue, should you always do it or are there moral reasons not to?


Absolutely nothing wrong with openly reaching out to Whites/Asians or whomever , but you don't need to scapegoat your fans (blaming low revenue on their supposed poor spending power of Blacks).

He knows his email was condescending to his fans who spend their hard earned money & it was also based upon generalizations or casual observations.

[hawkfan]

Absolutely nothing wrong with openly reaching out to Whites/Asians or whomever , but you don't need to scapegoat your fans (blaming low revenue on their supposed poor spending power of Blacks).

He knows his email was condescending to his fans who spend their hard earned money & it was also based upon generalizations or casual observations.

Levensen, "I made a racist comment, give me 2 billion."

[32jazz]

:biggums:

Over the last 10 years, they've avg. like 70,000 fans at approx. 95% capacity

And during the Vick era season ticket holders were majority Black(around 53% peak I heard) & they laid down a lot of money for Falcons/Vick merchandise. I don't remember Blank having such a condescending attitude towards his majority Black ticket holders(unless emails come out:oldlol: )


The Bears play on the south side of Chicago. The Bulls(not sure if they play on the South Side?) have the best League attendance despite their location.
Yankees play in the Bronx.

The owner needs to put a better product on the court . With a transient city like Atlanta its gonna take a superstar to rally or inspire the fanbase(like Vick did for a short minute).

[32jazz]

Levensen, "I made a racist comment, give me 2 billion."

His team is not in L.A. .nor does it have Griffin, Chris Paul,etc........

[InfiniteBaskets]

Levensen, "I made a racist comment, give me 2 billion."

There's no "racism premium".

Levenson could have just as easily said, "i'm selling the team, who wants to buy?"

And you'd have plenty of folks willing to fork over cash. Perhaps double his initial investment if the league allows them to become the Seattle Starbuckers.

[masonanddixon]

LOL modern society is a travesty

[swagga]

This cat just wants a huge payday for his failing management of this Team and whats worse he's using racism as an out.

@Swagga , you're a ****ing idiot if you think Europe isn't just as racist against blacks as most American southern states.

lol son, people are the same racists pricks everywhere. In some places they just don't f around and tell it like they see it or the society clearly sets the limits for different statements . In the us people are so sensitive all the time, it's comedy tbh :lol

[atljonesbro]

The Hawks are fine. They are going to be one of the best teams in the East for the next 5 or so years at minimum. They honestly could be the 2nd best team in the East next year.

[Jameerthefear]

The Hawks are fine. They are going to be one of the best teams in the East for the next 5 or so years at minimum. They honestly could be the 2nd best team in the East next year.
kek

[hawkfan]

:coleman:

[gts]

:biggums:

Over the last 10 years, they've avg. like 70,000 fans at approx. 95% capacity

I stand corrected, not last but next to last


Atlanta Falcons fans, you apparently have a lot more "rising up" to do.
The Falcons fanbase is nearly the worst in the NFL, according to an Emory University study published Thursday.

Emory ranked Falcons fans No. 31 out of 32 teams in the league in terms of fan support.

“At the more unfortunate end of the scale we have a bottom five of Detroit, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Atlanta and Oakland,” Emory noted. “...

Teams like Atlanta and Tampa Bay may suffer from being located in SEC territory.”

Instead of just analyzing attendance, revenue and profitability, Emory looked at team box office revenues relative to team on-field success, market population, stadium capacity, median income and other factors.




http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2013/08/15/emory-falcons-fan-base-second-worst.html

[jstern]

Just saw this on CNN. I didn't find anything wrong with what he said. He just explained the reality of the situation. People have different cultures, and hip hop, mostly black culture will turn Southern whites away. It's just a reality thing that's neither right or wrong. The same would be true if the arena was heavily Asian influenced, with 90% Asians. Or 90% rednecks, Filipino, etc.

I hate that this happened, because it just going to turn the average person to argue about race.

[dazzer87]

"The Kiss Cam is too Black":roll: :roll: :roll:

[Hotlantadude81]

Not even sure the Hawks have ever been better than the Knicks even ON the court....they've sucked as an NBA team their entire history.

Just how stupid are you?

[Rake2204]

I attend emory university.

The issue is
1) Team has been on the treadmill for far too long. There is no reason to root for a team that isnt going to contend nor ever acquire superstar talent as it can only trade and get midlevel draft picks.

I think the fact that whites are scared by the blacks is also a factor, that I never really considered. I don't think it is the main reason as much as the Joe Johnson and Josh Smith era. If you ask anyone why they don't go to Hawks games, it is always been about the team not the people around. Although I suppose they could have just been hiding their racism.I can relate to part 1 that your referenced. As a Pistons fan, I've been able to see just how fickle things can get when a team begins treading about on the same mediocre ground. In the years surrounding the 2004 championship run, one was hard pressed to find a crowd more supportive, loud, and passionate than the Pistons fanbase.

http://www.lapayne.com/prodimages/SP_NBA_005_SM.jpg

Yet, in under ten years, once it became established that the Pistons were stuck in a rut and lacked the direction or ability to move back toward something meaningful and worthwhile, an arena that'd recently set an NBA record for consecutive sellouts suddenly looked like this on a regular basis, with near unified derision from a now disconnected fanbase to boot:

http://media.mlive.com/pistons_impact/photo/11917762-large.jpg

With the Hawks, it seems they've almost always been stuck in the latter Pistons phase. They tend to bounce between being bad and being alright, with almost nothing to ever show for it. I scanned very quickly because I do not remember a time in my own lifetime, but have the Hawks truly not touched a conference finals series since 1970? I think fans sometimes have to believe they have a chance and I wonder if the Dominique Wilkins era was the last time they ever truly felt they might have been in position to pull off something worthwhile with a likeable club to boot.

[niko]

Just saw this on CNN. I didn't find anything wrong with what he said. He just explained the reality of the situation. People have different cultures, and hip hop, mostly black culture will turn Southern whites away. It's just a reality thing that's neither right or wrong. The same would be true if the arena was heavily Asian influenced, with 90% Asians. Or 90% rednecks, Filipino, etc.

I hate that this happened, because it just going to turn the average person to argue about race.
The fanbase isn't going to want to go to games, so the other owners will want him out, which is why he would be asked by them to sell. Rather than go through that, he cashed out.

He wasn't forced to do anything due to a comment. And his comments were pretty stupid.

[ABG]

Just how stupid are you?
very stupid.

[ALBballer]

Sounds like the email is him talking outloud and pointing out cultural tendencies. But in today's age yes this is "racist" and I guess some could make a good argument. But in the end it's the thoughts of an owner looking to increase revenue.

[DCL]

he probably wanted to sell the team for a long time since they weren't making cash flow.

then he saw the clippers go for 2 billion, so he saw that as an opportunity to make his own move.

so he decided to just make up an excuse, then have the nba help him complete the sale, and get the $$$$$.

and his email wasn't really over-the-top unbelievable. it was just politically incorrect. some black folks probably scare the shit out of some white folks... well, no f-king sh!t, sherlock. doubt people are crucifying him like they did with sterling.

bottomline is he WANTS out and he WANTS this sale.

[MMM]

Atl is a terrible sports market.

Weren't the Braves having difficulty in selling out playoff games when they were on their amazing run of division wins.

Other than Miami, Atlanta has to be the worst sports market.

[hawkfan]

The league should buy out the owners that don't want to be there and then run the team, a la New Orleans.

[JohnFreeman]

Sounds like he wanted his money out. Email wasn't that bad. Move the team to Seattle.

[hawkfan]

Sounds like he wanted his money out. Email wasn't that bad. Move the team to Seattle.

League isn't going to allow move.
Move the team to Seattle or St. Louis, and after a few years, same problems of low attendance.

[hawkfan]

Sounds like he wanted his money out. Email wasn't that bad. Move the team to Seattle.

Move Kings to Seattle.
League won't allow it.

[hawkfan]

What is music that 40 year white guys want to hear?

Luke Skyywalker and Two Live Crew?

[josh99]

Haha nic... Wait, this is real? :wtf:

[BigBoss]

Sounds like he wanted his money out. Email wasn't that bad. Move the team to Seattle.

This

[3peated]

Virginia Please

[hawkfan]

This

A lot of the Hawks owners don't even live in Atlanta.
Take that into consideration.

[irondarts]

Pretty sure this guy just wanted an excuse to sell the Hawks.

[irondarts]

Pretty sure this guy just wanted an excuse to sell the Hawks.
I could just picture this guy going through years of emails trying to find something that he could deem offensive so he could cash out of this irrelevant franchise.

[talkingconch]

this country / nba is starting to become a joke.

sad thing is nowhere else i would go in the world

pathetic

[Sportal]

Must be hard owning a Basketball team in ATL?

[niko]

A hint in life for everyone on this board who thinks this isn't any problem, at work don't send out an email listing stereotypes (like blacks have no money) as an analysis of the company. You're pretty much told this the first day you start working, do not send an email that you can't have seen by most people.

[305Baller]

it wasnt racist. it was racial.


Pretty sure this guy just wanted an excuse to sell the Hawks.


lol. probably.

[coin24]

Pretty sure this guy just wanted an excuse to sell the Hawks.

This:lol

[hawkfan]

A hint in life for everyone on this board who thinks this isn't any problem, at work don't send out an email listing stereotypes (like blacks have no money) as an analysis of the company. You're pretty much told this the first day you start working, do not send an email that you can't have seen by most people.

The Ownership group tried to sell the team before, but Stern blocked that deal.
Now Silver is in charge and the team will get new owners.

[RoseCity07]

Dude probably isn't a true racist like Sterling but definitely a b*tch. How can you be that pissed about business to blame black people because your team has a sh*t fan base? Hawks suck ass. They've sucked for years.

[hawkfan]

Must be hard owning a Basketball team in ATL?

It is when the person doesn't care anymore.

[hawkfan]

Dude probably isn't a true racist like Sterling but definitely a b*tch. How can you be that pissed about business to blame black people because your team has a sh*t fan base? Hawks suck ass. They've sucked for years.

You're mad because we got Horford and Portland drafted Oden.

[coin24]

You're mad because we got Horford and Portland drafted Oden.

Portland is an exciting young team. Hawks = boring pieces of shit.
No one even goes to there playoff games :cheers:

[hawkfan]

Portland is an exciting young team. Hawks = boring pieces of shit.
No one even goes to there playoff games :cheers:

Portland got lucky because the Nets wanted Gerald Wallace and gave up the draft pick that became Lillard.

Take out Lillard and that team goes into rebuild mode.

[Thorpesaurous]

I miss a lot of news over the weekend, and hadn't heard anything about this. I don't think this is a huge problem after reading it. We're talking about mostly market analysis here mostly, and a few of his perceptions he admits, and they're based more on what he thinks other people think, like suburban whites he believes may have some innate fear of inner city blacks. To me this is just a guy observing the community he's in and thinking of ways to make his business work better in it. He actually has a couple good ideas too. Discounts or special lines for fans with team gear on is at least a somewhat creative approach to their attendence problem.

[hawkfan]

By the way, the environment at the games isn't bad.
Boring yes, but not bad.

[masonanddixon]

Pretty sure this guy just wanted an excuse to sell the Hawks.

This. The dude saw how much Sterling made in selling the team, and decided to quit the NBA game.

[hawkfan]

Where's GOBB?
He hasn't weighed in on this.

[J-Futuristic]

Ok the Hawks launched their own investigation this summer when Danny Ferry read a racist remark about Luol Deng on the scouting report. He didn't just randomly tell on himself or did it to sell the team for profit. He was going to get outed eventually.

[bagelred]

Ok the Hawks launched their own investigation this summer when Danny Ferry read a racist remark about Luol Deng on the scouting report. He didn't just randomly tell on himself or did it to sell the team for profit. He was going to get outed eventually.

Woj says it was NOT voluntary, but they are presenting it that way so Levenson can save face.

This witch hunt stuff has got to stop. The email wasn't even racist. These are the types of conversations businesses have every day internally...honest discussion about how to attract or what repels different demographics from your product.

If it had been opposite (e.g. predominantly white customers and trying to attract black customers too...figuring out why aren't enough black customers), he would be praised for trying to reach out and for promoting diversity.

We live in a weird world now of complete oversensitivity, kids. Even innocent statements can get you fired/lose your business.

[Legends66NBA7]

Portland got lucky because the Nets wanted Gerald Wallace and gave up the draft pick that became Lillard.

Take out Lillard and that team goes into rebuild mode.

The Blazers were in rebuild mode with Lillard. It lasted only 1 season, though.

[DCL]

if he wanted to keep the team, he would had fiercely defended this email, which would had been 100X easier to do than with sterling's recordings.

but no, he doesn't care about keeping the team. he wants the money, and he wants the nba to help him complete the transaction asap.

[ProfessorMurder]

Not racist. He's just assuming things like every single company in the world, only instead of urban market he wrote black and white.

Dude just wants to sell a garbage franchise.

[Real Men Wear Green]

Not racist. He's just assuming things like every single company in the world, only instead of urban market he wrote black and white.

Dude just wants to sell a garbage franchise.If the reader is a bit more sensitive I can see how certain things could feel racist but we've certainly seen much worse. This isn't him saying black people are scum, it's a racial analysis of who he thinks will make him more money. But the wonderful thing, and the reason why this isn't about a racist owner, is that he reported it himself and is now voluntarily putting the team on the market. I don't have a non-"guilty conscience" explanation for why he would self-report but I agree 100% that he doesn't want to own the Hawks, he's not winning big, can't get the elite free agents and apparently not making money (or at least as much as he thought he would) so now he's hoping that Steve Ballmer has a cute sister.

I would bet anything that if the Hawks had gotten any elite FA over the years he'd have kept that email to himself.

[hawkfan]

I would bet anything that if the Hawks had gotten any elite FA over the years he'd have kept that email to himself.

Yep.

[stanlove1111]

I don't know if the email itself is racist (and since I'm not black, it shouldn't be up to me to determine whether or not it is),

.

WTF.. Let me guess a liberal..I can't believe what I just read. So now only blacks can decide what is racist...The PC police got ahold of you good.

[nightprowler10]

I have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black.


I didn't think the email was that terrible, but the quoted part would be pretty problematic if it came out and presented to the public in really bad light. I understand what he was trying to do from a business perspective, but the email shows a lack of tact that would've been exploited by the media pretty easily.

[nightprowler10]

If it had been opposite (e.g. predominantly white customers and trying to attract black customers too...figuring out why aren't enough black customers), he would be praised for trying to reach out and for promoting diversity.

This is BS. NBA has been very obviously trying to reach the white market since the Malice at the Palace and no one has criticized them for it because they've done it with tact without giving the media anything to write about. As I mentioned in my previous post, his email's language is extremely unprofessional (just that one paragraph "our kisscam is too black") and leaves a lot of room to be exploited by the media.

[niko]

Woj says it was NOT voluntary, but they are presenting it that way so Levenson can save face.

This witch hunt stuff has got to stop. The email wasn't even racist. These are the types of conversations businesses have every day internally...honest discussion about how to attract or what repels different demographics from your product.

If it had been opposite (e.g. predominantly white customers and trying to attract black customers too...figuring out why aren't enough black customers), he would be praised for trying to reach out and for promoting diversity.

We live in a weird world now of complete oversensitivity, kids. Even innocent statements can get you fired/lose your business.

I've been in business or 20+ years, you don't send emails like that. Nor do you have internal conversations where you want to get rid of the black customers because black people are poor and scare the white customers and say them in those words.

:lol Where the **** did you work where that is a normal thing written down?

[IGOTGAME]

I've been in business or 20+ years, you don't send emails like that. Nor do you have internal conversations where you want to get rid of the black customers because black people are poor and scare the white customers and say them in those words.

:lol Where the **** did you work where that is a normal thing written down?

I represent a lot of big and see a lot of damaging emails during discovery. You would be surprised what gets written down.

[niko]

I represent a lot of big and see a lot of damaging emails during discovery. You would be surprised what gets written down.

Yeah, but you're not supposed to. The general premise on this board is always "in normal business this is ok". no it's not. Very little is ok. Certainly not "the black customers are scaring the white customers, since they are poor let's get rid of them". Or "that guy has too much african in him".

NBA guys make shit tons of money more than normal people, yet when they are held to normal work standards, people have a hearth attack.

[bagelred]

http://i60.tinypic.com/2n86haq.jpg

[IGOTGAME]

Yeah, but you're not supposed to. The general premise on this board is always "in normal business this is ok". no it's not. Very little is ok. Certainly not "the black customers are scaring the white customers, since they are poor let's get rid of them". Or "that guy has too much african in him".

NBA guys make shit tons of money more than normal people, yet when they are held to normal work standards, people have a hearth attack.

From what I have seen going through dozens of companies dirty laundry, this seems to be pretty standard stuff, especially from the higher ups. Its not good practice but I wouldn't say its abnormal to see things like this articulated.

M view is skewed because I get emails after many thousand have been filtered out.

[niko]

From what I have seen going through dozens of companies dirty laundry, this seems to be pretty standard stuff, especially from the higher ups. Its not good practice but I wouldn't say its abnormal to see things like this articulated.

M view is skewed because I get emails after many thousand have been filtered out.
Yeah, it's ok unless it gets out. I worked on a trading floor, the things people said, it was all ok, until the one woman filed a harrasment suit and everyone was OH **** I SAID WHAT?

It's like this here.

[IGOTGAME]

Yeah, it's ok unless it gets out. I worked on a trading floor, the things people said, it was all ok, until the one woman filed a harrasment suit and everyone was OH **** I SAID WHAT?

It's like this here.

yea, I know that some places record everything, even those weird speakerphone things. You really gotta watch what you say bc someone will be looking at it.

[longhornfan1234]

Seems a better business man would figure out how to deal with the hand he's dealt rather than ostracize and stereotype his captive audience. For instance.... the Angels have figured out how to with a largely Latino fanbase. Blacks will buy season tickets... his team should be challenged to figure out what the value prop is. He should be able to theorize openly about business though.

[hawkfan]

People are concerned with the Hawks.
This is weird.

[hawkfan]

Still give ASG credit - playoffs for 6 straight years.
Goodbye Levenson - no one knows who you are.

[hawkfan]

http://time.com/3296175/bruce-levenson-atlanta-hawks-racist-email-kareem-abdul-jabbar/

Kareem discusses the Hawks ownership situation.

Kareem discussing the Hawks - hell freezes over.

[atljonesbro]

People are concerned with the Hawks.
This is weird.
People will be concerned with the Hawks when they are the 2nd seed going into the playoffs this coming year

[hawkfan]

People will be concerned with the Hawks when they are the 2nd seed going into the playoffs this coming year


Dream on.

[rmt]

What's funny is how universities and employers across the country constantly talk about getting more black people into their programs/businesses but the second a guy claims they need more white people he's a racist.

Agreed. He's just analyzing his business. Nothing wrong with seeing how his franchise is different from others and trying to improve and become like success franchises. What's he to do? Just accept it and wallow in empty seats. There's nothing racist in there.

When Google and Facebook admit that most of their employees are male and white/asian and they want to get a more diverse pool, no one bats an eyelid.

[beastee]

As a transplant going to Hawks games coming from Chicago -the difference in game atmosphere is day and night for me.

Chicago games need no explanation. They are a top 3 franchise in the NBA for a reason, and that is they understand and cater to their fans in a first class operation. Even in years with a bad product they have found a way to overcome the team and provide a fun & exciting product.

Here are my Atlanta game notes:
-Atlanta games require a 30 minute wait to get through security. I've been to several games and the staff still has not figured out an efficient way to handle security.
-The stadium is generally full of fans who love the visiting team (At least for the top teams and major market transplants) I have even seen ticket packages aimed at major market fans seeing their "favorite team" play. WTF?
-Atlanta fans generally show up about midway through the 2nd quarter with their girls dressed for the club, and are ready to bounce out at the end of the third quarter.
-I went to a game 2 seasons ago and more people were indeed interested in the half-time hip hop performance by T.I. than the game. He sang 2 songs and was out...and so was half the crowd.
-The line about the more cheering when shirts are thrown is absolutely true.
-The stadium itself is very odd. the wall of club boxes rather than wrap around boxes always catches me as an odd design. Overall the seats are comfortable, the concessions are top notch, and the location is pretty decent.
-Safety is never a concern. EVER. I rarely even see scalpers around as I doubt they can even make a living off reselling anything.

I have enjoyed the games I go to, but when the crowd is more concerned about post game plans and instagram selfies, it's obvious ownership has a lot of work to do. I am a 32 year old white male and I would never buy season tickets to this franchise unless they fix the product on the court and convince the fans that BBall in this town can be compelling, exciting and fun ALL 41 home games.

[hawkfan]

Danny Ferry and Shaq:

http://www.mvp-magazyn.pl/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/luv-shaq.jpg