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December 16, 2008
Team Hype: At the Izod Center, noise and flash obscure the hoops
Atlantic Yards Report
Recently NJ Nets CEO Brett Yormark contended:
“Over the course of the last two years, the state has invested like never before in that venue. During our Nets games, we have incredible lounges for season ticket-holders, the service is better than ever before. We’ve rebranded the entire arena, we’ve got greater technology than ever before. And it’s a perfect setting for us right now. One of the key things for me is that I want to be the main tenant. I want to be the big dog…. And the Izod Center… is having the most successful year it’s had in ten years now that the Devils aren’t there.”
Uh, ok... since fans could give a wit about rebranding, it's up to Norman Oder to try to look past "Team Hype":
After gaining some very expensive tickets (for a song) to see the Nets last Wednesday night, I enjoyed watching the basketball, but I can’t say I’m eager to repeat the experience.
The game itself wasn’t bad--if you’re close enough, and we were, you can see professionals playing hoops at a high level. If you can get over the fact that the Nets are essentially fungible--a collection of players remixed at will, certainly no long-serving Brooklyn Dodgers--the team is rebuilding but promising.
But the wrapper around it, as with so much sports entertainment, is ever-increasing hype. Team Hype, the name of the Nets’ acrobatic pep squad, also describes the Izod Center experience—noise, flash, and a relentless marketing effort that can obscure the game.
As with my visit two years ago, the crowd seemed to get the most excited when “Team Hype” tossed free t-shirts, in a bit of a bread-and-circuses moment.
The loudest thing in the arena was the artificial noise generated on the public address system.
NoLandGrab: What does that say about a team whose cheerleading squad is called "Team Hype" and mascot is named "Sly Fox?"
Posted by lumi at December 16, 2008 6:12 AM