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August 29, 2012
Jay-Z Didn’t Want People Knowing Just How Little Of The Nets He Actually Owns
Deadspin
by Barry Petchesky
The Times had a fascinating little story a couple of weeks ago, about Jay-Z's outsized involvement with the Nets, considering his scant ownership stake.
Among the nuggets revealed: his $1 million investment amounts to just one-fifteenth of one percent of the franchise, someone at the NBA didn't think the Nets' black jerseys would look good on black people, and the sheer amount of synergy Jay-Z is getting out of this deal—the Barclays Center will have a Rocawear store, a 40/40 Club, and a champagne bar that sells his uber-expensive Armand de Brignac line. But here's the most fascinating thing: Jay-Z gave zero cooperation to the Times story. This was "Shawn Carter Has a Cold."
...The story, then, is a classic write-around of the sort that's probably stronger for having kept its subject at arm's length. Halbfinger didn't have to dance around the issues that might have soured access. Instead, he spoke with Brett Yormark, Bruce Ratner, Billy King, and others from the ranks of the NBA offices, sports agents, and the music industry. As a consequence, he was able to raise thorny questions like whether Jay-Z's various businesses got sweetheart deals to be associated with the Nets, and if Jay-Z stopped attending Nets games during losing seasons specifically to protect his own brand. (Halbfinger makes clear he believes the answer to both questions is yes, even if he couldn't come out and say it in the Times.)
Posted by eric at August 29, 2012 1:00 PM