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BY JOE FAVORITO
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING
The NBA's minor league is growing in markets near exisiting franchises. Could the Garden State be next?
So minor league baseball has worked well in various parts of the state, from the Thunder in Trenton to the Blue Claws in Lakewood and all parts in between. Minor league hockey has worked in Trenton.
So could New Jersey be ready for the D-League (NBA Development League)? Ok, jokes about already having a D-League team with the Nets aside, the league has undergone solid growth and media attention in the past few years, with more and more parent NBA teams looking to use the league not only for development purposes but for a marketing platform as well. The Mavs bringing a team to Frisco, Texas, the L.A. team in the backyard of the Lakers and a Maine team in shooting distance from Boston are all solid moves ... so why not look to have a franchise on the fringe of the Philadelphia and New York media markets, with three NBA teams in the area and a passionate following not just of hoops but of solid minor league promotions?
NBA commissioner David Stern has hinted at D-League expansion in his native state in the past, looking at places in northern Jersey like Teaneck and the Armory, especially with the Nets' departure sometime in the next few years more than just a possibility now. From a fan and business standpoint, Newark, although a natural choice, may not be the best one for a D-League spot. Many have tried to have the Bears minor league baseball team be part of urban renewal and it has not worked.
Bringing a D-League team to Jersey would require a solid investment with well thought-out marketing and sales strategies to match a price tag for entry that is not cheap. It is also not the classic "feel good" summer evening that minor league baseball provides. Breakeven attendance, with promotions, needs to be in the 2-3,000 mark, and so it would require an arena that would fit in with that scale.
Minor league hoops in New Jersey has failed in places like Atlantic City. The prevailing wisdom at the time was that a more urban environment would draw fans. But what draws fans to the minors is fun, family and promotion. So where could it work?
How about Monmouth and Ocean Counties? A new arena at Monmouth University is the right size, just far enough away from the mainstream to draw the right amount of families at an affordable price. How about the Princeton or Trenton area? There's good corporate support, an arena that needs more dates filled and a history of success in hockey and baseball. Maybe a good spot would be Teaneck and the Rothman Center — although the draw would be tough in a corridor where already too much going on. Even the RAC (Rutgers Athletic Center) is probably just too big and too busy to make it work. The team needs to be a focal point, not an afterthought.
Still the D-League idea is a plausible one for New Jersey. It is growing in support and interest for the overall NBA brand. It is affordable and marketable fun. It has media and promotion potential and it could sit in an area that complements, not competes, with the area's top professional teams.
Now the question is: Can or will an ownership group, with an interest in sports as a business and not a toy, step up to the line and take a shot? Maybe one who has already enjoyed success in minor league baseball or mainstream marketing or sales? It won't be an investment that will make someone rich, but with the right plan, it could certainly be successful.
Joe Favorito has over 23 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.
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