Nets owner Joe Tsai recently claimed that the New York Knicks’ championship win was embarrassing to his own team. He also contended that this sort of achievement by another local team would not keep his team from rebuilding.
Although Tsai was not completely shaken by the lack of attention being given to his team, the situation itself calls for some addressing. Should the NBA allow for this kind of regional overlap when it puts certain teams at a disadvantage?
One such disadvantage was Tsai experiencing a challenge in expanding the fanbase for his team. This was due to the team being based in Brooklyn and how the fans there tend to be loyal to the Knicks. That is an unfair problem. If the Nets were located in another state entirely, perhaps Tsai would not have to do extra work persuading more people to join his team’s fanbase, as opposed to his current problem, which is trying to change fans of another team that has already been in their hearts and minds. A more practical solution, however, may be to move the team to another part of New York that is not crawling with Knicks fans.
Tsai’s pessimism did not just come from the Knicks’ winning streak that ended the season. The Nets have had one of the worst win-loss ratios in the league for nearly five years. His embarrassment is well grounded because while his cross-town rival has a large crown of fans, his fanbase is almost a ghost town in comparison.
Joe Tsai’s Unique Struggle Has Been Viewed Differently By CFO Peter Stern
Peter Stern sees opportunity in this misfortune, though. He feels there is a large group of “dormant fans” that could be swayed. He also felt that this would be part of a collaborative environment for basketball fans in New York. Aside from his hope that the Nets would attract dormant fans, he also expressed support for the Knicks, describing their recent championship as beneficial for basketball fans in New York, not just Knicks fans.
Stern’s view on this is drastically different from Tsai’s. The Nets owner sees this as a loss that radically overshadows his own team, while the CFO sees it as bringing more attention to basketball in New York. Stern’s view has some legitimacy because that would foster further discussion among fans of both the Knicks and the Nets as well as attract new Brooklyn fans. It could also inspire basketball players across the city.
Another possible solution that the Nets management team had in mind came from their head coach, Jordy Fernandez, who had a plan to create another roster for the Nets consisting entirely of newcomers to the NBA.
The state of the Nets remains uncertain, but hopefully, they can get back on their feet and rise above their current failures.
