One day after the Spurs won the NBA lottery and the
draft rights to Tim Duncan, Spurs VP/Sales Joe Clark said,
"The phone hasn't stopped ringing." Spurs Exec VP/Business
Ops Russ Bookbinder: "We're getting calls from every front.
It's not just season-ticket people wanting to renew for next
year. We've had season-ticket holders who want to add seats
to their package. We've had people who used to have tickets
coming back. We've had people who've never had tickets
before." The Spurs sold approximately 10,000 season-tickets
for '96-97, a number the team wants to increase
"substantially" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/20).
HISTORY LESSON: The history of pro sports in San
Antonio was examined in the EXPRESS-NEWS by Tim Griffin, who
noted, "With each passing franchise, the doubts mount about
whether the city is an adequate venue for professional
sports." Griffin noted sources who told him that the "weak
corporate base" in the city is one factor that has caused
the Spurs to have a 70-30 split among individuals and
corporate ticket buyers (EXPRESS-NEWS, 5/18).
