An announced crowd of 9,512 watched a group of NBA
players in "The Game on Showtime" charity event at the
Atlantic City Convention Center on Saturday night, according
to Mike Wise of the N.Y. TIMES, who wrote that a "generous
estimate" would put the attendance at "about 7,000." The
players "received a decent ovation during pre-game
introductions," but Wise wrote that a sign held up by two
fans reading, "Come back and play and all will be forgiven,"
seemed to "capture the mood of the event." Wise: "From the
morning shoot-around to the opening tip-off, the atmosphere
surrounding the game was more of concern than excitement."
As for the game itself, Wise called it "48 minutes of
mediocre basketball" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/20). Tom Gugliotta,
the only free agent to play in the game: "We wanted to play
as close to an NBA game as possible. We didn't want this to
be like an MTV game. The guys were excited to play a real
game." Scalpers "were asking $20 for a block of six
tickets" before the game (DETROIT NEWS, 12/20). The game
raised more than $500,000 for UNICEF and other charities
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/20). Agent David Falk, whose firm,
FAME, co-promoted the event with Arn Tellem: "I think this
event shows that the people want to see 300 of the world's
greatest basketball players, not 29 of the world's greatest
owners" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/20). FAME President
Curtis Polk: "We're in talks to do another game, but only if
the league cancels the season" (USA TODAY, 12/21). On
Friday, NBA Commissioner David Stern: "I wish them well and
I hope no one gets hurt" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/19). NBPA
Exec Dir Billy Hunter: "This was in many ways just like an
NBA game to me. It had the enthusiastic crowd and it
featured some of the best players in the game giving us a
good effort" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/20). Game promoters
took out $20M in disability insurance for each player
participating in the game (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/20).
MIXED REVIEWS: In Chicago, Sam Smith wrote that there
"was limited interest" in Saturday's game (CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
12/20). The AP's Chris Sheridan noted that the crowd, "made
up mostly of teenagers, did not seem to be overly
transfixed, with many of them wandering the aisles and
jumping from seat to seat more so than would be seen at a
real NBA game" (AP, 12/20). In Philadelphia, Stephen Smith
wrote that the "pseudo all-star game did nothing but verify
the obvious: Neither side -- the players nor the NBA -- can
live without each other" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/20).
In N.Y., Kevin Kernan: "Throughout the night, it was not
high-flying dunks in the air, but apathy" (N.Y. POST,
12/21). In Charlotte, Leonard Laye wrote that for the fans,
"it appeared that seeing the stars and enjoying their play
was important, the outcome wasn't" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER,
12/20). In Chicago, Lacy Banks: "The game served notice
that the players could market themselves to what is now a
global basketball market" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 12/21).
BROADCAST NEWS: Notes from Showtime's broadcast of the
charity game: A disclaimer before the game read: "This event
is not sanctioned or endorsed in any way by, or associated
with the National Basketball Association, any of the teams
that comprise the NBA, or the NBA Players Association"....
The team names were those of sponsors Just for Feet and
Athletic Attic....NBPA VP Dikembe Mutombo, on losing fans:
"We've all got a lot of garbage to pick on the street. And
it's going to take each one of us to contribute and to go
out on that street and pick up the garbage. It's not going
to be easy to clean up"....Jayson Williams, who was an
analyst, on the season: "There'll be a 56 game season as
soon as David Stern goes down that little ski slope in Aspen
and gets back off there and figures that he has enough
skiing going on" ("The Game On Showtime," 12/19).
