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Leagues and Governing Bodies

A PLACE FOR "HOT PLATE" WILLIAMS? NBA'S NEW FOOD COURT

          The NBA broke ground yesterday on NBA City, its first-
     ever restaurant, which will open next summer on Orlando's
     Citywalk (NBA).  In Orlando, Jerry Jackson writes that the
     restaurant will cover 17,000 square feet and feature an
     interactive game area, a lounge and merchandise shop.  The
     facility is a joint venture with FL-based Hard Rock Int'l. 
     Hard Rock President & CEO Jim Berk said that NBA City "is
     expected" to total more than $10M in annual revenue upon
     opening.  Berk: "This won't be another Hard Rock.  It will
     feature contemporary American cuisine."  Berk said that
     major markets already home to Hard Rock Cafes are "the early
     candidates for NBA City outlets," and added that he "expects
     to build 10 to 12 of the casual-theme restaurants during the
     next four years" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26).  In Ft.
     Lauderdale, Mike Schneider writes that the next NBA City
     "will likely" open in Japan (SUN-SENTINEL, 2/26).  
          STATE OF THE NBA: In Orlando, Tim Povtak interviews NBA
     Commissioner David Stern, who said that the fans "generally,
     have been good-natured and very forgiving" after the
     lockout.  Stern: "I expected, or was worried, about a much
     larger decline than we're experiencing.  We're probably flat
     now, down a couple of percentage points overall."  Stern
     said that TV ratings "have been up, and that's where most of
     our fans experience the games" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26). 
     But in Detroit, Bob Wojnowski writes that the quality of
     play is still an issue: "You see finer shooting performances
     featuring beer bottles on fence posts behind backwoods bars
     at 3 a.m." (DETROIT NEWS, 2/26).  In Denver, Mike Littwin
     writes that the NBA "can be a lot of things, but what I
     never thought it could be was boring" (RMN, 2/26).
          WNBA: In Orlando, Shannon Rose writes that the WNBA
     "sits in a sticky situation these days," as its begins its
     labor talks, as the "last thing women's basketball needs
     right now [is] an image problem," though "no one believes
     anything close to the NBA lockout will emerge" (ORLANDO
     SENTINEL, 2/26).  Stern: "It's not a winning financial
     proposition yet, and I'm optimistic that collective
     bargaining will reflect that" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/26).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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