76ers Fans Lining Up For Tickets With Allen Iverson Returning

Iverson Will Make His Return As A 76er Next Monday Against The Nuggets

Soon after the 76ers yesterday announced the signing of G Allen Iverson, "lines formed at the box office" at Wachovia Center and the "calls flooded into the sales office," according to Mark Kram of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Iverson, who played for the 76ers from '96-'06, will make his return to the court next Monday against the Nuggets. The game is "not yet sold out, but it is getting there." The 76ers play two other home games next week, and the team said it is "filling tickets at a pretty quick pace for all of the games." 76ers Senior VP/Business Operations Lara Price: "It's been amazing. I don't have specific numbers yet (on volume) because it's just been so crazy." In addition, visits to the 76ers' Web site "tripled from a week ago." Iverson's No. 3 jersey will be on sale at Wachovia Center in time for Monday's game. Sports marketing execs said that "it is expected that Iverson would stimulate a renewed interest in the team," which has a 5-14 record and is averaging only 11,965 fans per game, second fewest in the NBA. But the marketing execs agreed that the team will "have to win again to sustain that fan interest." Temple Univ. sports marketing professor Joe Mahan: "You will see a spike early in jersey sales, especially as we come into the holiday season. But if he or the team continues to struggle people will begin to sour on this notion of having him back" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/3). Comcast-Spectacor President & COO Peter Luukko yesterday said, "What I didn't expect today was the overwhelming response from the fans. The fans were so positive and there were relatively few negative calls and they are buying tickets." Price said that "more tickets were sold yesterday than on Oct. 10, the day the team put individual tickets on sale for the entire season" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/3). Reebok Saturday is re-releasing Iverson's 76ers-themed shoe, and most Philadelphia-area stores "expect his No. 3 jersey to be ready for sale Monday" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/3).

ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS: ESPN's Tim Legler said of the Iverson signing, "If you've been in (Wachovia Center) this year you know they're lacking a buzz. ... There are empty seats. Right now, this team ranks 29th in overall attendance, but they're dead last in the percentage of the arena that's filled on a nightly basis." Legler noted the November 20 Grizzlies-76ers game "drew the biggest crowd" to Wachovia Center this season because fans were "expecting the return of Allen Iverson" ("NBA Fastbreak, ESPN2, 12/1). In Philadelphia, Keith Pompey writes under the header, "Love Him Or Hate Him, The Town Is Abuzz" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 12/3).

ALL FOR SHOW? ESPN NBA writers debated whether the signing was a "marketing move, basketball move, or desperation move" for the 76ers. J.A. Adande, citing the team's poor attendance, wrote, "Basketball-wise, it's not a step toward the gold trophy." Mark Stein believes the trade was entirely about marketing, because the 76ers are "desperate to stay relevant and sell some tickets." Stein: "Miles away from title contention, Philly is making the business side its No. 1 priority." TrueHoop's Henry Abbott added, "The Iverson brand means more in Philly than anywhere else. Feels like no coincidence that's where he has popped up" (ESPN.com, 12/2). However, Luukko contends that any increase in ticket sales from the signing "was secondary" to the team's effort to improve on court (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 12/3). The PHILLY INQUIRER's Bob Ford wrote Iverson "can only sell tickets for a bad team" at this stage in his career. Ford: "Having brought back Iverson, every night at the Wachovia Center will be Fan Humiliation Night. ... You can understand a franchise preferring to be morally bankrupt than the other kind of bankrupt, but this is such a cynical admission of failure it is embarrassing to watch" (PHILLY.com, 12/2).