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Keeping The Rock: David Stern Says NBA Is Not Ready To Sell The Hornets

Four months since assuming ownership of the Hornets, the NBA "continues to work toward resolving issues it hopes will make the franchise more attractive to a local buyer," according to John Reid of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Although the league "has not had discussions with any potential local owner or groups," NBA Commissioner David Stern on Friday said that league officials "continue to receive inquires from people expressing interest." Stern: "When people call and express an interest, we say 'terrific, we’ll take you to a game, take you to a meal, and put you in the queue, so we can be ready to talk to you when we are ready for this asset to be sold.' We’re not pursuing local ownership at this time." He added, "The direction that Jac Sperling and Hugh Weber are taking is to make this team desirable for local ownership, or ownership that intends on keeping it in New Orleans." Reid noted the league also is "pushing a new marketing plan to help season-ticket sales reach 10,000 by next season." The Hornets had "fewer than 6,500 season-ticket holders this season" and ranked 26th in total attendance, but Stern said that they operated "within the budget proposed when they purchased the team, and actually improved a little bit." He added, "We need to increase attendance. But we are seeing some very good signs with respect to season-ticket sales." He noted that the team's new "I'm In" marketing campaign "has been successful, along with the push to attract sponsorships" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 4/17).

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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