FOXSPORTS.com’s Bill Reiter wrote the “NBA Renaissance that began when” Heat F LeBron James “took his talents to South Beach and turned a blazing and angry eye toward him and his team has mushroomed into an NBA Golden Era reminiscent of the 1980s, where the storylines and stars clustered so perfectly together that it captured the imagination of the country.” Reiter: “Say what you want about David Stern, but his NBA has needed less than a decade since Michael Jordan’s actual retirement to recast itself as must-watch in the American sporting landscape.” And it is now “more than a one-man show” (FOXSPORTS.com, 10/1).
HONORS ON HOLD: In Pittsburgh, Dejan Kovacevic noted Baseball HOFer Roberto Clemente’s family “essentially has given up the fight to have his No. 21 retired across” MLB at least “as long as Bud Selig is commissioner.” Roberto Clemente Jr. on Sunday said, “It’s become pretty clear to us this commissioner doesn’t want anything to do with it, to be perfectly honest.” Selig’s position, as he “reiterated … last summer, is that Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 will remain the only one retired across the sport.” Supporters of Clemente’s number “being retired maintain Clemente, a Puerto Rican, was just as much a pioneer for Latin American players in baseball as Robinson was for African-Americans” (TRIBLIVE.com, 9/30).
ON THE RISE: WNBA season-ticket renewals for next season are up 10% across the league versus the same time last year. Also, during the ’12 season, group revenue increased 7%, partial season-ticket plan sales were up 6%, team sponsorships went up 10% and WNBA merchandise sales increased 19% (THE DAILY).
GLOBAL GAME: UEFA President Michel Platini said that league members “are still weighing all options for the 2020 European Championship, including the plan of spreading the tournament across 12 cities around Europe.” He said that UEFA was “waiting from feedback from the 53 European member associations before making a decision … but stressed that his multi-host idea would be a one-off for that tournament only” (ESPN.com, 10/1).
