The marketing departments of major film studios have begun to invite pro sports teams "for free private screenings of movies before their public release," according to Andrew Keh of the N.Y. TIMES. The only cost for the teams and players is "an expectation that if they like the film, they might let their fans know about it." Team officials "cherish any opportunity to foster camaraderie among players in a controlled environment; the players welcome any assistance in combating the doldrums of the road; and the studios capitalize on a cost-efficient way to put films in front of influential viewers." Studios typically "rent out a theater near the team’s hotel and pick up the tab for whatever concession food the players want -- expenses that typically range from a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousand." The Nets saw an early screening of "The Night Before" during a recent visit to Sacramento, while a larger group of Nets players, coaches, officials and broadcasters "attended a screening of 'Spectre,'" the new James Bond film, earlier this season in San Antonio. The Knicks "saw 'Spectre' this season, too, in Milwaukee." Knicks F Carmelo Anthony "posted about the film to his seven million Twitter followers and told the Knicks’ beat reporters the next morning that he preferred his martinis stirred." The Nets in the past two seasons "have also had team outings to 'Top Five,' 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and 'Captain Phillips.'" The Nets’ screenings are "organized by" Senior Manager of Basketball Operations Matt Riccardi, who "receives invitations from Jeff Pomeroy, a public relations consultant focused on sports who counts several major studios as clients." Though there are "no formal contracts or explicit obligations, the Nets, like other teams who attend these screenings, have an understanding that they should acknowledge the event on their social media accounts." Players, too, are "generally asked to follow a simple rule: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/21).
