In Boston, Gary Washburn noted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently addressed the "detrimental effect for fans when teams rest their star players," a practice that creates an "inferior product while ticket prices remain the same." Silver said, “I am concerned more from a fan standpoint. I certainly get lots of emails and have discussions with fans, especially ones who may have a one-time opportunity or once-in-a-season opportunity to see a particular player and then that player rests. I don’t have an easy answer to that" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/17).
HOLIDAY ROAD? The Steelers this season will play on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, and in Pittsburgh, Rob Rossi wrote "no day is safe from the NFL monetizing everything in the pursuit of promoting 'football.'" At some point, the league "will surely weigh staging its annual draft over Memorial Day weekend against opening training camp on the Fourth of July." Rossi: "Maybe I'm making a big deal over nothing. Or maybe paying customers are being done dirty by leagues that have traded catering to fans for bowing before TV executives" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 4/18).
HERE COMES THE SUN: In California, Josh Dulaney notes organizers of the Verizon IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Long Beach estimate last weekend's event drew a crowd of 182,000, which, "if the numbers hold true, will eclipse last year’s crowd of 181,000 people." That would make this event the "most well-attended" since IndyCar debuted in the race in '09. It "didn’t hurt that the city enjoyed summer in April, with the temperature reaching a record high of 90 degrees at Long Beach Airport" (Long Beach PRESS-TELEGRAM, 4/19).
