The Hornets this summer reached 11,000 full season-ticket sales, and President & COO Fred Whitfield said that the team “continues to sell season tickets” with the new campaign under way, according to Erik Spanberg of the CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL. The Hornets are currently tied for first in the Eastern Conference, and Whitfield said that they made "several additions last week" to the season-ticket base. The Hornets this offseason “ranked third among the 30 NBA clubs in new season tickets sold." NBA teams “need to sell 10,000 full-season equivalents … to be financially healthy.” Whitfield: “It’s still too early to tell what the direct impact is on individual game sales. But we see things trending in the right direction. Really, we see this as a continuation of a 48-win season and making the playoffs last year.” Spanberg noted the Hornets through four home dates are averaging 16,644 fans per game at the 19,000-seat Spectrum Center. Whitfield said that the franchise is “ahead of the pace at the same time last season.” Spanberg noted attendance and interest “lag at the beginning of the season and then pick up in January as football season comes to a close. “ Team execs believe that the Hornets' 6-1 start could “help reverse that trend” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/8).
MORE BANG FOR THE BUCKS: In Milwaukee, Charles Gardner noted the Bucks ranked 26th in the league in average attendance last season (15,166), including just "four sellouts in a record-setting year for NBA crowds.” Through four games this season, the Bucks have averaged 14,671 fans, and the game-night atmosphere is a “far cry from that seen in some of the NBA’s loudest arenas.” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said that the team “playing exciting basketball can help create a better setting” (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 11/9).
