Donaghy Preparing To Name Other NBA Refs Involved In Gambling

Donaghy (l) Could Detail Gambling Activities Of Other NBA Refs

SPORTS IN A TOUGH SPOT: SI.com’s Chris Mannix wrote it would be surprising if “any of the allegations raise further questions about the way certain games were officiated.”  But Stern would be “compelled to suspend and/or fire all the officials involved [in gambling], an act that would certainly bleed into games if the league is forced to bring in inexperienced officials to pick up the slack.” If he takes no action against those refs, it will “only serve to increase the level of distrust the public feels toward the league” (SI.com, 8/18). ESPN.com’s Howard Bryant: “Sports is in a really interesting position where people need to believe in the game that they’re watching, and if the leagues lose that confidence -- and I think they certainly have in the NBA -- you’re in a lot of trouble; and I don’t know if the sports leagues appreciate that as much as they need to” (“Outside The Lines,” ESPN, 8/19).

NO IMPACT ON BUSINESS YET: Ticket sales are up this offseason despite the ongoing controversy, and NBA Senior VP/Marketing Communications Mike Bass said, “I can’t speak to any impact of the Donaghy case, but I can tell you that we are on pace to not only break the all-time record for attendance but the all-time record for season ticket sales as well.” Full season-ticket sales are up 41% per team from last year, and Bass said the renewal rate “is far exceeding where we were last year at this time” (N.Y. POST, 8/19).

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