Menu
Franchises

GRIZZLIES TAKE STOCK AFTER FIRST YEAR -- THE SHOW MUST GO ON

     The Grizzlies' inaugural season is profiled by Lowell
Ullrich of the Vancouver PROVINCE.  Ullrich:  "Did the Grizzlies
capture enough of the market to ensure their long-term future?
Especially if they carry out a planned hike in ticket prices?"
Tod Leiweke, VP/Business for Orca Bay Entertainment, the team's
parent company, suggested a single-digit price increase will take
effect next year and believes the team can improve on its season
ticket base of 13,000.  The team averaged just over 17,000 per
game, just under the NBA median.  With "few vocally opposed" to
the C$15,000 spent nightly on game presentation, Ullrich writes,
"They'll be just as much glitz next year."  Where "changes are
needed" is in radio/TV coverage, as Orca Bay produces games for
BCTV/CHEK, but is "last in the league in over-the-air revenues."
And with rights deals in place, the Grizzlies "might be stuck"
unless the area gets a regional sports outlet (Vancouver
PROVINCE, 4/23).
     KILLER WHALE?  Orca Bay unveiled a giant blimp dressed as a
killer whale at GM Place.  The Whale is estimated to have cost
over $50,000 and will be used at both Canucks and Grizzlies
games.  Greg von Schottenstein, Orca Bay Director of Game
Presentation, said "early indications from fans are that it's a
huge success" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 4/23).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1996/04/23/Franchises/GRIZZLIES-TAKE-STOCK-AFTER-FIRST-YEAR-THE-SHOW-MUST-GO-ON.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/1996/04/23/Franchises/GRIZZLIES-TAKE-STOCK-AFTER-FIRST-YEAR-THE-SHOW-MUST-GO-ON.aspx

CLOSE