One thing I've always thought of the Knicks was that, no matter their record, the fans would keep coming out. Certainly, their attendance would remain above the Nets', who play in the goofiest arena in the shittiest shithole on the face of New Jersey. More and more, though, the Knicks are trying to get our attention. If you live in the Tri-State Area, you've seen ads on TV, 2 minute commercials before movies, and even the most recent half-page ad in Sports Illustrated. You just can't avoid them.
Yesterday brought the worst of these invasions. Often the Sunday NY Times comes with a little sample; a tea bag, a box of Cheerios, or a cereal bar. Yesterday it came with a multi-page Knicks ad. I first lamented the absence of a delicious snack, then wondered why on earth the Knicks were so goddamn pesky? Could their high-priced players have actually sucked away that much money? Was attendance down that much? I immediately assumed that the Nets had surpassed us in numbers.
A Nutri-Grain bar has 45% more fiber than the Knicks. Both will make you poop.
Obviously, the Knicks have the highest payroll in the league. Hoopshype.com reports $140,595,134 for last season, about 150% of the next highest team.
Their attendance last year averaged 18,931 bitches a game, ninth in the league. Looking at past years, the drop hasn't been THAT significant. As a point of comparison, the Nets were at 16,866 last season.
So what's the deal? Why the sudden avalanche of marketing? Are they that desperate? Or do they really believe that this year will bring a new face to Knicks basketball?
Time will tell.
(P.S...How often do you get to legitimately end something with "Time will tell"? That gave me chills. Later.)
No comments:
Post a Comment