Report Card: ABA, Northeast. Category: Organization

[BasketballUSA]

I called the following teams and asked for a media guide. I identifed myself as a basketball fan out of state. Starting simple here, the questions will get harder as the season progresses.

The following either said they would send me one or refered me to their web site: ( no particular order)

1. Buffalo
2. Long Island
3. cape Cod
4. Brooklyn
5. Rochester *
6. Montreal
7. Quebec ( french speaking, but they answered)
8 Vermont

No answer: Newark, Baltimore

* Rochester said they would mail me a media guide, a CD of the championship game and 2 general admission tickets to a future game.

[sportsguy12]

As a former sports writer, teams usually mail media guides and information for free - to the media - not out-of-state sports fans. Thus, the name "media" guide. This is called publicity. I'd have spent about 3 minutes telling you to visit the team's website. If you wanted tickets, then I'd have mailed you a schedule or ticket application.

I don't think most teams are set up (organizationally or financially) to field calls from fans and mail them items. What would a team in Rochester gain from mailing something to someone in Maryland. It's expensive to publish this stuff then mail it, especially if there's little return.

Anyway, I'm not sure of your point.

[panchess]

..though a lot of teams post their media guide as a PDF. It is a valuable document with a lot of useful information that teams should sell as a yearbook to the fans.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

* ...Rochester said they would mail me a media guide, a CD of the championship game and 2 general admission tickets to a future game.

I don't think it's a good idea for ANY minor league team to give away tickets (for whatever reason). That was one of my pet peeves with the old Steelheads. They gave away too many tickets, then after awhile too many people refused to attend games unless they got in free (I always paid my way and then some, BTW).

If a sponsor wants to give away tickets as part of their sponsorship package, then fine. Teams need to keep their financial bottom line in mind at all times. Pointing someone in the direction of the team website seems acceptable (and cost saving) to me too.

[sportsguy12]

Hey, teams can and should put info on their websites that people can use or download. Despite advances in technology, downloading pictures and info off the internet for the media isn't the way to go. Pictures loose quality, etc.

At any rate, I agree that teams should not pad attendance with free tickets. However, many do.

The only reason I made a post is that he said he "asked" for a media guide. Like their merchandise, teams need to sell these books to fans, etc. to make ends meet. Colleges do it, so should the pros.

The other problem with the ABA is that teams can't even get their games played, let alone find someone competent enough to put a media guide together.

The owner of Orlando never heard that Syracuse Univ was called the Orangemen? C'mon, please. Maybe he didn't know, but someone in the organization should have.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

You'd be better off asking for pocket schedules, promotional posters, and things like that to be sent - especially to out of market inquiries.

Hey - a pocket schedule may be a collector's item in no time; rendered obsolete with the changing teams before the glue on the envelope dries.

[patmc16]

You'd be better off asking for pocket schedules, promotional posters, and things like that to be sent - especially to out of market inquiries.

Hey - a pocket schedule may be a collector's item in no time; rendered obsolete with the changing teams before the glue on the envelope dries.

Ya, just don't ask for any from a Michael Tuckman owned team. That is unless you like getting responses from the owner like this:

Excuse me? You asked for pocket schedules, business cards, ticket brochures
and a merchandise catalog. We have none of those. I gave you a straigh up
answer. You stated you want to attend games, yet you live in Florida. Have you
looked at a map lately? Find Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington, then find
Florida. You can order game tickets on the ABA website if you were serious about
attending games, which you're not. You're another one of those annoying
F'ing collectors. I have nothing for you asswipe.

How's that? Was that a good enough business attitude. F you and be sure
and tell your friends too.

In it's original form, this actual text of an e-mail from Tuckman, the "F" was the "F" word. I have taken the liberty to edit it. The person that he is responding to has friends in the Bellevue, WA area and did actually plan on going to a game while he was there visiting.

[psbf]

I can't imagine any professional businessman giving that reply. Those who do have no business even owning a team. The idea is to gain customers, not lose them.

[patmc16]

I belong to a Yahoo group for schedule collectors. That was the actual reply that one of the guys in the group got from Tuckman just about a year ago. It created an uproar in the group when it happend. I had forgotten about it until ABARWB's post reminded me. Amazing, isn't it? and disgusting. That's the quality of ownership you can find in the ABA. Even sadder (but not surprising) then the message from Tuckman was that Uncle Joe defended him & agreed with him when the guy in my group forwarded the message to him.

[psbf]

I have to take your word for it, about Joe. But I've sent him honest questions and received nice, polite responses from him. So that is my experience. I can't imagine anything otherwise, which is not to say it did not happen.

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

Wanna see a few???

http://www.oursportscentral.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-1424.html