Negative Ghost Rider, The Pattern is Full
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James Joyner | Thursday, March 26, 2009 |
Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, notes that only one reporter came by before yesterday’s game to ask questions, an astonishingly low number.
I recognize that this is partially a function of the fact that we are in the 8th slot rather than in 1st place. I also recognize that if I resigned Dennis Rodman or brought in Terrel Owens for a 10 day, or did or said something controversial that would change over night.
The Morning News and all the local papers and online and offline media are still covering the Mavs. We still get the ink, but the real question is what would happen if our local papers shut down and went online only ? How would we reach the casual fan that wont invest time to go to the online sports section or the Mavs website ?
Its a possibility I have to figure out how to deal with today.
That he’s thinking about such things is an indication that he’s not only a smart businessman but one who made his billions in media.
As someone with decidedly less money in the bank, however, I’d note an alternate solution: Get the Mavs back into 1st place? Admittedly, that’s more difficult.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Let's see, hold a webconference? Really, how hard is this. All the papers' decline mean is the ink-stained wretches aren't going to be physically there, but that is no reason to imagine the level of interest by fans rises or falls with newspaper people shilling for the team.
How about opening up the press room to more bloggers. Mark toyed with the idea a couple of seasons ago, but it was half hearted.
"That he’s thinking about such things is an indication that he’s not only a smart businessman but one who made his billions in media."
I think it was more a case of other people being stupid than him being smart - he sold his sports webcasting business during the height of the tech bubble, and nothing ever came of it. Had he not sold a bad idea to gullible investors, he'd be nowhere today, which is not quite the same thing as being a smart business person.
