My comments:

NAGY: What's coming up?

BURTON: I feel very excited about this new side coming on from Victoria. A second side in Melbourne with the financial capacity to do things the right way, we're playing a game regularly in Singapore, we're back in Hobart and next year we'll go into Canberra. We're playing in Darwin. We have a team in NZ.

It was a closing remark, but I do think you could safely respond to parts of this with "So what?" too - the NZ team is old news so realistically, what's coming up is a second Melbourne team and a game in Canberra and Darwin.

I'm not sure that I understand the reasoning behind a game in Darwin. Canberra and Hobart have had teams in the past and may have in the future, but Darwin's not in the same position. I'd rather see publicity-generating stunts - a great example was Microsoft launching either Windows 95 or 98 (can't remember which) by making every copy of a London newspaper free for that day, or was it Virgin or Vodafone who bought out an entire sporting event and gave away the tickets? A company might not want to spend $80-100k on buying 4000 game tickets, but they could buy out the upper tier at a Sixers game (which is going to be sparse for some games anyway) for far, far less - increases chances of publicity, of being able to claim that the game is a sell-out, and if they're giving the tickets away it exposes new people to the game.

The NBL might not want to burn $5m on advertising, but it could use league money to subsidise the employment of ticket sellers for each club to focus on group ticket sales, corporate sales, public sales, etc. If that's Burton's big criticism of clubs, then why not back it? These people could work with training from the league to best represent the brand as a whole.

Alternatively, they could spend far less than that on coordinating resources for the league and clubs to use - e.g., improve the quality of their online stats and then license the use of those stats to each club and NBL-relevant fan media such as OzHoops, this site, Handle magazine, NBLGM, and more. Or license pictures from freelance photographs and make them available for limited use to clubs and fan media. Or get more video highlights online - and not just streamed a la Fox's online video - stuff you can download and share with your friends.

Or an application/database that allows clubs to more easily track and stay in touch with fans, and get the real reasons why they go to games or don't go to games - it is unbelievable that the Sixers aren't running something really coordinated like this, but it's a matter of costs and maybe they could do it if the NBL helped. e.g., it would cost a developer like me $x to build this for one club. Instead of paying 11x $x, the league provides $y (where y is maybe 2x?) and rolls out the application for use by every club.

He talks about bringing over NBA staff to pick their brains, but are club marketing staff in on those meetings and presentations? Or are the NBA staff sent around to chat with each marketing group?

what still concerns me is Burtons Love of Foxtel, did not concern him one bit that 3 out of 10 aussies have it and seemed even if say a club could organise or financially back FTA for there team the NBL would disallow it anyway,

in Short he has no intentions of Getting FTA TV for the league or Clubs,

and his comment on marketing was bit wierd if there was 5million for marketing campaign 4million would go to sydney and mel and 1mill for the rest of the country,

i had high hopes for this guy but i think boti has exposed that he is nothing more then a puppet with seamus's hand up his clacker

The marketing in Sydney and Melbourne would appease their corporate backers. You have to wonder if you'd be better off putting the majority into the rest of the country instead and getting a better return on your money.

Still, I think they could make better use of the outlay than shotgun advertising right now.

I reckon what Burtin was saying is that it costs more to advertise in the Sydney and Melbourne markets.

So out of the NBL marketing pie you would have 80% of the money spent bringing attention to at best 4 teams (Tigers, Kings, Razors and Hawks) and 20% on the rest of the league. Not good for parity.

His desire to get into Asia is what all other decent business are trying to do based purely on the mathmatics as he pointed out. It is a percentage game in Asia.

May be this is a clue to their performance i emailed the nbl marketing manager and asked for teh contacts of teh marketing people at each of the clubs....his response was that "i dont have them" go direct to the clubs themselves.

How do ideas get flowed around when the marketing manager of the league does not even know how to contact the people who do the marketing?

Is It Just Me, Or Does Our Comissioner Scares The Crap Out Of Me? Everything he says contradicts himself

Does Not Want To Allow clubs to negotiate there own TV deals, but wants them to manage there own ticket sales and marketing?

Does Not Want To Advertise the NBL at all on Free To Air?

Getting Marketing Advice from people form overseas, then says cannot do a national marketing plan as each location is unique and requires its own approach?

Happy With Foxtel Coverage and how many people have access to it - On behalf of the one in three people that have foxtel, 2 games a week, a crappy 30 min highlight show, and all covered by the same two commentators, with special comments form Wanker Heal, does not cut it! It is funny to think that when we did have FTA NBL coverage years ago, it lost ratings as everyone got sick of the commentators - and we are still stuck with one of them.


Boti - I am glad you are on our side!

BOTI FOR NBL COMISSIONER!

Just thought about what your are saying Bozza and it could well be true.

The AFL boomed on the back of Bruce Mc Irveny(?) and his special comments much the same way that cricket had Richie and the crew.(props out to the 12th man here too)

Is it that these guys make the sport seem more exciting and therefore more desireable to fans?

So many times i have watched a game were someone has ripped an amazing pass and it goes unnoticed by Casey as he is too busy regurgitating stats Carfino can get a word in till three plays later.

Go through some of the NBA tapes and all the great plays have commentators having heart attacks while losing their voice over what they have just scene.

Makes me think that some excitable voices rather than the laconic style of Case and Carf would serve the sport better.

Are you saying that you want Nino commentating the NBL? He hyperventilates anytime Brett Maher gets near him - we couldn't have him sitting courtside in the Fox Box!

Jokes aside, I agree. But having said that, is the play in Australia exciting enough to warrant over-the-top commentating? The US commentators can happily gush because they're watching some pretty massive moves over there.

When will the TV Gods learn - just because you were a legendary player does not make you a good commentator.

Gaze - knows his stuff, knows inside story and gossip, but boring

Heal - just talks shit and way too biased and not funny - Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of bad cop, good cop, someone to antagonise and to start debate, but he is just too annoying - I am waiting for his announcement his coming out of retirement again to save the Boomers as only he can (in his own mind).

Carfino - Uses his jive talking thesauras way too much.

Other Guest Commentators - Normally too shy

The ABC commentators for the WNBL and Netball kick ass over the NBL commentators- now that is a scary fact.

I think Bozza made an extremely good point when pointing out Burton's comment, "Getting Marketing Advice from people form overseas, then says cannot do a national marketing plan as each location is unique and requires its own approach?"
And I would really like to know whether he even sourced an Australian company to write the schedule or whether he heard that everyone else was using the Canadian company and thought well if everyone else is...
For the first time in my life I was actually impressed with Boti's interview. If he could stick to writing serious articles and not his attempt at comedy he may actually be a good journalist!

I think FOX should get kb to do some guest commentating. With quotes like below I'd happily pay to watch and listen. I'd actually get a damn laugh out of watching a game on TV and having the volume turned on. Current commentators are CRAP....

"POKE", you say. okay, i guess that would be equivalent to you accidentally stepping on my shoe and me "POKING" my damn fist in your eye.

"well i live a damn good "LIFE", you should get one......how you like those apples!!! "

listen up rubberneck

"POWER TO NOT BEING THE "SWEAT FROM A BABOON'S BALLS"

"MADD MAXX" threw down a "WHOA", last night"

"i'll definitely have the "jimmy" on display tonight.

"WHO WANT SOME OF THE HURRICANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????? "

"this rubberneck sounds like an ivy-league lacrosse player sipping on frappucinos while scratching his crotch from his first sexual encounter with a "hot apple pie".

old six-pack has diminished into a 2 and a half pack.......... but watchout, that added shake, just makes the "shake & bake", a little harder to defend.


All kb gems....

I don't want to take this off topic too much but I have to disagree with the comments about Shane Heal. I think he is a fantastic commentator. Gives great insight into the game, has passion for the league, speaks very well, has the good looks, has a high profile second only to Gaze in Oz basketball, and has done it all as a basketball player.

I think he's a brilliant commentator and I hope people aren't prejudiced because they didn't like him as a player.

What Burton means in regards to the $5 million and how it would be spent is not about some division the NBL would deliberately draw up, but common sense on how much it would cost from city to city.

How much do you think a prime time ad costs on Adelaide tv? How much do you think it costs in Sydney? Let's imagine they wanted to run an ad simultaneously in all NBL cities, say during peak ratings season during a peak show like Lost or something. Sydney and Melbourne each individually will cost more than Adelaide/Perth/Townsville/Newcastle etc etc combined. That's just the way it is.

But we all have to agree that we need more National Exposure.

All Foxtel people would have seen the national add compaign to the Soccer A-League - now not only did this add excitement to the upcoming season,it also was great exposure for all clubs, key players and sponsors.

Now national TV adverts are not cheap - but surely if sponsors would chip in if they are given exposure when can help offset the costs.

HOw Does That Credit Card Add Go?

Free To Air Televison Commercial - $5mill

Sold Out Games? Priceless

$500,000 - divide that up amongst all teams, add some sponsorship money in for having there logo - what a bargain!

Going Back To The Orginal Article and the NBL expansion into Asia - you cannot argue with the Maths - but if the NBL gets more supporters and sponsors in Asia than Australia - surely that means that more games will be played in Asia, as who would want to sponsor or support a team that only visits them once or twice. Could that then 6ers survive been based in Adelaide - or would they become the Shaghai 6ers and we lose our team apart from a few token games a year when they play at 'home'?

Think back to the halcyon days of basketball. There was a common thread, MJ. As the obvious replacement, Kobe, has blotted his copybook, corporates are not likely to take a chance on high profile athletes anymore for two reasons. Firstly, their (possible) behaviour and secondly, they have priced themselves out of the market compared to the benefit they receive for their buck.

Seeing MJ's face on every second ad on tv was a huge boost for basketball everywhere. Not to mention Grant Hill and Larry Johnson.

Leagues all around the world rode the wave of popularity created by Michael Jordan. As he raised the level of basketball right across the NBA, it will take something/someone special to duplicate that interest shown back in the 80's and 90's.

There will always be a hard core of true supporters but the trick is getting those less dedicated supporters to the games. As we have discussed on here before basketball should try to create a "One Day" version of the game that rewards dunks, half court shots, whatever. This will create a buzz that will hopefully flow into mainstream basketball. Just a thought!!

US corporates are still investing in the marquee NBA players, but we're just not seeing that material here. I've seen some great ads online before highlights on broadband, so they're out there.

But there are no shoe commercials on Australian TV, there are no products endorsed by NBA players because I think as a country we've moved onto a different level - think of how many ads are quintessentially Australian now: car ads feature desert scenes, beer commercials show the pub, drink ads feature the beach. The anti-US feeling has always run against basketball in this country.

Hey Mott - like the suggestion of changing some of the rules of the NBL to make it more exciting, but maybe not so extreme and something that can be used year round

My favourite idea is to ban zone defences - it really stifles a game, making most games a 3 point shootout and rebound contest - where is the excitement in that?

I will admit that it would be hard to police and would cause lots of hassels with umpires - but too open the game up and really let the players play some offence would surely be more exciting.

Trial something interesting in the pre-season, like dunks being worth 3 points - that'd be interesting!

How about they take away the split line rule for the pre-season matches to entice people to go to the Blitz. I'm sure that will make the game a bit more exciting. Good suggestion though isaac as then we would see people driving to the basket with the thought of dunking instead of a pull up or just a lay-up

4 points for reverse dunk and 10 points for 360
all sounds good but I reckon Fiba people would be quite conservative in there thinking.
Anon, where did you hear about these changes?

"like dunks being worth 3 points"

It's an interesting thought, but can you imagine where it could lead? What would it be like trying to explain the rules to a newcomer?

"So, a f i e l d g o a l is worth 2 points?"

"Yeah, unless it's a dunk, then it's 3. And shots from behind the 3-point line are worth 4. Don't ask. Layups are only worth 1 if there are no defenders between the basket and the shooter. And shots from the other side of the halfway line are worth 5."

"This sport is stupid... see ya".

This theme of getting the NBL into the Asian Market I think is slightly ambitious when we haven't got the likes of a 'David Beckham' in Australia. He is more popular in China & Japan than pretty much anyone else in the sporting arena. can the NBL compete with that?
If we had some real stars that were sponsored big time by Nike or Adidas...etc. maybe then we could talk about 'real' exposure to the massive Asian Market.
Frankly, I think the whole 'Asia' push is a big red herring.