http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/29/clipper_fan Kai Ryssdal: The business of sports story today has nothing at all to do with the Super Bowl. It's not about how much money the star player's going to make or how big the television contract is. Professional sports is a cut-throat business. Not surprising with all the money that's on the line. So it's not unusual for one team to poach top talent from a rival. What you don't see everyday is an owner trying recruit a rival fan. Marketplace's Jeff Tyler explains: Jeff Tyler: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was impressed recently when he came to a Los Angeles Clippers game. Not by what happened on the court, but by one particularly booming voice in the stands. Steve Perrin blogs about the Clippers. He says the fan known as Clipper Darrell is a constant presence. Clipper Darrell mobilizes fans with his boisterous cheers: Steve Perrin: My kids love him. Every time we go there, they hear his voice and have to try to find him in the crowd. He's easy to spot because he wears a half red, half blue satin suit with a Clippers logo on the back. Cuban approached Clipper Darrell -- aka Darrell Bailey -- and offered him a job: move to Dallas and become the Mavericks number one fan. Perrin says his first reaction to the news was... Perrin: Huh? You don't pay people to be fans. You don't take a Clipper fan and say "now you're a Maverick fan." It doesn't really translate. Economist Allan Sanderson at the University of Chicago follows the business of sports. His advice? Allan Sanderson: I'd sign the guy to a one year or very short-term contract or advise the guy, if you're going to move to Dallas, rent, don't buy, because I suspect the novelty effect could wear off fairly soon. Sanderson says all sports teams are getting creative about filling the seats: Sanderson: Is it the swimming pool in Phoenix out in center field? Is it interactive seats? Could we have people get married before the game? Jerry Reinsdorf tried that here with the Sox. Steve Perrin says he wouldn't begrudge Clipper Darrell for cashing in. In fact, he says that if Mark Cuban has an extra million dollars, Perrin could be persuaded to blog about the Mavericks. In Los Angeles, I'm Jeff Tyler for Marketplace. ________________________________________________________________ How much $ would it take for you become a fan of another team?
being a fan isn't for sale. you could never pay me to dislike the rockets and/or start liking another team. However, i could forsee myself being paid to be a 'stands cheerer' for the right price. The others dont have to know that I may dislike that team or be a huge fan of another team, but I could be the "cheer_leader of the stands".
I'd take the money with a condition that I get to sit on the bench with the Dallas players. A good opportunity to destroy chemistry and turn players against each other.
There's a lot of things I can say I can't be bought for, but for a million bucks and season tickets, I could probably swallow the horror of being a Mavs fan.
I could see why Clipper Darrell would want to do it ... the second Cuban starts paying him for attending games, it becomes a job. I can give my all at my job without my heart being in it. I would liken it to a player growing up as a fan of the hometown team but getting drafted by another team. I would still have an allegience to that hometown team, but another team is paying the bills so I would give it my all. Dude morphed his fan skills into a possible career ... no reason not to go all out as that type of entertainer.
The Dallas Mavericks are a disgrace to humanity and anyone who sells their soul for a front row seat to their inevitable demise will pay for it... with his life.
thats terrible Clipper Darrell is a great guy I sat next to him a couple years ago at a clippers/rockets game and we had a great time (esp since the rockets blew out the clips) but he means so much to the clipper nation out there. He single handedly gets the crowd going with his various chants and claps. Whenever I just go to a clipper game I love saying Hi to him. The entire LA crowd loves him and participates and you always get like the little kids to try to imitate him too. If only the TC crowd around the Rowdies join in their chants the way the crowd around Darrell does TC could be really loud. But in all honesty I dont think Darrell is on the Clipper payroll but he really should be, have you seen the pictures of his car and house? The clippers should at the very least give him season tickets. The Clipper Cheer Crew (whatever they are called) and the people who do the fan participation things between timeouts get clipper darrell to help them out with their stuff too. Stay at home Darrell (unless Cuban throws stacks of money at you) either way that is a low move by cuban if he cant find fans in dallas to be like darrell then dont go buying them from other teams. actually i am quite surprised cuban hasnt taken the red rowdies idea already he seems the type of owner that would totally do something like that but do like an entire section instead of like 40 seats or something.
hey Cuban- get your own Clipper Darrell! I called in a local (LA) talk show two nights ago when I heard about this. all of the hosts seem to think if the money's right, he should do it. Clipper Darrell can be heard anywhere in Staples Center. I think it is an absolute disgrace for a fan to switch allegiance because of money... the other thing is that he came on the show and "claimed" that Cuban was going to pay him more for just being a fan. he said Cuban was bringing him on as a "consultant" I laughed and pretty much called him out on the air. he's a car salesman, for crying out loud.stay in staples Center Clipper Darrell.. on the other side of the coin, the Clippers should probably realize their most famous fan after Billy Crystal is being courted by another team, maybe season tickets on the house would be the right move for them to make
For how long? is it $100,000 for a season? Shoot, I'd do it. If i were him, I'd work for a little while, cash out and go back to LA and make Cuban look like a complete idiot.
the professor mentioned in that article was my prof at U of C last year, i took macroecon and i also took the economics of sports taught by him, good class
$10,000 is toy money, really. Nice to have, but there and gone. Give me $100,000 though, and I'll cheer for whoever the hell you want.
