... embarassing for Jason Kidd to play in front of 5,000 fans. Big difference from Phoenix. I actually read in the Daily News today that there's an indemnity agreement that the Nets signed when they entered the league that allowed them to play in Manhattan, if necessary. The writer suggested that, Staples Center style, the Knicks and Nets share MSG. Wouldn't happen in a million years, but an interesting thought. Here's an article that appeared in Sunday's NY Times. Attendance Is Down 3.3% From Last Year By MIKE WISE Gary Payton tried to keep up with Jason Kidd on Thursday night in the Meadowlands, a hoop-junkie matchup between two Oakland playground legends acknowledged as the game's two elite point guards. The listed attendance was 5,277 — for a building holding 20,049 seats. Tim Duncan, David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs played the same night before 9,511 in Charlotte Coliseum, barely half full. The Nets and the Hornets, whose attendance woes are hardly new, play in arenas with few amenities compared with some of the league's more modern facilities. Also, during the season's first week, a riveting World Series competed with the N.B.A. for fans' time and attention. Yet even with those disclaimers, and based on very early returns, the league may experience more economic painover the next few months. Through Thursday night's games, the N.B.A. has seen a slight drop of 3.3 percent in average attendance, to 16,153 a game from 16,784 at the end of last season. The Nets may be the most disturbing harbinger of all. They made a blockbuster trade for an All-Star — Kidd for Stephon Marbury — and signed a bona fide center in Todd MacCulloch to upgrade their roster. The Nets won four of their first five games to take the lead in the Atlantic Division. Still, the Nets are last in attendance, averaging 6,547 fans; yesterday's game against Cleveland drew 5,631. The Nets finished 27th in attendance last season, averaging 13,807. The drop in attendance comes even as the league posted its first decrease in the 11-year history of the Fan Cost Index, an annual independent survey by the Team Marketing Report that calculates the average cost for four people to attend a game. The average ticket price in the N.B.A. is $50.10, down 2.3 percent from last season. The average cost of four to attend a game fell to $277.19, a decrease of 1.6 percent. Although the figures are arrived at through several sources, league and team officials have long questioned the accuracy of the Team Marketing Report. They insist that average ticket prices and fan cost indexes obscure median prices and group packages offered by many teams that allow four people to spend less than $100 total a game. The N.B.A. contends that ticket prices have actually risen, albeit modestly, this season. Interestingly, Detroit is leading the league in attendance after two games, averaging 22,076 at the Palace at Auburn Hills. At $31.90, the Pistons' average ticket price dropped 20.3 percent from last year, Team Marketing Report said. "This is about responding to the needs of our fans, our stakeholders," Tom Wilson, the president of Palace Sports and Entertainment, said. "People were making decisions not to come here, and the No. 1 reason was dollars." Only two teams raised their ticket prices more than 10 percent, Team Marketing Report said. Average season ticket prices for the Dallas Mavericks jumped 55 percent, almost solely because of a new arena. At $58.27, the Mavericks have the league's sixth-highest average ticket price. The Sacramento Kings are charging their fans 12.1 percent more than they did last season, mostly because of supply and demand in a one-team town. For the fourth straight year, the Knicks topped the average ticket price category: $89.80, a decrease of 1.5 percent from last season. On average, it costs $460.70 for four people to see a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. By comparison, it costs $198.20 for the same night out in Charlotte. "Obviously it's very early in the season for any projections, but thus far we're very pleased with attendance," said Bernie Mullin, the league's senior vice president for marketing and team business operations. "When you look at all the after- effects of Sept. 11 in the hospitality and entertainment industries, we feel very fortunate right now." Though he could not provide exact figures, Mullin added that season- ticket sales have actually increased. "Clearly what's going on is the average fan on the street has decided to stay home the first couple of weeks," he said. "That's what's contributing to the small decline. With everything that's happening in the world, we understand that."
Rockets marketing department should take a look at that. I know I'd be at a few more Rockets games if prices dropped 20.3%. At least one team seems to understand economics. Man that would be so awesome for the average Rockets ticket to be $31.90. Then you could probably get a decent seat for $20-25. B
