Quote:
Originally Posted by Underdog
You know, everyone talks about New York's "market" when it comes to LeBron, but I just don't buy it.
See, there's this little thing called mass communication (interwebs and idiot boxes) that allows everyone on the planet to experience what's going on in New York City at any given time.
LeBron already has one of the highest-selling jerseys world-wide (a market of 6.6 billion people), so I don't really see how he makes a significant amount more money in NYC (a market of 8.6 million).
Now if you're talking about a guy of Gerald Wallace's caliber moving from Charlotte to New York, then yeah, I think the market plays significantly into his decision. But not LeBron Inc. - everyone is as familiar with that product as they are with Coca-Cola. He's not going to win over enough new customers in a larger market to justify sacrificing a surefire chance at winning a ring with players like Dirk or Wade in Dallas or Miami.
Knicks fans can stop holding their breath. No matter what the East Coast-biased sports writers are conjuring up, I'd say New York has a lower chance of signing him than the Cavs (which is starting to look rather doubtful at this point...)
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You and your common sense... I agree that the market aspect might be blown out of proportion (by the NY media) to make the arrival of the savior seem more likely. However, Lebron's decision could be based on similar (and not necessarily more realistic) expectations that lack foresight and common sense.
That said, even in light of today's globalized world, I do believe that there's a difference between passively and actively benefiting from a market and, more importantly, its full potential. With LeBron being a Knick, the basketball fans in the New York market would be much more likely to buy even more of his stuff simply due to him being a Knick and "one of them"--he'd be in a position to make full use of those 8.6 million people. Relatively to the size of the market, I'm sure there's no city in the world where LeBron sells more merchandise than in Cleveland. Same with Kobe in LA and Dirk in Dallas. The stronger the home market, the stronger the sales. And who knows what other options would be on the table in a global city like NYC (I don't...).