I figured on receiving a mirad of responses, and even during the holidays I suppose people are monitoring these boards. That is a good sign. I am not totally shocked on what has already been written, and do appreciate the feedback.
Even though the younger fans today may not be able to actually know about the original ABA from personal experience, they can still enjoy what it meant to the sport of basketball at the time by being told about it or looking it up somewhere - books, magazines, internet...you get the idea.
I never saw Babe Ruth play in person, but my generation (and every other) has a deep respect and admiration for what he did for baseball, which was just coming off the Black Sox scandal when Ruth went to the Yankees and changed the game forever.
I'm not making any comparisons between Ruth and the original ABA other than a long-ago figure that made a difference in his trade. The players such as Dr. J, Rick Barry and the many others are greats and their contributions in the ABA cannot be discounted at all.
The new ABA does have certain traits that conjure up memories of the original. I felt that bringing back the name 'Kentucky Colonels' was a great move, but the franchise was not able to sustain itself for a great length of time.
I am not fully aware of name copyrights for the teams that are no longer around (discounting the ones that merged - Nets, Pacers, Spurs and Nuggets), but perhaps some of the other ones from the past (Floridians, Oaks, etc.) can be used again.
Although it would be next to impossible to place teams in the same area where the old one was with the same nickname, it can be done in general. The problem is that sports teams today use much fancier names and colors for the simple reason to sell apparel. One question to ask yourself - would you (or your kids) be more inclined to purchase a t-shirt of the San Diego Wildcats or Conquisitors? I know that I would choose the latter, hands down. Judging by the amount of throwback material out there, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that more than 50% of the younger crowd would do the same. Count the number of Johnny Unitas or Jerry West jerseys being worn by kids in elementary school or junior high and it is obvious that retro is a big draw.
To have the attraction of the name ABA and not utilize it to the fullest is a mistake, as far as I am concerned. One way to change the perception of this league is to practically 're-invent' it, so to speak. It is apparent that the current formula needs to be worked on, and I feel that a few of them - with explanations - are as follows:
1- Lower the number of teams in the league: While it is a noble idea to have a team within walking distance of every town, it is not feasible. This is where ownership becomes a major part of the problem. Teams that cannot sustain their budget within the first month of existence cannot be allowed in - period. There is nothing wrong with a 20-team league spread out in two conferences, who then will have the two finalists meet in a best-of-three championship series with home court decided by final record. There will also have to be tie breakers if the regular season records are the same. These are details that are not difficult to establish before the season.
2- Teams fold, it is part of reality: [B/] Minor league sports, especially the independent leagues, have a history of teams folding. That is just the way it is. Without funding from 'big brother,' you have to accept that, no matter how much it makes scheduling extremely difficult. The original ABA had ownership changes, moves and folding. Even in leagues with TV deals, such as the AFL, sthe Gladiators have moved once again to Cleveland. Accept it and do not make it interfere with the season to the extent that everyone else's schedule needs to be torn apart and rewritten. By having conferences that do not play one another until the Finals, it is not totally impossible. Difficult, but workable. By lowering the number of teams to start, the ratio will be lower in the event that this does occur. More solid teams in place will make it easier to find a new buyer if a team does have trouble floating their budget. Owner A can sell the entire organization (including uniforms, souvenirs and whtever else is already there) to Owner B, who feels that he can get the ship righted because the other teams in the division are strong. It can be a transition instead of a distraction. 3- Utilize as many of the old ABA ideas as possible: That includes the old league logo, team names that are available, retro-looking league website with historical references (On This Date...), team up with retro sites such as 'Remeber the ABA,' teams holiding trivia contests at home games with old ABA questions, etc. At Sound home games since year 1, we had audience participation with trivia contests and have also had trivia questions on our radio broadcasts. You have to capture the old league, mainly because that is the one thing that the other leagues cannot do. Regardless of the complaints out there, the ABA does have a catch to it. I don't feel that can be denied. A lot of work has to be done to be given the credibility that the original name deserves, but you have to start somewhere. 4- Media attention:I can tell you from personal experience that the media will not give the current ABA any coverage in the present state. There is too much instability and reputations are hard to change. Even with me being the Editor of a NY sports magazine, it was difficult to justify coverage of the league. I was able to give it some attention in different areas of the publication, but that was due to more unique angles, such as: Sun MIng Ming's visit to Long Island, a story on the possible arena and Teresa Weatherspoon's first game with Westchester on Long Island. Being around many different areas of the local and national media, the ABA is not even on their radar, if they are even aware that it is around. That is pretty sad, considering what the old league meant. I will use Weatherspoon as an example. She was a huge attraction in NY with the Liberty. Approx. a week prior to that game, I contacted all the people that I know with the anticipation of at least one or two of them (News 12-LI, Newsday, Long Island Press, Daily News and plenty others) would either show up or ask me to send something in to them. These are people that have given us coverage in the past, although it may have been very limited. Not one of them wrote me back. When I sent out the press release that the Sound were suspending basketball operations, I also did not even receive a response. Not that I expected it to knock Clemens on steroids off the back page, but at least a paragraph in the Sports Briefs section. Nothing. 5- Utilize boards such as this one to an advantage: Considering that the mainstream media does not give the ABA any real coverage, message boards and the internet are going to be the place to get the word out on a regualar basis at no cost, which is essential for most of the teams. To do that and gain an advantage, members such as A1 Sports have to be given less to point out as negatives. They have every right to state something that is wrong with the league and I for one feel that those posts should be used as a 'suggestion box' when it comes to what needs to be addressed or at least looked at as a problem. Is that an easy fix? Certainly not, but people that are willing to do something about it and have the ability to do so are necessary to begin changing the negative perception that has been there. For every negative, there needs to be two positives to start the process in the right direction. These are just a few off the top of my head, and I have been giving this a lot of thought lately and what needs to be done. I have a passion for the sport and covering it and truly feel that it can work. If some of these changes that I mentioned occur, then it will not only give out some much-nneded positive publicity, but make the name ABA unique again and strive towards keeping it alive in the proper (and a profitable) manner.
