David Stern, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, must dread his early morning look at the daily new services updates. His league faces the aftermath of the referee incident and reassuring basketball fans that the product is indeed valid.

Now Commissioner Stern must handle the court ruling against one of its franchises, the New York Knicks. The jury found that Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden was guilty of sexual harassment. The testimony during the trial put the franchise in a very poor light. Fans were demeaned. The conduct of some people associated with the Knicks has been compared to an out-of-control frat house. And the verdict of the trial does not seem to conclude the matter. Isiah Thomas plans to appeal. So, again, during the appeal, the media will revisit all this material. It is difficult, if not impossible, to frame this in a positive light, in order to market a ‘family oriented’ product.

With NBA training camps opened and teams preparing for the forthcoming season, perhaps there is a respite for the beleaguered Commissioner. Wrong. Kwame Brown of the Los Angeles Lakers has another incident with the police.

This is a commissioner who is keenly aware of the presentation of his product. His attention to detail has extended to such things as a dress code and specifying the length of the shorts that the players wear. He knows the damage to the league when headlines carry words such as ‘gambling’, ‘harassment’, ‘police’…

Commissioner Stern not only has to keep his fan base. He has to convince advertisers to stay with a product that has undergone a storm of terrible publicity. If Commissioner Stern can convince fans and advertisers that they still ‘love this game’, without question he will be the NBA’s most valuable player. This is business at risk and millions are at stake.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]nba, commissioner david stern, publicity, fans, trial, advertisers, new york knicks, business[/tags]