For NBA Commissioner David Stern, problems became officially worse. It was reported that six additional referees were sanctioned:

“…Sources told The New York Daily News that the six officials, whose names have not been identified, were found in violation of the league’s anti-gambling policy for such infractions as going to casinos. The information came to light as a result of the NBA’s investigation into its officials after the Donaghy scandal broke this summer. But the sources said these new infractions were in no way close to what Donaghy did.”

link: Report: NBA disciplined six refs for violating anti-gambling rules

It just makes Commissioner Stern’s job that much tougher. It is difficult to market a ‘family values’ product when game officials are linked to gambling. The NBA fully realizes how damaging this could be. Usually, public relations people believe that consumers’ memory of negative events last only a few news cycles. This premise may not apply to sports fans.

Catherine Forsythe

[tags]nba, commissioner david stern, officials, gambling, sanctions, marketing, fans[/tags]