Red Jersey Symbol of Impending Flight from Jersey
by Net Income on May 12, 2006 5:18 PM EDT
in NetsDaily Blog
15 comments
The signs have all been there, subtle messages that the transition from New Jersey to Brooklyn had begun.
The words "New Jersey" were removed from the team stationary and other communications. The Nets big new ticket sales promotion should have been a giveaway as well. The Nets are offering early season ticket customers an autographed "alternate Red road jersey" that will be used starting next season. But the new road jersey was without, well, Jersey. Missing from the new jersey--and presumably the standard blue ones as well--was "New Jersey". The road uniform reads: "Nets".
Brandweek, the advertising trade journal, recently took note of the changes in a profile of Nets' CEO Brett Yormark reporting "Indeed, the franchise has taken "New Jersey" out of all communications and, via a sponsorship deal, is officially known as the Nets presented by Jackson Hewitt (the Parsippany, N.J.-based tax preparation firm)."
Similarly, in a profile for New Jersey Monthly, of all publications, the headline read, "Brett Yormark, president and CEO of the (don’t call them New Jersey) Nets, wants fans as passionate as the NASCAR faithful—never mind where the future leads."
Yormark even told Brooklyn sports writers the team may change its name from the Nets to something else, erasing the team's entire identity!
So is this the last time fans will see the words, "New Jersey" on any Net wear? And what about the "Nets"? Is this the end of the New Jersey Nets? And what will the new team name be?
Certainly, the Nets have been very careful not to drive their New Jersey fans away. Just the opposite.
Bruce Ratner is on the record--repeatedly--about how he is willing to spend money to insure success. The Continental Airlines Arena has been improved, dressed up in LED screens and All-Access lines. Game entertainment has been dramatically improved, with halftime and post game concerts and a new dance team that no less an authority than BHM Magazine called the "hottest" in the NBA. Celibrities--including that odd couple of Nets minority investors, hip hop empresario Jay-Z and mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark--are regularly in attendance. Hell, even Spike Lee made his way across the river, a refugee from that circus in Madison Square Garden. Ratner is regularly seen at home games and at "Influencer" parties throughout New Jersey to lure new season ticket-holders to the arena.
But the franchise has also opened its first ticket office in Midtown Manhattan, offered free rides from Manhattan on the NY Waterway and connecting buses, even distributed Nets' schedules in Penn Station, a few feet below the Knicks playing floor. Some might have seen that as a slap at the Knicks, but more than anything else, it was a first move toward building a fan base among rich Manhattanites who in a few years will be only a few more stops away from the Nets new arena than they are from the Garden. And the big prize, all those big bucks Wall Street types, will find themselves even closer to the Nets in Brooklyn than they will be to the Knicks in midtown.
So what will the team be called? The Brooklyn Nets? The New York Nets? A quick review of trademarks at the US Patent and Trademark Office would indicate those are the two choices. On March 4, 2004, shortly after the sale of the Nets to Ratner went through, the team's official owner, New Jersey Basketball, began filing applications for trademark rights to both the "Brooklyn Nets" and the "New York Nets". No other names have been trademarked by Ratner or any of the Ratner affiliated organizations that own part of the Nets...although that doesn't mean someone has registered the trademark and are holding it.
And yes, the Nets haven't given up the "New Jersey Nets" trademark, at least legally.
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PEOPLE…..
the ‘nets’ on the red jersey means nothing!
the detroit pistons’ red alternate says ‘pistons’ and thats used on the road
the seattle sonics’ yellow alternate says ‘sonics’
toronto’s red alternate says ‘raptors’
dallas’s green alternate has ‘mavs
denver’s navy alternate has ‘nuggets’
golden state’s orange alternate has ‘warriors’
minnesota’s black alternate has ‘timberwolves
philadelphia’s blue alternate has ‘sixers’
portland’s red alternate has ‘blazers’
sacremento’s gold alternate has ‘kings’
catch my drift???
by Ben on May 12, 2006 6:18 PM EDT reply actions
Why are Jersey folks surprised that the team is doing this? The nets went to the finals and the fans never showed up. More folks in NJ root more for the NEW YORK Giants than the NEW JERSEY Nets so is this really that big of a deal to anyone in NJ? The lack of support for the nets is apparent through the ticket sales over the years. There are only a few nets fans in Jersey like Kevin who feel very passionately about the move but from my vantage point most of NJ could care less about the nets.
by Faroque on May 12, 2006 7:19 PM EDT reply actions
Faroque, stfu, look at the stadium where its located , in the middle of nowhere in the damn swamps for christ sakes, with no transportation besides your own car and a bus, you have no idea what you’re talking about, if they were in NEWARK they would be with the top half of the league in attendance the whole time, and you might say well the new york giants (fan of them) sell out, but yes its one game a week on the weekend when most people dont work, most net games are on at 7:30 on weekdays when prolly most people get out of work around 6 or 7!!!! and the bigest cities like newark,jersey city and elizabeth are an hour away, just stfu, i hope crooklyn fails and they move to newark where they will shine, the new revised brooklyn arena is **** ugly
by richard on May 12, 2006 7:35 PM EDT reply actions
Ben makes a good point, BUT how many of those teams changed from their home city or state to team name AFTER THE TEAM WAS SOLD TO AN OWNER WHO PLANS TO MOVE THEM?
I think Ratner is the best owner the Nets have ever had—although the competition is not great. But there is ample evidence to suggest that the Nets management plan to abandon New Jersey as a brand.
by NetIncome on May 12, 2006 9:13 PM EDT reply actions
Looks like someone read my post on the yes message board. I was calling for a boycott of this jersey from day one. They are taking the NJ out of the Nets.
by jerseyjersey on May 12, 2006 11:36 PM EDT reply actions
Who cares about the stupid red jersey anyway. ITS THE SAME DAMN JERSEY. My guess is the red fabric was on sale. Its all part of Yormarks smoke and mirrors campaign. This guy hasnt had any good ideas yet but since they give away a bunch of tickets it looks like the attendence has increased.
by Dirtyjerzz on May 13, 2006 9:43 AM EDT reply actions
I care about the red jersey cause when my team is on the road i want them to represent our state. Stop dropping names to make your theory more plausible. He should have put NEW JERSEY on the new red away jersey, plain and simple.
by jerseyjersey on May 13, 2006 10:53 AM EDT reply actions
exactly dirtyjerz must not have been paying alot of attention ,ITS A ROAD JERSEY AND IT SAYS NETS….. DO YOU NOT GET IT!!!, the road jersey should say NEW JERSEY on it, ima jerseyian i hope crooklyn fails and they move to hnewark where they will shine, and it seems the rat has another problem they want him to cut his project down a third in size, why doesnt he stop being selfish and keep them in jersey, hey maybe he should make his city in east rutherford
by richard on May 13, 2006 6:19 PM EDT reply actions
People I’m a huge fan of the New Jersey Nets. Have been since 92/93 season and I’m from Jersey City and I’m 20 years old so for 13 years I’ve been a fan. I have been doing things with huge organizations that are opposed to this arena complex being built in Brooklyn. They hate the Nets moving there as much as we want to keep them here. We have been raising money for the lawyers to keep pushing lawsuits on Ratner. I mean people I highly doubt this move will happen. This thing was suppose to be being built by now and not one shovel has hit ground. It was suppose to be built for 08-09 and it’s been so delayed by us protesting that now this proposed move won’t happen till after 2011 because Ratner is pushing to extend their lease at CAA. So the longer the project gets delayed the more money Ratner loses.
This new ALTERNATE jersey is just an alternate. Our traditional blue road jersey won’t have “New Jersey” removed from them. Those old grey ones were ugly. Yes I have noticed them trying to take New Jersey out but, the court still says New Jersey Nets basketball on the baseline and has the giant NJs on the court, the banners in the corners still say New Jersey Nets Basketball so they can’t take it out completely until and if this move happens. I think the Nets will eventually move to the Newark arena with the Devs and Ratner will sell the team. People this move is not definate yet. The arena in Brooklyn still has to go through approval process with the state of NY who if you remember shot the Jets Stadium down and that was for the Olympics. So all my fellow New Jerseyans, have faith. If you want info on how you can help with keeping the Nets in Jersey and help the people of Brooklyn stay in their homes, visit: Develop Don’t Destory Brooklyn.net
http://www.dddb.net/php/latestnews_ArchiveDate.php.
If you want more info just comment me back under this and I will help you out.
by Napi on May 18, 2006 12:37 AM EDT reply actions
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by Student Credit Cards on Jul 4, 2006 5:51 PM EDT reply actions
Faroque , the NBA as a whole has poor attendance these days. The NJ Nets attendance actually continues to increase year on year. Have you watched a Heat game on TV recently? They’re coming off a championship year with two of the biggest starts in the game and can barely get people to fill the seats. And don’t even get me started on the Knicks..
by James on Nov 17, 2006 4:19 PM EST reply actions
Ian and Marv mentioned the jersey having a “sparkle to it that was not expected”. We’ve all seen the screen shots of it, but has anyone here seen the real thing? Sounds brutal…
by Brad on Nov 17, 2006 4:20 PM EST reply actions
I hate the new red jersey. I don’t care what anyone says. If they play in NJ, then they rep NJ. I dont care whats gonna happen 3 years from now. While you are here you are the NJ nets. Deal with it. It pisses me off.
by jerseyjersey on Nov 17, 2006 6:45 PM EST reply actions
As an artist and a big Nets fan . I think the red jerseys are terrible from an aesthetic view and a bad move from a traditon standpoint . The current jerseys have a classic look to them and it is great for the few teams that stick with a good design, like the Yankee’s pinstripes. In a culture where change happens for marketing sake it would be a bold move to stay the same.
by mo on Nov 18, 2006 11:08 AM EST reply actions
so what if it says NETS across the jersey? WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL? whoever wrote this article is getting on the nerves of the nets fans. Notice on their home jersey it says NETS also. i don’t think any of it has to do with them moving to Brooklyn. Personally, i think these new red jersey look very attractive.
by dave on Nov 18, 2006 11:48 AM EST reply actions
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