They Will Be the Brooklyn Nets

There was never any real indication that the Nets would change their name to anything else, but Jay-Z made it official on Fox 5 Monday morning, shortly before his press conference began. When the Nets move to Brooklyn, they will become the Brooklyn Nets.

About the concerts that will open the Barclays Center, Jay-Z said, "I'm going to open the building with a concert, with a couple of concerts actually." And when asked if Beyonce' would be performing at those concerts, his reply was "Maybe."

The official announcement was brief, with Jay-Z saying that he asked ownership for the name to be "Brooklyn Nets," and that there would be "definitely more than one" concert to open the arena..."maybe one maybe two, I'm starting to sound like Lebron." Prior to the press conference, he signed autographs and took photos with construction workers at the arena.

Not everyone thinks keeping "Nets" in the name was a smart move.  Darren Rovell tweeted, "Not getting rid of the name Nets is a major mistake. Chance to rebrand themselves, get attention."  Scott Minto, who runs the Sports MBA program at San Diego State, said, “The team will still draw and people will buy jerseys…but there was the chance to start fresh with the new arena and one of the most prolific entertainers in the world.”

The team expects to unveil new logos in February, reports the Times.

• Jay-Z Makes 'Brooklyn Nets' Name Official - Howard Beck - New York Times
• Jay Z Makes Announcement About Nets (Video) - Roseanna Scotto & Kathy Carvajal - FOX5
  
• Nets make it official: They'll be the Brooklyn Nets a year from now - Colin Stephenson - Star-Ledger
• Jay-Z says Nets to be renamed Brooklyn Nets - Rich Calder & David Satriano - New York Post
  
• The Brooklyn Nets - Al Iannazzone - In the 'Zzone
• Ladies and Gentlemen, the Brooklyn Nets - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
• Jay-Z to open Nets' arena - AP
• Jay-Z: New Jersey Nets To Become 'Brooklyn Nets' - WFAN
• Jay-Z announces Brooklyn Nets name, concert - Christopher Hunt - ESPN New York
  
• Jay-Z Announces New Jersey Nets to Become Brooklyn Nets for 2012 Season - Scott Cacciola - Wall Street Journal
• Basketball Branding Blunder? (Video) - Darren Rovell - CNBC
  
• Jay-Z to perform first concert in Brooklyn arena - Ray Stubblebine - Reuters
• Brooklyn Nets Ready to Pounce - Tom Van Riper - Forbes
• "Brooklyn Nets” and Jay-Z will christen new arena - Shane Kavanaugh - Crains New York
  
• Call them the ‘Brooklyn Nets’ - Daniel Bush - Brooklyn Paper
• Jay-Z Announces “Brooklyn Nets” Title, Tells Everyone To Stop Watching Knicks Games - Drew Grant - New York Observer
• When the Nets Move to Brooklyn, They Will Indeed Be Called the Brooklyn Nets - New York Magazine
  
• Aerial Photos: Barclays Center Update - Tom Kaminski - CBS 880 News
• Jay-Z, in Familiar Territory, to Open Barclays Center - Ben Couch - New Jersey Nets
• Jay-Z Announcement Recap (Video) - Jaclyn Sabol - New Jersey Nets
• Photo Gallery: Jay-Z Announcement - New Jersey Nets
• The Jay-Z media event: an anticlimax for news (Brooklyn Nets, concert), but a chance for TV coverage - Norman Oder - Atlantic Yards Report