The Brooklyn Franchise

[Redz]

How do you feel the Nets are going to be received by the fanbase in Brooklyn?  I really think it's a great move for the team and the league.  I can see Brooklyn really getting behind the Nets and embracing them as "theirs".  They haven't had a team of their own since the Dodgers skipped town with Sandy Koufax after the 1957 season. 

I wonder how many Knicks fans will turn tail and become Nets fans over the course of years. 

Anyhow, I hope it works.

Who knows, maybe their fans will revert back to their old ways.

[GreenEnvy]

I work in Brooklyn.

Nobody cares.

If they get good and steal the back pages from the Knicks, they will gain a fan base, potentially loyal ones.

The arena is state-of-the-art and highly accessible, so attendance will probably be great, but mostly from transplants rooting for their favorite NBA teams, yuppies, and hipsters.

Dwight has a polarizing personality that would have piqued a lot of interest in the team. Joe Johnson does not. Neither does DWill, Wallace, Humphries, or Lopez.


I grew up in Brooklyn, having lived there for the majority of my life, but unfortunately we didn't have a team for any part of it. Based on how older folk still talk about the Dodgers, I too have hope that the Nets will develop a rabid fanbase. But it will take some time.

But I doubt MSG will become a ghost town anytime soon. The Nets will have to be consistently better for several seasons, and probably win a championship, before a noticeable amount of fans jump ship.

[pearljammer10]

A group of just below super star talent in williams johnson wallace and lopez. none of these guys are appealing enough for the new york spotlight. people will still be on the knicks case and the nets will be to them what the mets are to the yankees.

[ACF]

One thing that'll definitely work for them is merchandise. The "Raiders East" b/w look will definitely be a "crowd favorite" among random NBA fans. They've got some pretty cool tees and stuff already selling in their store.

I really like this one:


http://store.nba.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=12773897

I do think they'll eventually be a success but almost like an expansion team, they will have to work their way there. Rome (or, in this case, Barclays) wasn't built in one day. It could be a great inter-city classic in a few years, though, if both teams can compete on a year-to-year basis.

[CapnDunks]

I live and work in Brooklyn. Lots of gear is selling, that much I can say. People here still buy "vintage" Dodgers gear. Having a Brooklyn team is a big deal.

I have one friend who was a huge fan of the nets in the early 00's who won't shut up.

Some of my friends who are Knicks fans are pretty excited and I imagine will support the Nets when it doesn't directly affect the Knicks.

I think they'll do fine fanbase-wise. There's a ton of people playing basketball in New York. And the Nets will probably be playoff bound for the first time in a while. Being the Hawks in Brooklyn will sell out a lot more games than in Atlanta. They don't need to win a championship to get a big fanbase here.

[bdm860]

I grew up in Brooklyn, having lived there for the majority of my life, but unfortunately we didn't have a team for any part of it. Based on how older folk still talk about the Dodgers, I too have hope that the Nets will develop a rabid fanbase. But it will take some time.

I got to admit, I don't understand this sentiment at all, so maybe someone can explain it to me.

The Brooklyn doesn't have a team sentiment.  Why aren't Brooklynites Knicks fans?  MSG and the new Brooklyn arena are only half an hour away from each other, it's not like it's trouble getting from Brooklyn to the Garden, especially with all the super easy access to public transportation in New York. So I don't get this Brooklyn doesn't have a team attitude, why aren't the Knicks your team already?  (Also why are they still clinging to the Dodgers and not Yankees or Mets fans by now?).

Maybe it's because I grew up in Hartford, where many of us would gladly make the 2 hour trips to New York or Boston to cheer on the Celtics, Knicks, Yankees, Mets, Patriots, Giants, etc. 

And I also lived in Dallas, where it could take about 40 minutes to an hour depending on traffic to get to Cowboy Stadium or to a Rangers games.

So distance-wise, travel-time wise, I just don't get this Brooklyn doesn't have a team sentiment.

Market-wise I get how big cities like New York can support multiple teams, I just don't get why everybody's not already a Knick fan (terribly run organization aside).  (I especially don't get it in LA with Lakers/Clippers, though I kind of get the cheap Clippers tickets vs the expensive Lakers tickets, but that's a whole different discussion).

[Celticsdiva]

Another one here who lives and works in brooklyn. Honestly, the reviews are mixed. There alot of people here who are just excited that they dont have to go into manhattan to catch a game(me), and then there are some people who believe the nets have a shot at competing for a championship. Not alot of hype surrounding the nets team here in brooklyn though, for the most part. More hype about the stadium more than anything else.

[jbaerg]

Love the uniforms.

[Celticsdiva]

I work in Brooklyn.

Nobody cares.

If they get good and steal the back pages from the Knicks, they will gain a fan base, potentially loyal ones.

The arena is state-of-the-art and highly accessible, so attendance will probably be great, but mostly from transplants rooting for their favorite NBA teams, yuppies, and hipsters.
Dwight has a polarizing personality that would have piqued a lot of interest in the team. Joe Johnson does not. Neither does DWill, Wallace, Humphries, or Lopez.


I grew up in Brooklyn, having lived there for the majority of my life, but unfortunately we didn't have a team for any part of it. Based on how older folk still talk about the Dodgers, I too have hope that the Nets will develop a rabid fanbase. But it will take some time.

But I doubt MSG will become a ghost town anytime soon. The Nets will have to be consistently better for several seasons, and probably win a championship, before a noticeable amount of fans jump ship.

My point exactly! The only thing I'm excited about as far as the brooklyn nets are concerned, is not traveling into manhattan to cheer for my celtics! That's it!