LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. If you asked any basketball supporter earlier this year, the mention of these three names within the same roster was as probable as George Bush running for presidency in Iraq. Now, this pipe-dream has turned to reality as is evident from my wasted afternoons spent in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn and soda.
Every basketball follower can recall the moment LeBron James announced his decision to join Miami. In fact, every individual with a T.V set can recall that moment. From CNN to ESPN, this was the news of the hour. Reports indicate that nearly 10 million people tuned in to witness this decision, making it the third most watched program on cable television this year!
Tickets to Miami Heat games ceased to be luxury, and were now as necessary as food is to the monthly consumer budget. The Miami Heat management even went as far as firing their entire sales team due to the power of the tickets to ‘sell themselves’. The average price for the season opener ticket was in excess of $130! Unfortunately for Miami fans, this purchase may not have been amongst their best as Miami suffered defeat to Boston in a low scoring game.
Subsequent to this Miami suffered another defeat later in the season to the Hornets, taking their record to 2 losses in their opening seven games. As a result, ticket sales seem to have lost their Heat in Miami. Prices are taking massive cuts in order to encourage sales. For the opening game, 400 level seats were in excess of $100, but now these same seats are being sold for as low as $16 for opponents such as the Utah Jazz.
Despite my limited knowledge on the products sold worldwide, I am confident enough bet that this must be one of the shortest product life cycles i have ever seen. It is now up to LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and the rest to resuscitate the ticket sales.
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