Much has been said about LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The media has been filled with news regarding the superstar’s return to his home club ever since the pre-season. His homecoming game against the New York Knicks was played in front of a sell-out crowd in downtown Cleveland on October 30th. The fans who were lucky enough to buy a ticket had to face absurd prices of over $10,000 on the secondary market.

It is evident that the impact of the NBA’s best player is tremendous. According to the Cavaliers’s ticketing website, the average ticket for a Cleveland home game is $386, which translates into a 222% increase from last year. In addition, the Cavaliers’ merchandise is up 700%, as the Cavs are the top-selling NBA team. LeBron James’ jersey is also a top-seller in the market. Due to that, restaurants and cafes have come up with marketing strategies in order to exploit LeBron’s image to its full capacity. On game days, it is impossible to dine in the Arena’s surroundings without prior reservation. Finally, economists predict that LeBron’s presence will add hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy on an annual basis.

The scene has been setup. Now, it is up to LeBron James and his team to live up to the expectations and repay their passionate fans.

 

 

References:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000326166

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/11792855/lebron-james-makes-cleveland-cavaliers-homecoming-official-season-opener

http://localtvkdvr.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/lebron.jpg?w=400&h=225&crop=1

http://dy.snimg.com/story-image/6/74/276233/276233-330-0.jpg