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Wednesday, June 14, 2006
nbaGRAPEVINE:The cash battle
MIAMI – The Dallas Mavericks may be up 2-0 in these Finals, but the Miami Heat is winning decisively in the battle of the cash registers.
According to Forbes, the Mavericks have $17.8 million losses on $124 million income. The Heat, meanwhile, are enjoying an upswing after several arid years of dwelling in the East conference cellar.
In 2002-03, Miami only had 4,468 full-season ticket holders, an NBA low. But when Shaq came aboard, season-ticket sales soared three-fold. In this White Hot-themed NBA playoffs drive, corporations such as Sprite, T-Mobile, Toyota, Fed-Ex and La Bamba Cashing are lining up with their sponsorship money.
The Heat paid $32 million to join the league in 1987, now the franchise is worth a ridiculous $362 million. The Mavs are currently worth $413 million, but owner Mark Cuban had to plunk $280 million to purchase the team in January 2000.
In the sale of individual jerseys, Dwayne Wade is top-seller. Depending on versions, his No.3 sells between $40 to $160. Shaq is No.6 in this category, while Dirk Nowizki is No.12. The Heat ranks third in 2006 team jersey sales, behind only to giant markets Los Angeles (Lakers) and New York (Knicks.) The Mavs did not make the top 10 in team jersey sales.
OWNERS. Mickey Arison, 56, owns the Heat. Married to Madeleine, Mickey is blessed with two kids, Nicholas 24 and Kelly 23. Arison, whose family bought the Heat for $92 million in 1987, owns the Carnival Corp and is worth $6.1 billion, reports the Miami Herald.
Mark Cuban, 47, got his wealth from Broadcast.com, the sale of which gave him the bulk of his $1.8 billion fortune. He is married to wife Tiffany and they have a two-year-old daughter named Alexis.
The two billionaires are as opposite as night and day. Arison is quiet, almost invisible. Cuban, meanwhile, is screaming loud and seems to relish in all the publicity. For his referee-complaining ways, Cuban has been fined over $1 million by the NBA. Arison has only been fined once, for $25,000.
GUESS WHO’S HERE? While pecking my articles at the Media Center, Vito Lazatin walked in. He is doing the NBA’s lives coverages through Solar Sports with the Dean, Quinito Henson of Philippine Star. Quinito, Vito told me, was still in his room, “getting together his notes.”
Vito thinks this NBA Finals won’t go back to Dallas. Well, the way the Mavs have been playing, it’s hard not to agree. But I hope the Heat will put up a fight, stretch this showdown to at least six games. (Homer D. Sayson)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 14, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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