Top Reasons Why The NBA Will Go To Disney
ESPN Wide World of Sports: A Unique Opportunity For The League, Disney
Firstly, this morning, The New York Times posted a fascinating article, which outlined why the NBA appears Disney bound.
NYTimes.com’s Brooks Barnes reported:
Why the N.B.A. Is Planning on Going to Disney World
Walt Disney World is known for many things, but few people would immediately associate it with athletics unless you count endurance walking or Super Bowl winners gleefully exclaiming their intention to visit, a marketing gimmick that started in 1987. Tucked behind oak trees and sabal palms on the southern edge of the Florida mega-resort, however, is ESPN Wide World of Sports, a 220-acre basketball, soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, baseball and competitive cheer complex that serves as an overlooked Disney World engine — and is expected to soon become the capital of the basketball universe.
Moreover, the article referenced the edited Google Earth image, below. It shows the most pertinent facilities on the WWOS campus:
Important Details For The NBA
Meanwhile, Barnes added his list of difference-making WDW accouterments including passages like the following.
- Three arenas… configured into 20 basketball courts, according to Faron Kelley, vice president for ESPN Wide World of Sports, Water Parks and runDisney. That would allow the N.B.A. to play two games at once (no fans in the stands) and still have a practice space.
- [N]ot lost on Adam Silver, the N.B.A. commissioner… Disney is the league’s biggest customer, paying an analyst-estimated $1.4 billion a year to broadcast games on ESPN and ABC.
- Disney World also has fewer opportunities for players to get into off-court trouble.
- ESPN uses the facility’s 2,500-square-foot production center, which has eight edit bays, for annual events like the Orlando Invitational, an early-season college basketball tournament.
An Easy Decision for Disney
Furthermore, Barnes explained that housing the NBA is a no-brainer for Disney.
“A deal with the N.B.A. would give the resort a much-needed shot in the arm,” he wrote. “It would put employees back to work, offer the invaluable marketing message that the property is safe to visit and generate facility fees and hotel spending.
“At a minimum, analysts said, the N.B.A. will spend tens of millions of dollars.”
Then there is ESPN – the network.
The real value for Disney would come from ESPN, which has been starving for live sports to broadcast. Michael Nathanson, a media analyst, recently estimated that ESPN would lose $481 million in ad revenue if the N.B.A. did not complete its season and playoffs.
The article called the deal pending, which bodes well for workers, players, and fans.
Yesterday, Renee Lane wrote about Thursday’s upcoming vote:
NBA Board of Governors Expected to Vote Thursday on Return-to-Play at Disney Plan
When we hear the decision, so will you!