NBA All-Star Jam Session
NickM
Posts: 4,895 ✭✭✭
Over the years, I've attended the official fan festivals (MLB All-Star FanFest, NFL Experience, NHL All-Star Fantasy, and NBA All-Star Jam Session) in several cities.
The NBA could really take a lesson from MLB, the NHL, or the NFL on how to run a fanfest.
They made life difficult for autograph collectors who wanted to attend the All-Star Jam Session.
For starters, ticket sales were a fiasco. Their presale Ticketmaster half-price discount guaranteed people lousy entrance times, while tickets to get in at the show's start remained available all the way up to the day they would be good for. In fact, if you were there on Saturday, you could get half price tickets for Sunday or Monday, with the earliest admission time still available.
Bringing in basketballs was prohibited, though you could buy some there to have signed - although they ran out of official balls very quickly and were left with serial numbered All-Star logo balls and some odd colored (think yellow with starburst patterns or pink and white) small basketballs.
Unlike the other leagues, they don't believe in putting much information on the web - it wasn't until the day before the public show (there was a sneak preview day designed for Lakers and Clippers season ticket holders) started that they bothered to list any of the people making appearances on the official ASJS webpage, and the list was VERY incomplete (and stayed that way all through the show).
Even at the ASJS, the information they put out was often quite inaccurate, and the league sees nothing wrong with cancelling signing events on almost no notice and sending the signers off to other events.
Friday featured Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Andrew Bynum at different locations in the show in the first couple hours - and none of them had been advertised online. The official signing stage also had mainly people who had not been announced in advance as autograph guests, including Bob Love, Darryl Dawkins, Andre Miller, John Salley, and A.C. Green. James Worthy was advertised and did sign, but he was at a corporate sponsor's setup, and was doing only 8x10s.
Saturday featured as may as 5 different signings taking place at the same time, most of which you would only know about if you had come on Friday and read the event lists on the computers there. The first morning panel at the official autograph stage was supposed to have Dolph Schayes and Bill Tosheff. Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, that was cancelled. An Ahmad Rashad/Steve Smith (Hawks/Spurs guard of the '90s) signing for NBA TV was cancelled on short notice too.
The biggest name remaining for the official autograph stage, Lenny Wilkens, was on the next panel (along with Kenny Anderson and a WNBA player), and that signing did happen.
There were plenty of schedule changes, including a Stephen Curry signing starting an hour early because the league had booked him for 2 different signings at the same time. Nick Young of the Wizards actually had 3 different signing stints. Saturday was mainly about current players (Kevin Love again, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, Russ Westbrook, etc), though NBA TV did bring Chris Webber and Dennis Scott for a short signing session. Several of the biggest stars (Dwight Howard, D. Wade, and Tim Duncan) were there for other events (clinics, etc.) rather than signing events, though they did sign some autographs for people lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Panini brought Wesley Johnson and Stephen Curry in for signings on Saturday, though the NBA managed to cause them a lot of problems. Panini was not allowed to sell any product, and the only things stocked in the NBA Store were the stickers and album. People wanting to get the redemption card set basically had to buy 30 packs of stickers (though the NBA Store at least had them at MSRP).
Blake Griffin, fresh off his Slam Dunk Contest win, was the featured attraction of Sunday for most of the fans there - and he appeared at KIA's area together with the car he jumped over, but if you were in line in time to get him, you missed out on an official stage panel of George Gervin, Mitch Richmond, Ron Harper, and Detlef Schrempf. Making it far worse, Griffin signed less than 70 autographs - and by the time people left that line, they probably also weren't able to get over to NBA TV for Kevin McHale. The ASJS event computers had the McHale start time wrong too, although the electronic message board from NBA TV had it correct. Griffin's popularity doesn't carry over well to other Clippers, as Eric Gordon's line (granted, he was only signing USA Basketball 8x10s) was rather short.
The NBA chose to cancel a Sheryl Swoopes/Tina Thompson (both are almost certain to end up in the basketball HOF) signing on almost no notice in order to send both of them to an offsite event.
Monday had very few signings, with the only panel of note being Jamaal Wilkes paired with Tina Thompson.
There were no collectibles or memorabilia dealers in the ASJS.
There were a number of retired players walking around through the ASJA on Friday and Saturday, and most were willing signers (though few people even seemed to realize who many of them were).
There is a stong argument to be made that autograph collectors, especially those looking for current players, are better off not going to the ASJS and instead going around to the free signings taking place at different stores and other places.
Nick
[edited to correct acronym]
The NBA could really take a lesson from MLB, the NHL, or the NFL on how to run a fanfest.
They made life difficult for autograph collectors who wanted to attend the All-Star Jam Session.
For starters, ticket sales were a fiasco. Their presale Ticketmaster half-price discount guaranteed people lousy entrance times, while tickets to get in at the show's start remained available all the way up to the day they would be good for. In fact, if you were there on Saturday, you could get half price tickets for Sunday or Monday, with the earliest admission time still available.
Bringing in basketballs was prohibited, though you could buy some there to have signed - although they ran out of official balls very quickly and were left with serial numbered All-Star logo balls and some odd colored (think yellow with starburst patterns or pink and white) small basketballs.
Unlike the other leagues, they don't believe in putting much information on the web - it wasn't until the day before the public show (there was a sneak preview day designed for Lakers and Clippers season ticket holders) started that they bothered to list any of the people making appearances on the official ASJS webpage, and the list was VERY incomplete (and stayed that way all through the show).
Even at the ASJS, the information they put out was often quite inaccurate, and the league sees nothing wrong with cancelling signing events on almost no notice and sending the signers off to other events.
Friday featured Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Andrew Bynum at different locations in the show in the first couple hours - and none of them had been advertised online. The official signing stage also had mainly people who had not been announced in advance as autograph guests, including Bob Love, Darryl Dawkins, Andre Miller, John Salley, and A.C. Green. James Worthy was advertised and did sign, but he was at a corporate sponsor's setup, and was doing only 8x10s.
Saturday featured as may as 5 different signings taking place at the same time, most of which you would only know about if you had come on Friday and read the event lists on the computers there. The first morning panel at the official autograph stage was supposed to have Dolph Schayes and Bill Tosheff. Sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning, that was cancelled. An Ahmad Rashad/Steve Smith (Hawks/Spurs guard of the '90s) signing for NBA TV was cancelled on short notice too.
The biggest name remaining for the official autograph stage, Lenny Wilkens, was on the next panel (along with Kenny Anderson and a WNBA player), and that signing did happen.
There were plenty of schedule changes, including a Stephen Curry signing starting an hour early because the league had booked him for 2 different signings at the same time. Nick Young of the Wizards actually had 3 different signing stints. Saturday was mainly about current players (Kevin Love again, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, Russ Westbrook, etc), though NBA TV did bring Chris Webber and Dennis Scott for a short signing session. Several of the biggest stars (Dwight Howard, D. Wade, and Tim Duncan) were there for other events (clinics, etc.) rather than signing events, though they did sign some autographs for people lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Panini brought Wesley Johnson and Stephen Curry in for signings on Saturday, though the NBA managed to cause them a lot of problems. Panini was not allowed to sell any product, and the only things stocked in the NBA Store were the stickers and album. People wanting to get the redemption card set basically had to buy 30 packs of stickers (though the NBA Store at least had them at MSRP).
Blake Griffin, fresh off his Slam Dunk Contest win, was the featured attraction of Sunday for most of the fans there - and he appeared at KIA's area together with the car he jumped over, but if you were in line in time to get him, you missed out on an official stage panel of George Gervin, Mitch Richmond, Ron Harper, and Detlef Schrempf. Making it far worse, Griffin signed less than 70 autographs - and by the time people left that line, they probably also weren't able to get over to NBA TV for Kevin McHale. The ASJS event computers had the McHale start time wrong too, although the electronic message board from NBA TV had it correct. Griffin's popularity doesn't carry over well to other Clippers, as Eric Gordon's line (granted, he was only signing USA Basketball 8x10s) was rather short.
The NBA chose to cancel a Sheryl Swoopes/Tina Thompson (both are almost certain to end up in the basketball HOF) signing on almost no notice in order to send both of them to an offsite event.
Monday had very few signings, with the only panel of note being Jamaal Wilkes paired with Tina Thompson.
There were no collectibles or memorabilia dealers in the ASJS.
There were a number of retired players walking around through the ASJA on Friday and Saturday, and most were willing signers (though few people even seemed to realize who many of them were).
There is a stong argument to be made that autograph collectors, especially those looking for current players, are better off not going to the ASJS and instead going around to the free signings taking place at different stores and other places.
Nick
[edited to correct acronym]
Reap the whirlwind.
Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.
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Incidently, I checked my Twitter account before I went to the NBA Jam Session and found out that Tony Parker and Ron Artest were signing at the Wal-Mart I live two blocks away. (this was on Panini's twitter posts) I would've missed the signing if I had gone early. I managed to searched my SI collection and found a SI Parker/Chris Paul cover to sign. I didn't find any Artest as a Laker cover, so I got my UD Artest RC for my auto RC collection (Artest is a frequent IP signer/promotion around town).
Speaking of unorganized signings, the Fox Hills signings were a zoo. I tried to get a wristband so I can get Derrick Rose auto's a day before (that was mentioned on the mall's Facebook postings). However, they ran out of wristbands and a few angry posters on FB said the security was laxed and let several people cut in line for those who were saving places in line. In fact, one person said they were even giving bands to 1 - 3 yr babies in line.
It's not their fault that the NBA limited their redemption program to Panini merchandise purchased at the NBA Store (and then brought only one type and ran out early).
Going to L.A. is basically a free vacation for me (lost of frequent flyer miles and family there), so I jumped on tickets when the presale day came up. I ended up eating most of those and buying or winning better tickets for Saturday through Monday. If I go to any more ASJS, I'll know better than to buy presale tickets.
On the whole, I think I was better off going to ASJS rather than searching out store signings, but I also took part in lots of the other fun stuff at ASJS (and I have the giant taco hat from the Taco Bell Skills Challenge to prove it), picked up a lot of cool freebies (thank you Panini, ESPN, and Time Warner in particular), and got autographs from a few retired players who were just walking around at the ASJS too.
The NBA really doesn't try hard to get a strong autograph lineup. I don't think they care much.
Nick
Reap the whirlwind.
Need to buy something for the wife or girlfriend? Check out Vintage Designer Clothing.