• Loading stock data...
Friday, March 29, 2024
2024 Best Venues nominations are open now through April 8! Submit Now

Shots Fired Off the Court

Is off the court beef good or bad for the league?

James fired back at Green with some trolling of his own via James’ Instagram

Everyone lately is probably familiar with the Cavs-Warriors buzz. I am not sure whether there have been more shots fired on the court or off the court between the two teams.

On Thursday, June 15th, the Warriors had their celebratory parade, in which Draymond Green wore a shirt that read “Quickie”, with the logo of the Cavalier’s Quicken Loans Arena on it.

“Well the Q, that’s what those guys’ arena is called, and we got them out of here quick, with the trophy, quickie,” Green said during an interview about the shirt. He explained that it was inspired by the “Ultimate Warrior” shirt James sported at the Cavaliers victory parade in Cleveland the previous year.

“Jeremy Darlow recently discussed this with his new think tank, Brand Food, on the upcoming fight with Mayweather and McGregor. Nothing generates more buzz than a rivalry, and athletes today are doing these types of actions to get people talking about the teams, athletes, and upcoming seasons.” — Karen Freberg

Not to mention the GSW tombstone cookies featured at James’ Halloween party last year.

LeBron James had some jokes of his own about Green’s shirt of choice on his Instagram. Multiple high profile NBA athletes’ commented on the picture, such as JR Smith and Tristan Thompson. Russell Westbrook and James Harden both liked the Instagram post.

After the post, Green proceeded to call out LeBron on the issue of forming “superteams”.

Green and James have a history of a friendly rivalry, and I am sure this will continue into the off-season.

Green has been recorded stating, “I can’t forget the Ultimate Warrior shirt last year from LeBron.” He’s continued with, “You know the 3–1 tombstone cookies and all of that [from James’ Halloween party last year]? So I was waiting on this moment, but he’s definitely my guy. That’s family.”

The trolling is all in good fun, or so the athletes say.

https://frontofficesports.com/this-15-year-old-entrepreneur-is-ahead-of-the-game-2ee600770822

The question I would like to pose though, is whether the friendly jokes are good or bad for NBA media?

Additionally, the NBA has been receiving some heat from the public for the “superteams” and the same teams going to the finals year after year. The jokes surrounding it could make the public think even the athletes do not take it seriously. Should the NBA allow more attention to be drawn on the issue?

Green does not exactly have a clean slate of a reputation, but in the video above, the GM of the Golden State Warriors is shown laughing. Is this the sort of behavior that should be taken lightly?


Karen Freberg, Associate Professor in Strategic Communication at The University of Louisville, and Natalie Mikolich, founder of npm | pr and former 2016 Chair of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Entertainment and Sports Section, weigh in on the matter.

Freberg explains the recent social media trend surrounding sports and the rivalry complex. She draws a parallel to the Mayweather-McGregor situation:

“Jeremy Darlow recently discussed this with his new think tank, Brand Food, on the upcoming fight with Mayweather and McGregor. Nothing generates more buzz than a rivalry, and athletes today are doing these types of actions to get people talking about the teams, athletes, and upcoming seasons.”

https://frontofficesports.com/this-15-year-old-entrepreneur-is-ahead-of-the-game-2ee600770822

The rivalry trend has always existed, but with social media, it seems to be in the hands of the athlete more than ever. Athletes are now able to have a more “hands on” relationship with fans, which Freberg addresses.

“We are in the attention economy, and this is one way athletes are positioning themselves in the minds of their fans. However, there is of course a time and place for these stories, and it all does come down to how athletes and teams approach them and how the fans and other audience members respond to them.”

Our being in an attention economy is a great concept, one that explains the psychology of the rivalry theme being so heavily discussed. Mikolich spins off of Freberg’s idea of there being a time and place for the rivalry behavior.

“Draymond says the trolling is in good fun, but these players also need to remember they still represent their teams and the league, and their behavior and actions, including posts on social media, can reflect poorly on them from a brand perspective.”

Mikolich states, “It is important for athletes to be wary of what they are saying for the sake of the organizations they are representing, as well as their personal brand.”

Both Freberg and Mikolich hit the nail on the head with explaining that the idea of the rivalry concept to attract attention from fans and media is great, but it is a tool that could easily backfire. We can all stay tuned for the next episode in the Cavaliers-Warriors post-finals extravaganza, and hopefully it will not feature anything heavier than some friendly trolling.


Front Office Sports is a leading multi-platform publication and industry resource that covers the intersection of business and sports.

Want to learn more, or have a story featured about you or your organization? Contact us today.

https://upscri.be/f32ae1

If you liked this, click the???? below so other people will see this here on Medium.


Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Planned Timberwolves, Lynx Sale Turns Bitter As Taylor Pulls Teams Off Market

The current majority owner claims that Rodriguez and Lore failed to meet the latest deadline.

Alex Rodriguez–Led Bid for Majority Control of Timberwolves Falls Through

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor said the team was no longer for sale.

More NBA Games Abroad? That’s A Challenge During the Regular Season

The NBA will again play games in Paris and Mexico City next season.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Why the Timberwolves Sale was Called Off

0:00
0:00

Featured Today

March 22, 2024, Brooklyn, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) and Northwestern Wildcats guard Boo Buie (0) react in overtime against the Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the Barclays Center.
March 27, 2024

‘An Expensive Game’: March Madness and NIL Collectives Are Intertwined

At schools nationwide, collectives are fueling NCAA tournament runs and vice versa.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (22) waits to be announced in the starting lineup against West Virginia in a NCAA Tournament round of 32 game Monday, March 25, 2024 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
March 26, 2024

The Women’s Trading Card Market Is Overlooked. Can Caitlin Clark Change That?

Traditionally, women’s sports cards have been a marginal part of collectibles.
The Sports Illustrated cover signed by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, February 27, 2019, at Don & Charlie's, 7501 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. Don Charlie S
March 24, 2024

Everything You Need to Know About the Ongoing ‘Sports Illustrated’ Saga

Understanding the strange state of affairs for the nearly 70-year-old publication.

Careers

Powered By

Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.
Live Nation
Multiple - USA Careers
Adidas
Multiple - USA Careers
Spotify
Multiple - USA Careers
Sponsored

How Sportradar and the NBA are Partnering to Fuel Fan Engagement

How Sportradar and the NBA are utilizing data to enhance fan engagement
Oakland-A's
April 25, 2023

Oakland A’s Could Share Stadium with Triple-A Team

The Oakland A’s could be searching for a place to play.
Sponsored

MLS’ Chris Schlosser on Pioneering the Digital-First Sports League with AI

Chris Schlosser discusses MLS’s growth and digital transformation.
Sponsored

How Daily Fantasy Sports Solved NBA Fantasy

The remarkable growth of the #1 Discord sports server in the world.
Titans stadium.
April 19, 2023

Titans’ Historic New $2.1B Stadium One Step Closer to Reality

About $1.26B in public money would go toward the new stadium.
Crypto-markets-sports-sponsorship
May 20, 2022

Crypto Crash Impact on Sports Sponsorships

Prior to the last two weeks, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, exchanges, and a host…
Insights-Wearables-Consumers
March 11, 2022

The Evolution of Consumer Wearables

The wearables market has seen incredible amounts of growth since the onset of the pandemic. Trends like telemedicine and remote patient monitoring have helped spur adoption and inspired new consumer products that allow for the tracking and collection of biometric data.
February 11, 2022

The Role of Live Sports in Streaming

The streaming wars have intensified as the field is as competitive as ever. One way to retain customers? The answer might be live sports.