While the lockout promises to stall out the momentum the NBA built up last season — it still feels like both players and owners underestimate how pissed off the casual fan will be if games are missed in a recession — the momentum to keep the Hornets in New Orleans goes on strong.
To the tune of about $1 million strong.
That’s because oil giant Chevron just jumped in to sponsor the team next season (whenever that is), reports the Times-Picayune.Chevron joins Cox Communications, 7-Up, Entergy and Ochsner Health System as a Crescent City Champions sponsor for the franchise. Entergy, the lone Fortune 500 company in the metro area, became a major sponsor last week.
“As we continue to move towards our goal of keeping the Hornets in New Orleans, establishing strong corporate support is imperative,” Hornets President Hugh Weber said in a statement. “Having partners like Chevron will help us lay the groundwork to reaching that goal.”
The Hornets staff — which got an infusion of NBA personnel when the league took over the franchise — has done a good job trying to build a solid financial foundation. David Stern says there are four or five interested buyers for the team to keep it in New Orleans.
That’s all good talk and public relations. We’ll see how it all pans out when it is time for some new owner to step forward and write a big check.
