Cavs and Bucks Want to Put Season Ticket Holders’ Names on Arena Floor


Cleveland and Milwaukee have put in requests to the NBA to splash their best (read: most profitable) season ticket-holders’ names on the arena playing surfaces. Per SportsBusiness Daily (via PBT): “The teams, Cleveland and Milwaukee, intend the plan as another benefit tied to their year-round membership and fan-loyalty clubs. Details are still being finalized and must be approved by the league, but the program would allow for the names of the season-ticket holders who are part of the loyalty clubs to be placed on the apron that surrounds the playing floor — or possibly even on the playing floor itself. One source said the Cavaliers are proposing to put the account holders’ names on the sideline aprons while the Bucks are considering putting the names near the half-court line on the playing floor. The locations are subject to change depending on league response to the proposal. Neither league nor team officials would discuss the plans, pending their approval, but sources said that if allowed, the initiative could be in place by the start of the coming season. Many details of the idea, beyond the location of the names, are still being discussed. For example, which season-ticket holders would be eligible for the perk must be determined — whether it would be for existing or only new season-ticket holders, or if a fan would need to be in a certain tier of the teams’ memberships groups. A decision also must be made on whether the names would appear on the floor in a decal form or if they would be painted onto the floor panels. Whether there will be keepsake options offered to fans as part of the plan is not yet known. League executives also are studying the proposal to make sure the names won’t clutter the court or affect how the court appears on television. Those and other details notwithstanding, though, the proposal in theory comes at a time when all leagues are looking for ways to enhance their season-ticket offerings and provide a sense of ‘exclusive membership privileges.'”