"The New Jersey Nets....presented by Jackson Hewett" (sigh)

[THUNDER HANDS]

Brett Yormark promised to breathe life into the Nets' sagging sponsorship business, and after seven weeks as the team's chief executive, he is beginning to deliver.

The former NASCAR executive has yet to persuade the NBA to allow him to stitch corporate patches on his team's uniforms, but suddenly the Nets are "the New Jersey Nets presented by Jackson Hewitt."

That makes the franchise the first big-league sports team in the metropolitan area to sell what is known as a "presenting sponsorship." Such a deal is the highest level of team sponsorship in the sports industry, because the company name is so closely associated with the team name.

"I want to brand my coaches, my training staff, everything," Yormark said, only half-joking, on Tuesday. "It's been a great first 35 days. There is a new culture, and we're instilling a whole new attitude here."

Part of that attitude is Yormark's philosophy to sell the Nets brand morning, noon and night. During his first week on the job, he called Mike Lister, chief executive at Jackson Hewitt, the Parsippany- based tax services firm, and asked him to try something no other NBA team has right now -- a sponsorship that puts a corporate name right below the team name nearly everywhere, including the emblem.


http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-9/1109833031311460.xml

[Tummler]

1. That's appropriate...

...since both organizations will essentially go on a long vacation after April 15.

:evilgrin:

[lazarus]

2. snap!

2 points for Tummler.