Golden State Warriors Try Again

I just read about the Warriors' plans for next season. It's the usual thing, really--introduce the recent new owners and the brand new coach to thousands of fans at an event. Try to whip up excitement. Sadly, it nearly always ends in disappointment. The franchise has had a hard time for a long time.

I worked fulltime at the Warriors office for eight years--1986 - 1994. All of those seasons were good for me, but not all of them went so well for the team. We had a 20-win season and a 55-win season. We went to the playoffs and didn't go to the playoffs. We drafted at 14 and we drafted at 1. But nothing really brought the team into the upper echelons of the NBA.

We did, however, provide a great time and took very good care of our season ticket holders, who repaid us by loyally buying their tickets again each year. I like to think that my work on the season ticket holder magazine and events helped, but what makes franchises function is the fans.

Fan is short for "fanatic" and that's what keeps rational people paying large sums of money to watch other people run back and forth on the hardwood.

It's like buying a lottery ticket, really, because you have no control but you're always hoping for a payoff. And it could happen. That's the mindset that keeps fans coming back. Making it a good experience is important too, and I hope that the new ownership takes some lessons from the ownership of the mid '80s to mid '90s, whose enlightened guidance made a lot of a team that was never great but was always fun to watch--and occasionally overachieved and thrilled its loyal fans.

Gay in the NBA - Hooray

Rick Welts, Phoenix Suns president and CEO, has announced that he is gay. During his nearly 30 years working in the NBA, this has never been talked about, although many who worked closely with the 58-year-old executive apparently knew. They just never brought it up because, well, it didn't make any difference in how well he did his job.

It is a big deal for somebody to come out, especially a public person like Welts. And he's relieved, apparently, and hopes that this will encourage others to live honestly. It remains to be seen whether a gay player (and you know there must be some) is ready to do the same. Life in the locker room could be difficult.

I hope our society is ready for more of this. I just watched the most recent episode of Glee, in which Kurt Hummel, one of several gay characters, is traumatized by something that was done to him--but triumphed in the end by taking it on with guts and humor.

Let's face it--gay people are part of our world. I've had gay bosses, co-workers, friends, and even a relative. I also live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where this is more normal. I hope that more people will become tolerant and accepting of this with Mr. Welts' public admission. Maybe the day of gay marriage won't be too far away now. If you know and love anyone who's gay, you'll understand why that's so important.