duncan228
02-22-2010, 03:02 PM
TNT Meeting with the NBA to Discuss the Dunk Contest (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-tntmeetingwiththenba&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews
No one liked this year’s dunk contest (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/55751/dunk_contest_sets_new_record_for_boredom). I even used it as an opportunity to say dunks are boring (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/55936/maybe_the_dunk,_not_just_the_dunk_contest,_is_losi ng_its_luster) in general. But as with any once-loved cultural institution, the answer isn’t to cast the dunk contest away, but to analyze its problems and see if there are ways to improve it.
That’s exactly what TNT and the NBA are doing. From SportsBusiness Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/02/22/daily3.html):
Any changes to the event ultimately will have to be made by the NBA, but TNT has carried the event for 25 years, and [Turner’s David] Levy’s opinion is certain to carry weight in league circles.
While Levy would not be upset to have LeBron James compete against Kobe Bryant in future dunk contests, he does not believe that the event necessarily needs that kind of star power to thrive. Levy, Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting’s president of sales, distribution and sports, is more interested in having the players who agree to participate put more effort into it. In some cases this year, it appeared that dunkers were trying to make up dunks on the fly.
“I think it had to do with preparedness. We’ll talk about that,” he said. “I want to figure out how we can change or grow the event and keep it relevant."
Sure, preparedness was an issue, but I hardly think this is the major problem. Plenty of great contest dunkers have made their routines up as they go along, and too much preparation could cause the event to lack spontaneity and feel overwhelmingly corporate.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to fix things. My suggestions:
The "kiss and cry": If you’ve watched any figure skating during the Olympics—and who hasn’t?—you’ve seen the "kiss and cry," also known as the area where skaters receive flowers and teddy bears while they await their scores. Add this to the dunk contest and you throw a whole new wrinkle into the competition. Watch in horror as DeMar DeRozan throws his tulips upon learning he only scored a 42. And would anyone seriously not want to see Sonny Weems smile for the camera after helping out a teammate on a dunk?
The Wheel of History: Fans of the contest remember The Dunk Wheel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AajfrZpOVu4), a terrible idea that forced participants to try passe dunks that zapped their creativity. But with The Wheel of History, dunkers will bring new historical relevance to their competition by spinning the wheel and dressing up as their chosen historical figure. You weren’t impressed by Shannon Brown’s switch-hands dunk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95s4yIi630g)? What if he’s dressed as Henry VIII at the time of England’s separation from Rome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_viii#Separation_from_Rome:_1533-1540)? Now that dunk has meaning!
SportingNews
No one liked this year’s dunk contest (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/55751/dunk_contest_sets_new_record_for_boredom). I even used it as an opportunity to say dunks are boring (http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/The_Baseline/entry/view/55936/maybe_the_dunk,_not_just_the_dunk_contest,_is_losi ng_its_luster) in general. But as with any once-loved cultural institution, the answer isn’t to cast the dunk contest away, but to analyze its problems and see if there are ways to improve it.
That’s exactly what TNT and the NBA are doing. From SportsBusiness Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2010/02/22/daily3.html):
Any changes to the event ultimately will have to be made by the NBA, but TNT has carried the event for 25 years, and [Turner’s David] Levy’s opinion is certain to carry weight in league circles.
While Levy would not be upset to have LeBron James compete against Kobe Bryant in future dunk contests, he does not believe that the event necessarily needs that kind of star power to thrive. Levy, Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting’s president of sales, distribution and sports, is more interested in having the players who agree to participate put more effort into it. In some cases this year, it appeared that dunkers were trying to make up dunks on the fly.
“I think it had to do with preparedness. We’ll talk about that,” he said. “I want to figure out how we can change or grow the event and keep it relevant."
Sure, preparedness was an issue, but I hardly think this is the major problem. Plenty of great contest dunkers have made their routines up as they go along, and too much preparation could cause the event to lack spontaneity and feel overwhelmingly corporate.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to fix things. My suggestions:
The "kiss and cry": If you’ve watched any figure skating during the Olympics—and who hasn’t?—you’ve seen the "kiss and cry," also known as the area where skaters receive flowers and teddy bears while they await their scores. Add this to the dunk contest and you throw a whole new wrinkle into the competition. Watch in horror as DeMar DeRozan throws his tulips upon learning he only scored a 42. And would anyone seriously not want to see Sonny Weems smile for the camera after helping out a teammate on a dunk?
The Wheel of History: Fans of the contest remember The Dunk Wheel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AajfrZpOVu4), a terrible idea that forced participants to try passe dunks that zapped their creativity. But with The Wheel of History, dunkers will bring new historical relevance to their competition by spinning the wheel and dressing up as their chosen historical figure. You weren’t impressed by Shannon Brown’s switch-hands dunk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95s4yIi630g)? What if he’s dressed as Henry VIII at the time of England’s separation from Rome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_viii#Separation_from_Rome:_1533-1540)? Now that dunk has meaning!