NBA commissioner Silver speaks at Reno-Sparks chamber event

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce’s ALLIANCE event at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Dec. 8, while Reno Aces play-by-play announcer Zack Bayrouty (front row) and, back row from left, Charles Harris, CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority; Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz look on.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce’s ALLIANCE event at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on Dec. 8, while Reno Aces play-by-play announcer Zack Bayrouty (front row) and, back row from left, Charles Harris, CEO of the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority; Greg Mosier, dean of the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz look on. Photo by Carter Eckl.

By Carter Eckl

Friday, December 10, 2021

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The Reno-Sparks Convention Center played host to some big names in the world of professional sports on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

The Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce’s annual fundraising event, ALLIANCE, featured NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Vegas Golden Knights President and COO Kerry Bubolz as keynote speakers discussing the intersection of business and sports.

Bubolz has gained a strong foothold in the southern portion of the state in the last half-decade as the Knights have quickly grown into one of the NHL’s top-performing franchises.

Bubolz walked through the growth of the sport in the desert city, including the team’s push to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season in 2017-18, ultimately losing 4-1 to the Washington Capitals.

The franchise continues to grow in Southern Nevada, as well as the mountain west region, with the addition of an AHL arena for the Henderson Knights.

Weekend-long event series were another reason Bubolz felt Vegas is continuing to grow as a sports entertainment destination, citing Las Vegas Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium and the annual NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The Golden Knights, which have conducted youth outreach programs to the Carson City and Reno-Sparks markets, have seen their youth program grow by 700 percent since 2017 with 800-plus players involved today, he added.

Bubolz answered questions about how the Knights have been able to maintain an organizational culture through the pandemic that continues to bring in fans and drive revenue.

“It’s been tough since the pandemic,” said Bubolz.

The franchise was selected as Sports Business Journal’s Team of the Year in 2018 and is top three in gate revenue, broadcast ratings and social media engagement, among other categories.

Vegas, which plays at T-Mobile Arena, boasts one of the top attendance figures in the league, and the exponential early growth of the franchise came from several different areas, Bubolz noted.

Vegas Golden Knights President and COO Kerry Bubolz talks about the intersection of business and sport. Photo: Carter Eckl / NNBW

 

One of the ideas he said helped grow the franchise, despite his initial opposition, was giving away more than $400,000 in free gear to ticket holders to help bring the team to fans, rather than hoping the fans would come to the Knights.

Silver, who’s worked in the NBA since 1992 and has served as commissioner since 2014, echoed similar sentiments, noting that he’s watched basketball’s global reach explode over the past decade as the internet gave fans access to highlights and clips they wouldn’t normally have been able to watch.

As cable packages continue to dissipate from the average home, Silver spoke on how valuable it was to have learned from the early ventures of content sharing when the NBA itself may not have been seen necessarily as its own brand.

Nowadays, every major sports league knows its content is nearly as valuable as anything else, said Silver, who’s the brother the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce CEO Ann Silver.

Originally, the league’s marketing strategy was to get media into any new platforms — now, holding that content for itself is the way to bring in revenue, the commissioner said.

Outside of his discussions on media and content, Silver talked mostly about the pandemic’s initial impact on the league as a whole, especially when shutdowns first hit in March 2020.

The ALLIANCE event, which featured more than 100 people in attendance, lasted about 90 minutes and began with an introductory video from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, during which he teased Silver with the notion of the NBA bringing an expansion franchise to the Silver State.

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