Bulls opposed to All-Star Game at UC

[Scoot26]

While Houston celebrates its third NBA All-Star Game bid with the league's announcement Wednesday that the city will host the 2013 festivities, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and team president Michael Reinsdorf said they do not want the game to return to Chicago.

Chicago hosted its last NBA All-Star Game in 1988, when Michael Jordan, still with a head of hair, won both the slam-dunk competition and the game's MVP honors. But 24 years later, the Reinsdorfs said the cons outweigh the pros in having the game in Chicago.

"They'd have to force me to take the All-Star Game," Jerry Reinsdorf said. "They take over the building, your season-ticket holders have to be in a lottery to see if they get tickets and then they don't get a good ticket. Really, no good can come out of it and all it can do is upset your fans."
Ski Austin, the NBA executive vice president of events and attractions, said that indeed the league requires that the arena be turned over to them for nine days before the game. But as for making season-ticket holders unhappy, "It's easy for the team to say it's a league event and we don't have control over this or that," Austin said. "They can point to Friday night's Rising Stars game, when tickets are sold to the public and all of the other week's events ... so we're really only talking about Saturday and Sunday tickets."

The NBA is far from desperate for All-Star venues. Austin said they usually get seven or eight teams interested each year. They will soon announce the 2014 host city and in the spring will send out bid specifications for '15 and '16.

As for [Jerry] Reinsdorf's contention that only about 3,000 of 15,000 season-ticket holders would end up with tickets -- "It's not fair to them," he said -- Austin said the re-configuration of arenas could increase that number. He also pointed to the financial benefits to the city.

"The civic-minded entities within a city ... can be helpful in convincing [the Reinsdorfs] that it's not a bad thing," Austin said, "because when a game comes there, it's going to be shown in more than 215 countries, in 40 languages and everything is going to say Chicago on top of that."

Jerry Reinsdorf, also the principal owner of the White Sox, agrees it could be a benefit to the city. "But at a very bad cost," he said, adding that baseball is different with the bigger venue. "I'd like to help the city bring in out-of-towners, help hotels, help restaurants. I just know talking to other people that your fans can't see the game."

The owners of the Chicago Bulls don't want to host an NBA All-Star Game. - ESPN Chicago

May help explain why we're never in the running for an All-Star game.

 

[Crystallas]

Yeah, Jerry has been open about this criticism, so it hasn't been a secret. Teams that have the 20k+ capacity and need to sell tickets, usually get the priority anyways.

 

[BigP50]

I cant speak for every Bulls fan, but I would love if we got the All-Star game...

 

[Dementia]

I cant speak for every Bulls fan, but I would love if we got the All-Star game...

That's the whole point Reinsdorf is making though. Sure every Bull fan would love the All-Star game to be in Chicago but what is the fucking point because nobody from Chicago would actually get a ticket.

Basically he would want Chicago fans to be prioritized for a Chicago All-Star game which in my eyes is only fair.

 

[ChiTeez.com]

It would be good for the city to have it here in some cases. I would be open to having it here and would likely attend in some capacity!

 

[Uman85]

Reinsdorf is being a bit too selfish on this matter IMO. Having the All-Star Game in Chicago would be a great event, economically and for marketing purposes.

 

[BNB]

I'd like it if the game/events was hosted in Chicago too. It would be good for the city.

 

[RC_Skinny22]

Agree, that it´s not only about the Bulls fans this time. The whole city would benefit from that!

 

[WindyCity7]

but would you want to pay 370 for a 300 level ticket for a damn dunk contest

 

[RC_Skinny22]

but would you want to pay 370 for a 300 level ticket for a damn dunk contest

No, but that´s the price you have to pay for a ticket if you want to see it!

In the United Center or elsewhere!

Don´t think the price is much different in any other arena! But at least you don´t have to pay for traveling!