Philadelphia 76ers History

Introduction

The Philadelphia 76ers is one of the oldest franchises in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Although ticket sales have declined as a result of recent poor performance, the team has enjoyed moderate success over the years with two championship titles and a loyal fan base who continue to give their seemingly unconditional support. The team is owned by Comcast Spectacor, which has recently been considering selling the franchise in order to net a profit. Comcast would be in a position to receive the market value of the team, which is estimated at $300M, and continued lease payments from the team to remain playing in the Wachovia Center. Analysts speculate increased risk for the team based on the unknown likelihood for the team to sustain their popularity now that Allen Iverson and Chris Webber have departed. The recent rehiring of Larry Brown to a post in the front office has given avid fans and Philadelphians a renewed sense of optimism as to what the future may hold for their city's team.

The Past (1963 to 1996)

Persona

Establishing a new identity was an early challenge for the Philadelphia 76ers because the remaining team was still closely associated with the Syracuse Nationals franchise they had been in prior years. Management was determined to define their place in the league by gaining the local support and fan loyalty that the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers had achieved through their superior play and hometown spirit. A key component in establishing the 76ers as Philly's team was the acquisition of Wilt Chamberlain, who had been the city's all-time biggest star during his time as a Philadelphia Warrior. Chamberlain's contribution in the 76ers quest for their first NBA title in 1967 won the hearts of Philadelphia fans, and made basketball history by defeating the Boston Celtics in post-season play for the first time in nine seasons.

Professional sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, which have been characterized as America's teams over the years, have been the counterpoint to the Sixers. The Sixers strived to create a high spirited local team and have continued to represent the city of Philadelphia in the same manner for the past forty four years.

Performance

Initially, the 76ers franchise needed to create a solid reputation for competitive performance while building fan dedication and maximizing profitability. Management's original criteria for process metrics were increased fan attendance per game and the team's scoring margin over opponents. Measurable outcome metrics included game revenues, increased ticket sales, increased concession and memorabilia revenues. Focusing on scoring margins allowed the 76ers to easily quantify number of wins over losses, which could eventually lead to a legacy of post season appearances and fan dedication over many generations. Fortunately, the 76ers performed well by earning two NBA Championships and created a basketball team that resonated well with Philly spirit.

Puzzle

The puzzle facing the 76ers as they were building their franchise was a struggle between brand loyalty and star loyalty. In other words, should the general managers focus their resources on building great super stars like Charles Barkley to win more games, even championships, and draw fans and publicity? On the contrary, should they use their resources to build up the 76ers as a whole, creating a team bond and fan support for all 76er players? The problem with investing resources into star players is the possibility of that player leaving the team or getting injured. To avoid losing fan support when players change teams, managers focus on building a solid team while not spreading their resources too thin in order to sustain equally good players. In the end, the team built itself on top team performance with top individual players to help along the way.

Pattern (a) - how we compete

In their early years, the Sixers seemed to have a successful recipe for