The press conference announcing the American Basketball Association's Rattlers as the newest team to dip its feet into Vegas' pro sports quicksand had just ended. TV bobble heads were lobbing Kobe questions at head coach Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, father of the embattled NBA superstar, when a fan approached Master P, the New Orleans rap mogul and Rattler shooting guard, who was standing a few feet away. The woman, Carolyn Brown, handed P a rambling poem, "The Michael Jackson Reaction Part II." In it, she attributed fallout from Kobe's and Michael Jackson's alleged sexual transgressions to racism, economics and Eminem.
"You want me to read it to you?" Brown asked P (real name: Percy Miller) last Tuesday as Las Vegas Event Center crew members laid blue and gray tile in preparation for the Rattlers home opener against the Tijuana Diablos.
Miller smiled, exposing a mouthful of gold bling, nodded politely and accepted the letter. A reporter nabbed him before he could delve into the three typewritten pages, which featured such hip-hop-styled gems as, "Maybe the DA and Eminem are cousins, tryin' to slander Michael Jackson with kids by the dozens." During the Q and A portion of the conference, Brown lavishly praised P for being a socially aware multimillionaire—reportedly worth $400 million, he gives a lot in Baton Rouge and his native New Orleans. Indeed, much was made of the Rattlers' intent to be community-active.
Owner Roy Hammonds, a one-time UNLV Rebel and six-year resident: "We're going to grow with the city. We're all about community." Jelly Bean: "We don't expect the community to support us, we want to support the community." Miller: "We are going to be a part of this community." Afterward, the team was going to Toys R' Us to pick up gifts for 25 needy children.
But surviving in a city that eats sports franchises will take more than community outreach.
Some suggestions for increased longevity:
• Milk the Bryant angle. Make him the team's public face.
• Have Master P's son, rap phenom Lil' Romeo—20 million CDs sold, cartoon and movie star—perform at halftime.
• Add perennial Vegas defendant Dennis Rodman to the roster.
• Create a rewards card redeemable for comps on dining, rooms and shows.
• Very hot Rattlers girls.
• Win more games than you lose.
Taken together, these things may be enough to defy local sportswriters who've already measured the team's casket.
Review-Journal hack Joe Hawk dismissed ABA as "Another Bankrupt Attempt," writing, "IT IS NOT GOING TO WORK IN THIS TOWN! You will be done after one season—if not before the new year! ... What, is Vanilla Ice joining Master P. in the Rattlers' starting lineup?… Feel free to laugh along: There are teams in Tijuana and Juarez, Mexico? Ooooh, the possibilities for those halftime shows!"
And Sun sports columnist Ron Kantowski's two cents: "The Rattlers won't make it here, even if they do find a place to play their home games .... If no high school or middle school gym is available, I guess they can always spring for some nets and use the rims at Sunset Park."
Cold.
Miller, Bryant and Hammonds seem undeterred.
Miller boasted that the city's most exciting basketball won't be played at the Thomas & Mack Center: "The community loves seeing the dunks, they love seeing the three-point shot, they love seeing the wild fast-break passing, so that's what we're going to bring to the table, things that college teams can't bring."
Bryant talked of using his NBA connections (he played eight years and has a son who's pretty good) and Miller's cachet to boost interest.
Since, initially, he's not worried about turning a profit (it's not crushingly expensive to run an ABA franchise) Hammonds says he's free to focus on ingratiating the team with the city, being a good employer—"We want to be able to provide opportunities for young players and older players to have jobs"—and building a brand. More than games, NBA contests are events now, and Vegas is ripe for an affordable, family-friendly sports team that can offer the same atmosphere. Or so the thinking goes.
"We have access to a lot of the biggest entertainers in the world," Hammonds says." "Instead of being about basketball, it's about who is at the game."
As the Rattlers girls departed and the media decamped, several kids, Lil' Romeo dolls in hand, were overheard pressing their parents to get tickets. More than 2,000 people came to the second home game last Tuesday.
So far, so good.