SUNDAY TUr yrzauA i aA4p m U a i T m* . . .. -i ar, aria aa avt+ .x ar rr,.a . ., i FIGHT CAGE APATHY IN DETROIT: Pro Team Struggles To Succeed' By DAVE POJILOD 4 Is basketball a dead sport in Detroit? Detroit Piston owner Fred Zoll- ner must ask himself this same! question a dozen times every day. Zollner's problems started two years ago, when he was taken with the idea of moving Fort Wayne's faltering professional basketball franchise to Detroit, considered then as well as now as being one of the most lucrative areas in the country for sports promotion. The Red Wings, Lions, and Tigers have consistently proved this contention to be true as year after year they have played before crowds, which have been finan- cially rewarding to the respective owners. Faithful Followings Even mediocre or poor seasons failed to shake the faithful fol- lowings of these teams. The Tigers for instance, have had one medi- ocre season after another for the past five years and for three of those years they still managed to tempt over a million fans through the turnstiles. The only thing that stood in the way of Zollner was the reputa- tion Detroiter's have picked up over the years for their apathy toward professional as well as col- lege basketball. During the early 1940's Olym- pia stadium sports promoters in- vited the cream of college basket- ball to play on their hardwood floor in an attempt to introduce basketball to Detroit's entertain- ment-seeking public. Although they were tempted NBA's Popularity Encourages Growth By TOM WITECKI will begin play in the '59-'60 Professional basketball organ- season. ized in the form of the National The new Windy City squad will Basketball Association has made be formed from a player pool in rapid strides in growth and popu- which each NBA team is allowed larity since its somewhat shaky to reserve six players with all oth- formation back in 1946. ers placed on the open market for Over a period of 12 years the Chicago to purchase at a price league has matured a great deal determined by a neutral appraiser. under the able leadership of its Further Expansion president Maurice Podoloff and Further expansion in the not it now seems ready to follow in ther e in the not the successful footsteps of its pro- toodistant future by the NBA is fessional brother, the National indicated by the fact that several Fsonbal reahleague games this season will be Football League. played in cities such as San Fran- During its adolescence the grow- cisco, Los Angeles and Houston. ing league had as many as 17 members including such teams as A big boon to the spread of pro- memer Shenboudinasuch teams asfessional basketball's popularity Waterloo, Sheboygan and Ander- must be credited to the "NBA son, but in the past five years has Game of the Week" television settled down to a successful, stable broadcasts which are piped into eight team circuit. Ikey cities all over the nation. National TV These weekly telecasts of top Teams now play before large NBA teams in action have stimu- crowds in big city arenas with na- lated a great deal of interest in tional television audiences watch- the pro game in areas where in ing, instead of in small town high the past the sport had been un- school gymnasiums. The manage- known. ment of an NBA team is a big Another reason for pro cage _ _ opularityAIstth league'srprocsant J ' DETROIT PISTON STALWARTS - Red Rocha, George Yardley, the many established professional basketball stars under contract former Ntaional Basketball Association great, coaches the team fo scorer and the 7'2" Dukes is the top rebounder. with programs rivaling anything that is now being brought into Madison Square Garden, Detroit fans remained adamant in their snub of basketball. Like Globetroters The only brand of basketball the Detroiters seemingly go for is the brand dished out by the-high- flying Harlem Globetrotters and they prove their loyalty every time HALLER'S the group has an engagement in the Motor City by packing Olym- pia to the rafters. Zollner, however, on the strength of the successes turned in by Detroit's other three profes- sional teams, deserted financially unfertile Fort Wayne in hopes of converting some of Detroit's po- tential fans to the colorful spec- tacle of pro basketball. Last year, his first in Detroit, must have been a disappointing one to Zollner, for after an exten- sive pre-season campaign of guest speakers, free tickets, and other assorted gimmicks designed to get the fans away from their TV sets and into the stadium, only a se- lective scattering of fans ever paid their way into the home of the Pistons. On any given evening two thirds of these patrons in attendance might be non-paying guests of Zollner. Didn't Win But the Pistons didn't win last year and Zoilner attributed his lack of financial success to this fact. In an attempt to get his team back onto their winning ways, Zollner released fiery coach Charley Eckman in favor of popu- lar Red Rocha and at the same time picked up ex-Globetrotter Sweetwater Clifton to add color and fan appeal to his aggregation. In addition to changes on the basketball floor, Zollner hired one of the best publicity and public relations men in the business, Nick Kerbaway, who had a great deal to do with the recent finan- cial success of the neighboring Detroit Lions. Zollner hopes he has brought the Midas touch along with him. Although the season was not all he had hoped it would be, Zollner was still able to flash his ready smile early last spring and predict both an improved gate and a winning season for 1958. New Season Alas, 1958 has finally rolled around and the sound of basket- balls thudding against high school backboards has again filled prep gyms with an abundance of sup- porters around the Detroit area, and in Olympia the Pistons are winning at last, in fact they are even in contention for the West- and Walter Dukes are three of business requiring about a halfp to the Detroit team. Rocha, a million dollar annual budget. e )r whom Yardley is the leading With franchises now located in f New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Z Syracuse, Cincinnati, Minneapolis,s e division title, but they are t. Louis and Detroit, the NBA b performing before fewer fans than has announced the formation of a bothered to show up last year. team located in Chicago which , However, the determined Piston - owner is not giving up. He has,,=- leased Olympia Stadium for six years and has been quoted as say- ing that the Pistons will remain in Detroit for at least that long. - =- - Jramej popularity is the league's constantI efforts to speed up play making for greater spectator appeal. Dragged out contests caused by stalling and excessive fouling have been cut to a minimum by the league's 24 second rule and strict foul regulations. Special Rates Zollner and Co. are selling tickets at ridiculously low prices to college students and a series of "Dad's days" and "Father and Son Nights" should soon be in the offing, as amiable Fred Zollner tries to keep the Pistons from running in the red for the second straight year. If things don't pick up in the Motor City, Olympia spectators may be privileged to witness the slow death of a basketball team, for Zollner has yet to solve the riddle of the reluctant Detroit f ans. 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