In August this year, Steve Ballmer closed the purchase of the LA Clippers for two billion dollars. The story of the best national basketball championship of the world crossed in a special way with the realm of computer science. The NBA team now held by a former director of Microsoft. The Revolution the Clippers are in motion. And it will start with the technology side.
The new life that which is seen as the second team in Los Angeles became inevitable from the final expulsion of Donald Sterling following comments considered racist. In achieving this expulsion, the former owner of the Clippers was forced to sell the team. It was in April this year.
appeared interested in purchasing. Steve Ballmer was one. Sterling still resisted the obligation to sell determined by the NBA, but a court of the United States turned out to confirm the decision taken by the owners of the other teams. Thirty-four years after working at Microsoft since its founding, Ballmer moved to the world of sport.
O former executive director of 58 years has not completely shut the computer giant. To begin, Ballmer is the single largest shareholder of Microsoft (including greater than Bill Gates) holding 3.99 percent stake – worth an estimated 15.7 billion (over € 12 billion) value. The output of the executive board was ready, but the businessman had anticipated move to the board of the company. The business of sports led him to change direction; even without leaving the Microsoft way back.
Ballmer entered at the Staples Center showing signs of its sports policy is based on continuity. The new boss of the Clippers renewed for five years with coach Doc Rivers and institutional role-players Chris Paul and Blake Griffin remain as the stars of an admittedly strong team. Sporting goals will undergo overcome the Lakers rivals, but do not stop there. “They’ll have the best experience and the best will not be only in Los Angeles,” he said in an interview with Reuters fans of Clippers as recipients.
The same crowd at the same time are also consumers. And that can be adept not only in the pavilion, but through all the technological supports that allow the games below. Before giving the opponent the Lakers and the other 28 NBA teams, Ballmer was an adversary to Apple’s iPad or Samsung Galaxy. And his loyalty to Microsoft was such that the former CEO (according to the news agency) forbade family members own use an iPhone.
A exit from Microsoft was not then a goodbye ; was a let us see out there , starting with now . “The majority of the club uses Windows [Microsoft] [operating system],” but “some of the players and coaches do not.” Ballmer said the coach himself realized that things, the technological point of view, would change the Clippers: “The Doc is aware that the project is this. Was one of the first things he said to me: probably let us get rid of these iPad is not And I said Yes, we’ll probably . But I promise that we would do in the off-season. “
The Clippers enter action in late October. But the first clash of this technology push fan Microsoft will sponsor logo with the NBA itself. Tablets and TVs to be used by players, coaches and referees during games are Samsung’s sponsorship of a $ 100 million (€ 78.8 million) over three years – which obviously implies the use by the South Korean technology NBA brand.
is the brand wars so common in North American sports. As also, for example, in the main championship football. Here, the domain is in the field of old company Ballmer. The sponsorship from Microsoft to equip the NFL with its tablet Surface Pro 3 is worth 400 million dollars (about 315 million). And it has a new advertising development.
No comments:
Post a Comment