The NBA world is finally noticing the Atlanta Hawks. Before the Eastern Conference leaders dispatched of the Clippers in Los Angeles last night to cap a brilliant 3-0 road trip, the team went a step farther to ensure locals will, too. Franchise CEO Steve Koonin penned a work tardy slip for fans watching the game that included a free for the employee’s boss to Wednesday’s clash with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The note is below. It first appeared on the team’s official twitter account several hours before tip-off:
Stay up late to watch the Hawks tonight. Take this note to the office tomorrow and the box office on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/OmURUkRGdD
— Steve Koonin (@SteveKoonin) January 6, 2015
Dear Boss,
From one boss to another, please excuse (blank) for being late to work Tuesday morning.
(blank) is a huge Hawks fan and just couldn’t bear to miss watching Monday night’s game against the Clippers on SportSouth, which tipped at 10:38EST.
As a token of our appreciation for your kindness, we’d like to invite you, the boss, to the Hawks-Grizzlies game on Wednesday night. We expect (blank) will buy a ticket, but if the two of you show this letter at the box office, your ticket will be taken care of.
Thanks for your support,
Steve Koonin
Awesome.
It was a tumultuous offseason to say the least for Atlanta, and a new report surfaced earlier this week that 100 percent of the team will soon be for sale. Obviously, this is a time of transition for the Hawks.
But that hardly means they should capitalize on recent success with innovative promotions like this. Considering the team’s 26-8 record and beautiful playing style, there’s simply no reason why Atlanta should rank sixth-worst in attendance percentage this season. The Hawks should be doing everything they can to drum up local support, and Koonin’s creative gesture will surely go about doing so.
Here’s hoping Phillips Arena is rocking on for Wednesday’s game versus Memphis. Mike Budenholzer’s squad deserves a home crowd that befits its excellent performance.
What do you think?
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