Mr. Ratner may have thought he was getting little more than a limited partner with a boldface name and a youthful following that could prove useful someday. But Jay-Z’s contributions have dwarfed the $1 million he invested nine years ago. His influence on the project has been wildly disproportionate to his ownership stake — a scant one-fifteenth of one percent of the team. And so is the money he stands to make from it. The arena will contain a 40/40 Club, an iteration of his sports-bar-style nightclub chain. There will be a Rocawear store, selling his clothing line, on the arena’s exterior. Even the advertising agency used by the Nets, Translation, is half-owned by Mr. Carter.
Full Story: NY Times
During a media conference call on Tuesday, Argent said that Jay-Z influenced 2K Sports to strike a deal with USA Basketball and individually with Charles Barkley, who’s not part of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. “The Dream Team wasn’t going to happen this year for us without Jay’s involvement and assistance upon doing it,” Argent said, “and we’re obviously very happy that he did that.”
Full Story: ESPN
Some good articles to check out showing how Jay-Z’s influence is bigger than music.
