The growing pains of a boom sport.
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Well, the NBL is certainly prepared to test its popularity before the new season even tips off.
A floor seat at Sunday's pre-season game between the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings at WIN Entertainment will sting the hip pocket at $136.75.
Which is fairly steep at an ageing venue, when, two years ago the curtain was drawn at one end to improve the atmosphere for crowds of 2-3000. Outside of membership packages, "Platinum" seating is $94.75, while the top tier at each end costs $29.85 per adult.
Of course, you'll see the new star of the show, the potential No.1 NBA draft pick next year in LaMelo Ball, while the Kings main drawcard Andrew Bogut is in some doubt with a sore ankle.
But the price of the ticket alone puts an expectation on Melo to put on a show, when coach Matt Flinn will be more worried about finalising starting fives, Xs and Os, for their season opener against the Brisbane Bullets.
The hype was raised a notch this week when ESPN's mock draft lifted Ball to No.3 before he even plays a regular NBL game, though obviously the talent scouts who watched him at the Blitz were impressed.
Basketball has blown soccer away and moved past the Big Bash as the rising, most marketable summer sport.
The NBL is a deserved box-office success, but needs to be careful to take the community - particularly the small-market battlers in Wollongong - along with it.
Giant strides
"We should enjoy it while we can".
It was 2013 and West Coast had just thumped fledgling GWS by exactly 100 points.
But even then, the Eagles fans in the crowd - and they made up at least half of the 6324 at the Sydney Showground, including this columnist - knew the Giants kids would grow up very soon. On Saturday, 2018 premiers West Coast could be effectively handing the cup over to the Giants.
Every interstate club has a watershed moment, dating from when the Eagles were the first non-Victorian club in a grand final in 1991, then won the flag the following year. The Giants time arrives against Richmond.
The crowd figures have now lifted to average well beyond 10,000 and compared to the Gold Coast Suns, can only be gauged as an enormous success. GWS and the Melbourne Storm are the benchmark for what the expansion model should look like in Australian sport.
Sims salute
Gerringong's Ruan Sims' career is a benchmark for what the modern women's game looks like.
Announcing her retirement on Thursday, hopefully she is given due recognition in NRL grand final week.
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