Court Clutter

[The Danimal]

So does anybody else find it highly annoying that the NBA insists that all teams put their web addresses on the sidelines in front of each bench? Combined with the giant team logo in the center where a simple circle used to be, secondary logos often found in other spots, advertisements/arena names on the floor, and for college games played on a pro court two different sets of three point lines and basketball has come down with a serious case of what I call "court clutter".

[buckeyes]

the pistons have one side of their floor covered in numbers in last names of past players, you can't really see it, but its definetly there. now i dont think these players are retired numbers so its not quite banner worthy so i guess they just threw it on the floor.

[dfwabel]

So does anybody else find it highly annoying that the NBA insists that all teams put their web addresses on the sidelines in front of each bench? Combined with the giant team logo in the center where a simple circle used to be, secondary logos often found in other spots, advertisements/arena names on the floor, and for college games played on a pro court two different sets of three point lines and basketball has come down with a serious case of what I call "court clutter".

If you actually play basketball, at the Y, rec center or college, were you blinded by lines for other sports in the wood (i.e. badminton or volleyball) to the point which you could not hit your 13" jumper? I think not.

It is not annoying since a sponsored arena keeps the overall cost of building a facility down in some fashion of another as most sponsorships are received by the team9s) during construction, therefore any overruns are paid by the team and not the taxpayer. It is funny that you have not talked about the NHL and the ice, or even minor league hockey and the ads on their ice. It is just like baseball and the ads on the outfield wall as it is within camera shot more than you think, and since they were smart enough to place it behind the plate, it is even better.

If you want sterile atmospheres, let Fox Soccer Channel or go to middle school games. to conclude, these ads keep your cable bill and cost to see events down.

[Old School Fool]

I love it.

Each and every court is unique to a team.

[dutyfree]

So does anybody else find it highly annoying that the NBA insists that all teams put their web addresses on the sidelines in front of each bench? Combined with the giant team logo in the center where a simple circle used to be, secondary logos often found in other spots, advertisements/arena names on the floor, and for college games played on a pro court two different sets of three point lines and basketball has come down with a serious case of what I call "court clutter".

I agree completely. Let the players and the uniforms be the attraction against a neutral backround.

[Max Power]

Website address: Eh, I have no feelings one way or another.

Team logos: They're fine; I can't think of any court that goes overboard with logos, but I'm sure there are some. I think it was worse in the 90's with teams like the Hornets, Sixers, and Rockets.

Ads: The NBA does it right by mandating generic fonts for corporate names. Some college courts have corporate logos, which I don't like but that's the reality these days and it's not going to change anytime soon.

Multiple lines: I was at a college game at a neutral site a few weeks ago and the court had lines for NBA, college, and International; it was very confusing. This is probably the court clutter that bothers me the most. How hard is it for an NBA arena to have a generic college court?

[ShinyHubCaps]

Most NBA arenas don't have college lines on the NBA floor. It's weird for college basketball, because some will sometimes have NBA lines. I've never seen one with pro, college, and international lines, but I hope I never do.

And NBA with "ads" is just arena names. Hockey will sometimes have ads on the ice. The AHL rink at the Bradley Center has about fourteen logos for about ten different companies actually on the ice. So it could be worse.

[jman077]

the pistons have one side of their floor covered in numbers in last names of past players, you can't really see it, but its definetly there. now i dont think these players are retired numbers so its not quite banner worthy so i guess they just threw it on the floor.

Naw, they're all retired numbers. I think its pretty cool. The only one that's not a retired number is where it says "Davidson", for team owner Bill Davidson. But, they put them on the court over the past couple of seasons. There are banners up too.

[The Danimal]

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that all courts should be generic or that we should get rid of all logos, wordmarks, etc.

What I'm saying is that when you combine all these elements, plus the annoying web addresses (does anybody really need to be told that the website for the Pistons is pistons.com?) you get a cluttered and unattractive court.

[The_Admiral]

I'm much more annoyed by the apparent abolition of paint than any "court clutter." Quite the opposite, in fact.

[The Danimal]

I'm much more annoyed by the apparent abolition of paint than any "court clutter." Quite the opposite, in fact.

I'm with you in the sense that the two-tone "natural" look was pretty cool at first but has become annoying quickly now that seemingly half the NBA is doing it.

[RyanB06]

I'm just glad the whole "let's copy emulate the Celtics by having a parquet floor" thing got played-out in the mid-1990s. The other stuff I can live with.