2009 Recap

And as it is the season to list and summarize, BusinessWeek has a list of the 10 most significant events in sports business in 2009. Two of the picks which I personally found interesting are below. I believe it would be a sign of things to come in 2010 as well:

Brooklyn to Add Russian “T” Room

In 2009, the New Jersey Nets became the first NBA team sold to a foreign national owner, Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, who has signed contracts to acquire, for a reported $200 million, 80% of the franchise and 45% of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards development. Lady Liberty on nearby Liberty Island couldn’t welcome other foreign national would-be sports owners any better: Give me your tall, your point guards, your huddled masses yearning to break fast. And your billions, be they yuan, euro, or ruble.

The team, which started 2009 with an NBA worst record 0-18, and its new owner will tentatively move into the Barclays Center in 2012. Meantime, the Nets are applauding Atlantic Yards owner Bruce Ratner, who just sold $511 million in bonds to finance Barclays Center construction, negotiating with Newark to play in the Prudential Center for two years, and trying to avoid getting slapped with a technical for on-court incompetence.

The Fury and the Sounders

When asked “What’s My Line,” comedian and game show host Drew Carey now likely answers “successful MLS franchise owner.” The expansion Seattle Sounders Football Club topped Major League Soccer in attendance (the squad drew 430,347 spectators throughout the season) and also leads the league in merchandise sales and overall revenues. The Sounders reached the MLS playoffs in their inaugural season, selling out tickets to their first match in half an hour. Although they didn’t get to the finals, they played host to them, selling out their 67,000 seat stadium for the MLS Cup on Nov. 22. And the team proved a healing salve to Seattle sports fans still reeling over the departure of the NBA SuperSonics for Oklahoma City the year before.