A PR nightmare: That’s how a crisis management expert describes the mess the Dallas Mavericks are in. Emotions have been running high since the team traded Luka Doncic earlier this month. Meredith Yeomans shows the backlash at Thursday’s home game — and how an expert says the team can bounce back.
A PR nightmare. That's how a crisis management expert describes the mess the Dallas Mavericks are in.
Emotions have been high since the team traded Luka Doncic earlier this month.
“We wanted to make sure we could get as many people out who wanted to be able to voice their opinion and let their opinions be heard,” said Alex Kelly, a longtime Mavs fan.
Kelly said he helped give away nearly 50 tickets to Thursday night’s game against the Miami Heat, many to strangers on social media who share his perspective.
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“To get our voices heard to make the Mavs and the front office know that we’re not happy with this, and even when we come back from the All-Star break, we’re going to be heard and they should let the fans be heard,” said Kelly.
He said he feels fans' opinions were censored Monday night when at least three guests who were protesting the Doncic trade were ejected from the game.
One was holding a "Fire Nico" sign, and another was wearing a T-shirt depicting the Mavs owner, Miriam Adelson, as a clown.
NBA
Thursday, similar shirts were snuck into the American Airlines Center for fans to wear in defiance.
Amy Power, CEO of The Power Group, a crisis management firm in Dallas, said kicking fans out of Monday’s game for what the Mavs said were NBA Code of Conduct violations only amplified anger after the trade.
“People are reasonable, people forgive, people move on, but this story is two weeks in. It’s still as hot as it was day one and that, to me, tells me it is a PR nightmare for them,” said Power. “I think what the fans really want is an apology or a better understanding of why they did this.”
That's what longtime fans like Kelly said they deserve.
“I think somebody from the front office should come out and say that we hear you, we understand, that this is a big deal, and we haven’t handled this correctly because nobody’s done that yet,” said Kelly.
There were no immediate reports of fans being booted from Thursday’s game.
NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reached out to the Mavericks for comment but has not yet heard back.
