Philadelphia 76ers History

Introduction

The Philadelphia 76ers is one of the oldest franchises in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Although ticket sales have declined as a result of recent poor performance, the team has enjoyed moderate success over the years with two championship titles and a loyal fan base who continue to give their seemingly unconditional support. The team is owned by Comcast Spectacor, which has recently been considering selling the franchise in order to net a profit. Comcast would be in a position to receive the market value of the team, which is estimated at $300M, and continued lease payments from the team to remain playing in the Wachovia Center. Analysts speculate increased risk for the team based on the unknown likelihood for the team to sustain their popularity now that Allen Iverson and Chris Webber have departed. The recent rehiring of Larry Brown to a post in the front office has given avid fans and Philadelphians a renewed sense of optimism as to what the future may hold for their city's team.

The Past (1963 to 1996)

Persona

Establishing a new identity was an early challenge for the Philadelphia 76ers because the remaining team was still closely associated with the Syracuse Nationals franchise they had been in prior years. Management was determined to define their place in the league by gaining the local support and fan loyalty that the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers had achieved through their superior play and hometown spirit. A key component in establishing the 76ers as Philly's team was the acquisition of Wilt Chamberlain, who had been the city's all-time biggest star during his time as a Philadelphia Warrior. Chamberlain's contribution in the 76ers quest for their first NBA title in 1967 won the hearts of Philadelphia fans, and made basketball history by defeating the Boston Celtics in post-season play for the first time in nine seasons.

Professional sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, which have been characterized as America's teams over the years, have been the counterpoint to the Sixers. The Sixers strived to create a high spirited local team and have continued to represent the city of Philadelphia in the same manner for the past forty four years.

Performance

Initially, the 76ers franchise needed to create a solid reputation for competitive performance while building fan dedication and maximizing profitability. Management's original criteria for process metrics were increased fan attendance per game and the team's scoring margin over opponents. Measurable outcome metrics included game revenues, increased ticket sales, increased concession and memorabilia revenues. Focusing on scoring margins allowed the 76ers to easily quantify number of wins over losses, which could eventually lead to a legacy of post season appearances and fan dedication over many generations. Fortunately, the 76ers performed well by earning two NBA Championships and created a basketball team that resonated well with Philly spirit.

Puzzle

The puzzle facing the 76ers as they were building their franchise was a struggle between brand loyalty and star loyalty. In other words, should the general managers focus their resources on building great super stars like Charles Barkley to win more games, even championships, and draw fans and publicity? On the contrary, should they use their resources to build up the 76ers as a whole, creating a team bond and fan support for all 76er players? The problem with investing resources into star players is the possibility of that player leaving the team or getting injured. To avoid losing fan support when players change teams, managers focus on building a solid team while not spreading their resources too thin in order to sustain equally good players. In the end, the team built itself on top team performance with top individual players to help along the way.

Pattern (a) - how we compete

In their early years, the Sixers seemed to have a successful recipe for competing for franchise value as they quickly rose to prominence and earned their first NBA title just three years after moving the team from Syracuse to Philadelphia. This championship team of 1966-67 consisted of a solid and well balanced team. In these early years, they effectively competed and interacted together as a team. In fact, they were voted the "best team in league history" during the NBA's 35th anniversary celebration. These early years set the standard by which Philadelphia's fans would measure future team performance, and achieving this standard proved elusive for the next fifteen years. Together, this team was unstoppable, yet the following year they failed to repeat due to selfish play and ego, an ominous sign of things to come.

Pattern (b) - how we grow/develop

For any NBA franchise, growth is measured financially by increases in the overall assessed value of the team and by annual revenue realized from year to year. Team development consists of player growth, community involvement and enhancement to the overall team reputation, which are all qualitative contributions to the financial bottom line. Historically, as with all other NBA teams, the Sixers have worked closely with league officials to enhance revenue sharing and they have worked with the community to promote charity events. Player development was predominantly achieved internally. Therefore, an overall triangular view of organizational growth was at a mid-point between partnering/cooperation and making/control.

Pattern (c) - how we organize

The Philadelphia 76ers have always been a star-studded team, and franchise owners yearned to add big name players who were prolific scorers. The 76ers were rarely a cohesive unit, though when they were, the stars aligned, so to speak, and championships were won. Although this was the case, franchise management was historically able to assume a controlling position over the team due to lower player salaries and limited exposure to egos affecting team chemistry. Management often looked to reload via the NBA Draft where they would develop players who would likely stay with the franchise for most, if not all, of their careers.

Composite Portrait

Almost immediately after the Syracuse Nationals relocated, the city of Philadelphia had a reason to embrace its newest team as the 76ers won the NBA Championship just three seasons after landing in "The City of Brotherly Love." While never an official slogan, the rapid rise of the franchise and its consistent