Inspiring Conversations with Joe Newman of American Basketball Association

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Newman

Hi Joe, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am currently majority owner of the American Basketball Association (ABA) www.realabaleague.com, the largest professional sports league in the US with over 150 teams. The ABA also has a WABA and has expanded into Mexico, Australia, Canada and the Caribbean. The current ABA is now in its 24th season and is a rebirth of the original ABA which merged with the NBA in the 70s and developed superstars like Julius (Dr J) Erving, George Gervin, Lenny Elmore, Moses Malone, Mel Daniels and others.

During the formation of the original ABA, I was owner and CEO of Joe Newman Advertising, an Indianapolis-based ad agency that represented many accounts, including the Indiana Pacers, one of the teams that merged into the NBA, so I had a familiarity with the original ABA and the NBA. After selling my ad agency, I purchased and operated many radio stations. After selling those, I was approached by one of the original founders of the Indiana Pacers, attorney Dick Tinkham, who asked if I would be interested in bringing the ABA back. I said yes, with a couple of conditions – one of which was diversification of ownership and the other bringing the ownership down enough to make it affordable to the average person with a love of basketball.

Today, 24 years later, the ABA, as mentioned, is the largest professional basketball league in the US, and also the most diversified with 75% of its teams owned by African-American, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and women and it has given so many people an opportunity to live their dreams.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been relatively smooth. However, with the ease of ownership, I found that many of the owners with a love and passion for basketball, able to put good competitive teams on the court, were not as capable in the business of basketball. Thus, the ABA centers it expansion around having the best business model in professional sports, covering fan base and revenue, sponsorships, press/media and community support, game day operations,
staffing and many other things and provides on-going training. The other problem has been the ability to get national TV coverage which has hampered the ability to get national sponsorships.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I thought I covered that in the previous questions. The ABA is divided into 4 Regions, North, South, Central and West, with Regional Chairmen overseeing the Regions, and within the Regions are 2 Divisions each, with Division Chairmen overseeing their Divisions. The ABA has an Operations Manual outlined a plan that all teams can use,
and I provide the teams with Marketing and Information Memos twice a week year round which keeps all of the teams on the same page and up to date. We also have a Standards & Requirements Manual that all teams follow, as well as a Code of Conduct that focuses on honor, ethics, sportsmanship. The ABA plays with a combination of NBA, NCAA, International and our own unique rules which make the ABA game the most exciting basketball being played anywhere. Our ticket prices are low ($10) which makes ABA games fan friendly, family friendly. With so many teams, we provide nearly 2000 players to play at the professional level and nearly 300 coaches to coach at the professional level – and nearly 300 officials to officiate at the professional level. Obviously, we have stood the test of time as other leagues and have come and gone – and today, the ABA is the largest source of US players who play internationally.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I think what surprises most people is that I am 87 years old and continue to create new and exciting things like the Celebrity ABA which will be breaking this year as well as the Junior ABA, the Senior ABA and other leagues along with our international expansion. We will also be introducing a major streaming effort with out playoffs in the spring.

Pricing:

• Fan friendly and affordable prices.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.realabaleague.com