Protecting Your Brand

wstanley4
Feb 27, 2017
3 min read

An interesting thing happened over the weekend.

Former NBA star, Basketball Hall of Famer, and current Inside the NBA analyst Shaquille O'Neal, got into a heated exchange over twitter with current NBA-er Javale McGee.

McGee has been a mainstay on the NBA on TNT's segment "Shaqtin' a Fool" over the years, which showcases bloopers from around the NBA. Thursday evening TNT ran a "Doctor Strange" parody dedicated to McGee's "contributions" to the segment.

That didn't sit well with the 29-year-old NBA veteran.

The exchange got vulgar and vile, with multiple members of the Golden State Warriors sticking up for their teammate, including head coach and former Turner Sports employee Steve Kerr. The feud has since been brought to a close, but not before the Warriors contacted Turner Sports regarding Shaq's treatment of McGee, which the original ESPN article covers.

Regardless of how TNT decides to handle this bizarre situation, at the end of the day they have a brand to protect. They have a current employee, who has become one of the faces of their extremely popular NBA program, engaging in a beef with a player on one of the NBA's most popular teams. Regardless of where one stands on the situation, if you think Shaq went too far or not, this is a tough situation for TNT to work around. They have to handle this with finesse.

The Golden State Warriors know a thing or two playing with finesse, and they just may have used some off the court as well.

While Turner Sports says they are handling the situation internally, and Shaq claims the feud is over due to maternal interference, this won't be over for Golden State. Sure, every Arm-Chair Coach in America will tell you that the Warriors need to move on from this distraction, but they're wrong. They signed Kevin Durant this off-season. They invited distractions, they were prepared to play the role of bad guy.

By sticking up for McGee and attacking one of the most popular NBA players ever, who works for one of the most popular NBA shows on television, the Warriors have strengthened their "brand" of basketball. It's like they're a literal band of warriors, out against the world, defending one another because that's what they have to do.

TNT shouldn't sweat this situation either. While they were contacted by the Warriors as a result of this weekend's events, it's yet to be seen if Shaq will receive any harsh punishment, and he shouldn't. "Shaqtin' a Fool" has been a staple of their programming for years, with McGee taking home the "honor" of becoming the inaugural Shaqtin' Season MVP. Shaq has built a brand off-the-court as goofy and fun-loving, and was attacked late last week because McGee took offense to Shaq and TNT's jabs.

In some instances, firing or suspending an employee over an altercation such as this is a necessary maneuver. In this instance, however, I don't think it fits. Yes, the exchange got a bit personal, and definitely wasn't professional, but it was entertaining. Shaq can't go getting in fights with every player that takes offense to his criticism and jokes, but as a one-off I think both parties will benefit this time around. The Warriors are strengthened as a unit after coming to the defense of one of their players, while also strengthening the "Us vs. The World" mentality associated with their fans and "brand", while Shaq and the NBA on TNT crew get some free press, and who doesn't want to watch the next time TNT covers a Warriors game?

I know I'll be watching.