Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, Upperdeckblog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven.
The Houston Rockets finally have something to look forward to this upcoming season. Things look kind of bleak in Houston since Yao Ming is done for the year, they lost former Defensive Player of the Year, Ron Artest to the Lakers, and are unsure of the date of superstar Tracy McGrady’s impending return from multiple injuries. In what is sure to be a rebuilding year, the Rockets have fired up their new marketing campaign entitled,“We Are Red Nation.”
The first move to generate excitement for the squad is the unveiling of the somewhat retro, ketchup and mustard colored, alternate jersey which the Rockets will unveil in a game on November 6th against the OKC Thunder. The jerseys design and colors bring back memories of the franchise’s glory days of the early 80’s and mid 90’s when Ralph Sampson, Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwan patrolled the paint.
Their “We Are Red Nation” plan is the continuation of the very popular “Get Red” campaign, which was in full force during last season’s deep playoff run. It was designed to increase interest an invigorate the always supportive Houston Rocket fanbase and give the team a distinct home court advantage. Players like Shane Battier and Aaron Brooks even donned red blazers during interviews on TNT during the playoffs. The concept was even a hit with TNT announcer Kenny “The Jet” Smith, a former Rocket himself, who also wore a red blazer during some telecasts.
The Rockets Public Relations Department even drafted a 10 part, “Bill of Red“, similar to the nation’s Bill of Rights, listing the Red Nation’s code of conduct. The list includes mantras like 1) “The Right to Wear Red“, which essentially encourages fans to wear their team’s colors, 2) “The right to Spread the Red“, where fans should spread the enthusiasm for the team amongst the masses of Houston, and even 3)”The Right to Bear Arms“, meaning to use T-shirts, posters, and flags to show support and influence others to support the Rockets.
The Houston metropolitan are will be decked out with red billboards, encouraging the masses to join the movement of Red Nation. Word from the Rockets website(nba.com/rockets) is that the new media campaign has been a work in progress for over a year.
It just seems like bad timing since the Rockets seem destined for a disastrous season. The Rockets will feature a bevy of talented rookies(Chase Budinger, Jermaine Taylor), D-Leaguers(newly signed Will Conroy, Garret Temple), around a core of veteran leaders(Battier, Louis Scola, Trevor Ariza, Chuck Hayes, and Aaron Brooks). Throw in McGrady, whenever he is cleared to play, and the team with low expectations could be a pleasant surprise out West, this season.
Here is some video footage of the new uniforms modeled by Battier from Yahoo Sports:
