76ers Totally Need To Play Things A Bit Cooler

Last year, two 76ers caused quite a stir when they didn’t show up for Fan Appreciation Night. Well, they did show up, but Allen Iverson and Chris Webber just chilled in the locker room and didn’t come out and apologize to the fans for how bad the 76ers were last season.

Of course, this year, the 76ers don’t have Webber or Iverson any more and they have done even worse than last season — but just barely — but didn’t do poorly enough to, y’know, get a good draft pick.

Even though the 76ers will finish 29th out of 30 NBA teams in attendance this season, tonight is Fan Appreciation Night again and the 76ers have pulled out all the stops. In short, they’re acting like I do after a failed relationship: Begging and pleading.

In addition to the many prizes to be won, each fan entering the arena will receive a “golden ticket” entitling him or her to a free ticket to a selected Sixers home game in November or December, which [76ers Marketing VP Steve] Yaros said would be in the lower bowl, a $65 value. [...]

Yaros praised the players’ participation in Fan Appreciation Night activities, with taped pieces for the opening pregame performance, in which some are dressed like the Blues Brothers, and personal thank-you messages during time-outs. The players also will award season-ticket holders with jerseys and autographed sneakers.

Before the game, the Sixers’ dancers, the Junior Dance Team and the Broad St. Beefcakes, will perform together to “I Need You.” They will return to the court in the third quarter to dance with the song “We Go Together” from the musical Grease.

And, much like my failed relationships, I wonder how this is going to turn out. Trust me from experience, guys, you need to move on.

Sixers to put fan back in fan night [Inquirer]

April 19, 2006: Sixers Don’t Show Up For 81st Time This Season; Fans Finally Notice