????林書豪在紐約尼克斯隊帶領苦苦掙扎的球隊實現(xiàn)了連勝，并由此在NBA中聲名鵲起，因此這次他以自由身份轉會的消息無異于一枚重磅炸彈，連NBA最大的媒體市場都很難消化。同時，外界也預測，低迷的休斯頓火箭隊也有望獲得更大的回報。休斯頓為二年級新生林書豪開出了2,500萬美元的合同。雖然林書豪擁有巨大的市場號召力，紐約卻依然拒絕匹配這份“毒藥合同”，因為紐約不愿在未來為其支付超過4,500萬美元的奢侈稅。不過，雖然這位球市新寵從東海岸轉會到海灣地區(qū)，但兩只當事的球隊都沒有實質性的損失。

????作為哈佛大學（Harvard）一名亞裔畢業(yè)生，林書豪在紐約有著非凡的經(jīng)歷，他崛起的方式不同于那些功成名就的球星。在替尼克斯隊出戰(zhàn)的首場比賽中，林書豪就砍下了25分，他的出色表現(xiàn)獲得了體育營銷公司的追捧，唯一能與他匹敵的，或許只有另外一名體育明星——美式足球球員蒂姆?泰伯。體育營銷公司沃森曼傳媒集團（Wasserman Media Group）總裁約翰?布羅迪認為：“不論是丹佛的泰伯，還是紐約的林書豪，他們的故事，影響力遠遠超出了體育的范疇。因為他們兩個人的經(jīng)歷都具有變革性，而且在不到十二個月的時間里，兩個人都將離開老東家，效力于不同的球隊?！?/p>

????泰伯與林書豪兩人都是風靡全美、并且擁有巨大市場號召力的人物，但這都不能阻止他們離開各自成名的球隊。紐約尼克斯遲遲不能解決林書豪轉會的問題，引起了球迷和媒體的不滿?！都~約時報》（The New York Times）的奈特?希爾沃認為，尼克斯應該留住這位控衛(wèi)，因為林書豪刮起的“林旋風”讓球隊的母公司曼迪遜廣場花園公司（The Madison Square Garden Company）狂賺了數(shù)億美元，而且只要林書豪狀態(tài)穩(wěn)定，未來隨著球隊勝場的增加，產(chǎn)生的經(jīng)濟效益足以彌補支付給林書豪的薪金。希爾沃寫道：“即便林書豪成不了超級巨星，但他所帶來的市場吸引力也足以彌補開支?！?/p>

????不過，對于林書豪的市場價值，目前還有待觀察?！洞笪餮蟆吩驴═he Atlantic）便對尼克斯和火箭隊提出了警告，文章表示火箭隊前一位亞洲明星姚明也只是在短期內提高了球隊的凈值。而《彭博商業(yè)周刊》（Bloomberg Businessweek）則報道稱，林書豪帶動商品銷售為尼克斯隊帶來的利益，還比不上他用火爆表現(xiàn)，促使時代華納有線（Time Warner Cable）在球隊轉播權問題中讓步所產(chǎn)生的利益。

????所以，林書豪轉會是否意味著，尼克斯隊真的失去了一只“下金蛋的鵝”？體育營銷專家認為并不盡然。NBA集中了大部分商品收入和國家電視收入，因此單一某一位球員的影響力相對而言十分有限。

????紐約大學（New York University）體育管理教授鮑勃?伯蘭德在一封電子郵件中稱：“實際上，現(xiàn)代體育的趨勢就是防范這些微小的、不可控的和不可預測的改變?！睂τ谇蜿爜碚f，最關鍵的收入來源是那些變動更為緩慢的、長達數(shù)年的生意，比如出售體育場內廣告或媒體轉播權等。這種趨勢可以使尼克斯隊免于遭受損失，不過球迷的憤怒仍然不可避免。

????而對于休斯頓火箭隊來說，獲得林書豪則將為球隊的市場營銷帶來更直接的好處。與尼克斯隊一樣，林書豪為球隊吸引更多的球迷，或向各國球迷銷售球衣，這些都不算給球隊帶來的直接利益。但“林瘋狂”的到來卻可以增加火箭隊主場的場內銷售和觀賽人數(shù)，畢竟上個賽季，火箭隊主場的上座率在全聯(lián)盟墊底。體育營銷專家表示，在休斯頓，林書豪的個人品牌將更倚重于他在球場上的表現(xiàn)。目前，林書豪已經(jīng)與耐克（Nike）和沃爾沃（Volvo）簽署了代言合同；此外，為了爭奪亞洲市場，沃爾沃為其中國母公司增加了競爭的籌碼。不過，未來林書豪的代言不見得會像百老匯演繹的那么風光。波恩斯娛樂體育市場推廣公司（Burns Entertainment and Sports Marketing）董事長兼總顧問馬克?埃博利多稱：“如果我是一名營銷人員，在考慮使用林書豪代言時，我可能會觀望一下，看看這次轉會的效果?！钡绻謺辣３纸】担谛枪獍档男菟诡D或許將獲得更多的上場時間，也使他更有機會成為真正長盛不衰的大牌球星。

????正如《紐約郵報》（ New York Post）所說，紐約地區(qū)的第三方零售商無疑將遭到直接打擊。但林書豪轉會的最大輸家則可能是NBA聯(lián)盟本身。調查公司SportsOneSource的分析師馬特?鮑威爾認為：“尼克斯隊在聯(lián)盟中占有重要地位。憑借其巨大的市場份額，尼克斯隊甚至一直在事實上補貼夏洛特山貓隊。”每次NBA推出具有吸引力的產(chǎn)品時，紐約都會替NBA分擔絕大部分的銷售量，但這些并不全是因為林書豪。鮑威爾稱，去年，尼克斯隊為NBA聯(lián)盟創(chuàng)造了38%的收入，而排名第二的芝加哥公牛隊的貢獻只有17%。自從2011年卡梅羅?安東尼加盟尼克斯后，該隊創(chuàng)造的收入便一直在上升。因此，NBA聯(lián)盟眼下只能祈禱，林書豪的離開不會改變這個趨勢，同時布魯克林網(wǎng)隊也能夠走出低谷。

????沃森曼公司的布羅迪說道：“其實，對于NBA來說，只要林書豪能繼續(xù)上場比賽，就比什么都好?！币虼耍琋BA聯(lián)盟總裁大衛(wèi)?斯特爾肯定也希望“林瘋狂”一路平安。

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????Jeremy Lin's rise to fame and resurrection of a floundering New York Knicks team was a priceless story, making his departure through free agency a lightning rod topic -- tough for the NBA's largest media market to stomach and a sign of hope for a battered Houston franchise still eyeing a larger prize. Lin's broad marketing appeal couldn't sway New York to swallow the rookie's 'poison pill' offer sheet worth $25 million -- and up to $45 million more in luxury taxes. In the transfer of marketing dollars from East Coast to the Gulf, neither team really loses.

????As an Asian-American Harvard graduate with a unique story in the spotlight of New York, Lin captured national attention in a way that seasoned stars often never do. His stellar stretch of 25 starts for the Knicks earned him cachet with sports marketers rivaled only by another athletic phenom, football player Tim Tebow. "You had Tebow in Denver and Lin in New York doing something that had such an impact outside the typical realm of sports," says John Brody, a president at sports marketing agency Wasserman Media Group. "It was about the transformative nature of their stories, but in less than twelve months, both of them will be wearing different jerseys."

????While both Tebow and Lin carried great national interest and marketing appeal, that didn't prevent them from leaving the teams where they had their respective storybook runs. In New York, the Knicks' slow decision to cut ties with Lin upset fans and journalists alike. The New York Times' Nate Silver argued the Knicks should keep the point guard because the team's parent company, The Madison Square Garden Company (MSG), gained hundreds of millions in market capitalization once Linsanity began and that Lin's salary would be justified in wins added should he play reasonably well. "Even if Lin is a merely good player, the marketing boost he provides should more than justify the expense," Silver wrote.

????That marketing value of Lin, however, is not as clear-cut. The Atlantic, in a caution to both the Knicks and Rockets, noted that the Rockets' last Asian star, Yao Ming, only improved his team's net worth in the short-term. And Bloomberg Businessweek reported that due to league revenue-sharing, Lin's boost from merchandise sales likely benefited the Knicks less than his role as an impetus for Time Warner Cable (TWC) to back down in its dispute over rights to air the team's games did.

????So did the Knicks really just lose a marketing golden goose? Sports marketing experts say not really. Given that the NBA pools most merchandising and national television revenues, no one player has the impact one might think.

????"In fact, the trend in modern sports is to guard against these small, uncontrolled and unpredictable shifts," explains Bob Boland, sports management chair at New York University, in an email. Critical revenue streams for teams come from multi-year deals that move more slowly, such as through in-stadia advertising or media rights. That trend insulates the Knicks from fallout -- with the possible exception of fan outrage.

????Houston, however, has a more immediate marketing upside in acquiring Lin. As with the Knicks, the team won't directly benefit as Lin draws larger away crowds to games or sells jerseys to fans worldwide. But he could provide a greater boost for in-stadium sales and attendance in his new home arena, as the Rockets had one of the worst attendance rates in the league last season.

????Sports marketers note that Lin's brand in Houston will now rest even heavier on his personal play. While Lin has inked deals with Nike and Volvo -- the car manufacturer has added incentive in a Chinese parent company to pursue the Asian market -- future endorsements won't have quite the same bling away from Broadway. "If I was a marketer thinking about using Jeremy, I would maybe wait and see how this plays out now," says Mark Ippolito, president and general counsel of Burns Entertainment and Sports Marketing. If Lin stays healthy, however, Houston's lack of other stars might actually allow him more time with the ball and a better shot at lasting stardom.

????As the New York Post noted, third-party retailers in the New York area will undoubtedly suffer an immediate hit. But the biggest loser as Lin's marketing power transfers west could be the NBA itself. "The Knicks are a huge deal to the league," says Matt Powell, an analyst at SportsOneSource. "With their market share, the Knicks are essentially subsidizing the Charlotte Bobcats."

????New York carries an outsized share of the load for the NBA when it offers a compelling product -- but that doesn't just depend on Lin. According to Powell, the Knicks drove 38 percent of the market share of league revenue last year, compared to just 17 percent for the next-best Chicago Bulls. New York's numbers have been up since Carmelo Anthony joined the team in 2011. The league will have to hope that Lin's departure doesn't reverse that trend, and that the Brooklyn Nets pick up some of the slack.

????"Fact is, the NBA is better off with Jeremy Lin playing than not playing at all," says Brody at Wasserman. Still, commissioner David Stern must hope that Linsanity travels well.