by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Features Editor

August 20, 2009

As soon as the Major League Baseball franchise in Tampa Bay dropped the “Devil” from their name, they won the American League pennant. It was the first time in their brief history the Rays had even finished above the .500 mark.

Perhaps the Maccabi Haifa professional basketball team is looking for that kind of luck. The Israeli Premier League runner-up, which lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the league’s final in May, will lose the “Heat” for the 2009-10 season. Hopefully, they won’t cool off on the hardwood.

“A lot has changed with the presentation and marketing of the club since we came in, and this is another step towards establishing a clear identity and better connecting with our fans,” said Jeffrey Rosen, the former West Orange resident who bought the team in 2007.

While the National Basketball Association did not make a formal request for a name change, “some private discussions with NBA officials concerned possible confusion in the marketplace, since the NBA markets internationally, and the Miami Heat is one of its franchises.” 

Rosen’s home base is Miami, where he is regularly exposed to Miami Heat logos and marketing from his offices as chair of Triangle Financial Services.

“They didn’t formally request the name change, but they do wonderful international marketing and we didn’t want to compete in any way, or confuse the marketplace with a second ‘Heat,’” he said in a statement. “The NBA is not a rival; their success around the world is a model of good business, and whatever popularity they attain in the Middle East helps to promote the game of basketball. We want to make sure we make our own mark with our fan base.

“The change also brings even greater attention to the city of Haifa and helps further establish our bond and identity,” Rosen said.

A new team logo will be unveiled shortly.

Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com

--TOP--