NETS APATHY, CONT'D: The day after the official announcment that the New Jersey Nets have been sold- paving the way for their move to Brooklyn- New Jersey sports authorities have reacted, though not in the way you'd expect.
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, rather than declare their intention to fight the relocation tooth-and-nail, have all but conceded the move, announcing instead that they'll fight to keep the "Nets" name in New Jersey, and force the Brooklyn team to change their name. This is similar to the arrangment made when the Cleveland Browns left town and became the Baltimore Ravens, the only difference being that the Browns had existed for a half-century, while the Nets' tenure in the Meadowlands has been about half as long, and they were even previously known as the New York Nets.
When the Timberwolves almost left Minnesota for New Orleans in 1994, fans and politicians alike fought the move until the league rejected it, and they remain in Target Center to this day. Similar campaigns have happened elsewhere, sometimes successful and sometimes not, but if there's not even going to be organized opposition to a move, why does New Jersey even deserve an NBA team in the first place?