The Nash Effect - Part 3 - The Money

If you haven't heard by now, and you all should have, Steve Nash was named the General Manager of the Senior Men's National Team Tuesday. In what was long speculated and hoped for, Canada's golden boy has returned to the National Program that he grew up in and helped take to lofty height just at the turn of the century. So what does this mean for Canada Basketball? Can Ball Ray continues looking at three aspects that the Nash Effect will have on the program here continuing with the money ...

So far we've talked about how Steve Nash will be affecting the Senior Men's Program positively and it been great so far. The players will come and the that will be followed by the fans and the last and just as important will be the money.

The National Program has been lacking in a high profile for a little while now and was not the most attractive investment for any corporation. Compound that with the poor performances at major events and the seeming unwillingness of talented players to participate in the summer teams and it looks like there may be some things that need to be cleaned up before any money should be put into the program. If I was an investor that would be my feeling because I want a return on my capital.

Enter Steve Nash.

Here is a guy who is probably the most marketable basketball player not named LeBron, Kobe or Michael Jordan. His image is that of a squeaky clean, health inclined, all around renaissance man who always fights the good fight and never says or does anything that rocks the boat anything other than the way life should be for everyone (Remember his defence of Rick Welts last season and the Arizona laws towards Hispanics. Always fighting the good fight.). On top of that, he's easy going and laid back. He's the perfect pitch man.

And that is an amazing asset for Canada Basketball.

Nash's personality and persona is something that the program needed to help right the ship. There would be no other player, or person for that matter, that can sell the vision of the program better to any other than him. He's a respected player and humanitarian and him being involved in the program is a huge boost.

Nash effect here rests on the first two factors we talked about in the past few days: He will be able to help get the talent to the team which will lead to better results on the floor which will then lead to more buzz and an improved fan base. All this lead to is a bigger and more attractive pool for potential financial supporters to look at and be willing to offer their coffers.

As we all should know, blind support is always never the rule it's the exception. Just think of how long it took any major Canadian company to come on board with the National Program. Bell only became a major sponsor last summer and that was when they were already offering their financial support for a decade. Nash will be able to bridge that gap simply by being involved.

What looks more attractive to big business: The rebuilding Senior Men's National Team or a SMNT being helped to rebuild by Steve Nash. Results or not, the support will come and as the team gets better the more investment will flock to the doors that Nash will likely be opening with a warm welcome.

The bottom line will be that Nash is the personality that CB was waiting for and it's incredible that he comes in at the most opportune time. The crossroads are here and he will be the one to draw the support back into the program to help build it back up to a time when the optimism was at it's highest and Nash was the one leading the charge.

And the big business money will follow.