Prince William and Kate Bring Royal Flair and International Press to Brooklyn
If you live in or around New York City, then you know the entire city has been abuzz for the last few days with the first official visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to NYC.
The excitement generated by the two was evident as New Yorkers endured the gloomy weather to get a glimpse of Prince William and Catherine as they made their way through a packed itinerary. On the list was taking in a basketball game, the Brooklyn Nets versus the Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclay Center on Monday night, which drew a lot of attention both from fans at the game and the press covering the event.
Prince William and Kate entered the game shortly after the start of the second half, and as they made their way to their seats the crowd erupted in cheers. Later on in the third quarter, another round of cheers occurred when Catherine was shown on the big screen and waved to the camera. It was noted beforehand that both were interested in attending the game specifically to see LeBron James play.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt, in a post-game interview, spoke on the positive impact the presence of international royalty at a game would have on the NBA brand, saying, “obviously having people from different parts of the world and different parts of life that are recognizable to other people I think is great.”Prince William himself said he and his wife were impressed by the game, which can only mean more positive PR for the NBA overall as the press coverage for the game stretched across international borders.
This isn’t the first time celebrities attending sporting events overseas has made the press. Other famous examples include:
- The World Cup in Brazil. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Rihanna were among the celebrities who traveled to Brazil over the summer to attend the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. On the game, James said, “this is bigger than the NBA Finals in the sense that it’s the world and you have so many countries here.”
- Wimbledon. Hugh Jackman, Orlando Bloom, Samuel L. Jackson and Bradley Cooper were in London this summer to attend matches at Wimbledon. Tennis is yet another sport where those with the means, especially celebrities, will hop on a plane just to see a match!
- Formula 1 Grand Prix. Formula 1 races always attract the rich and famous. The Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada, for example, had Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Grant and musician Drake travel to Canada specifically for the event.
