Art Levy
Contributor

Jay-Z Is Basically The Boss Of The Brooklyn Nets

The New York Times has a piece today about Jay-Z's involvement in the brand-new Brooklyn Nets franchise. On a lot of people's minds is how Jay-Z will be involved in the team, but now the better question seems to be, what isn'tJay-Z involved in?

Here are the points to take away from the article:

*Jay-Z picked the team logos and black-and-white color scheme

*Jay-Z picked the Barclays Arena soundtrack ("Less Jersey," he decreed, and thus Santigold replaces Bon Jovi)

*Jay-Z will perform eight sold-out shows to open the arena

*Jay-Z advised the security staff on how to screen for weapons! (“'Be mindful,' he advised oracularly, 'and be sensitive.'”)

*Jay-Z owns a stake in Armand de Brignac champagne, which will be featured in the arena's $550,000-per-year "Vault" suites

*Jay-Z's 40/40 sports bar/club will open in the arena

*Jay-Z's clothing line, Rocawear, will have a store in the arena

*Jay-Z owns a stake in Translation, the Nets' official advertising agency

*Jay-Z advised point guard Deron Williams on where to buy a home

*Jay-Z fixed the size of the Nets' logo so it wouldn't be obscured on an ESPN news ticker

Not bad for owning just one-fifteenth of one percent of the actual franchise. Mikhail Prokhorov, who owns eighty percent of the team, got equal billing with Jay-Z on a 222-foot billboard put up near Madison Square Garden. And after plunking down a mere $1 million into the team nine years ago, Jay-Z is set to get back millions upon millions on that intial investment. Basically, Jay-Z is the boss.