What is Seth Berger’s advice to MBA students? Drop out and start a basketball tour. Not just any kind of basketball, the most in-your-face ballin’ the world has ever seen-- the AND 1 Mixtape Tour. It started as a clothing line geared towards hoopsters that hung out at Berger’s local playground. Soon trash talking tees like “Pass. Save Yourself The Embarrassment” and “You’re Game’s In Trouble-- call 911” adorned chain link courts across the nation. “We would take our stuff out to the basketball courts all across the country and ask kids, ‘Which of these shirts do you like? Which of these shorts do you like? Which of these shoes do you like?’” says Berger. The marketing plan worked better than expected and soon AND 1 was a multi-million dollar venture.
In late 1998, a videotape containing streetball stunts was delivered to AND 1 by a local high school coach. While low quality, it featured the high-impact slammin’ of Rafer Alston. Degenerated to nearly undecipherable, it became known as the “Skip tape.” AND 1 gave Rafer “Skip To My Lou” Alston an endorsement deal. Fired by mass guerilla distribution of the tape, AND 1 rocketed to new heights.
The next logical move was to form the AND 1 Mix Tape Tour. Metropolitan playgrounds were scrubbed for the most stylized players. Players with dazzling skills like Troy “Escalade” Jackson, Philip “Hot Sauce” Champion and Tyron “Black Widow” were added to the roster. With looser rules that allow the players to become showmen for their highlight reels, a high octane version of the sport was spawned. ESPN got into the act by incorporating a reality show for the tour. In each city, players were voted off the team and new locals were brought in. An unlikely hero, the 5’10” Grayson “The Professor” Boucher was added in Portland, Oregon. “Long story short, I originally just came to the game to watch and enjoy,” says The Professor. “Then it turned out to be a career opportunity and something I get to do fulltime.” The rules were simple; you got to stay on the bus until the fans voted you off. Play hard or go home.
The fan base swelled with the success of the television show. Tour stops were expanded to as many U.S. cities as could fit on the schedule. And now, the AND 1 mix tape tour is global with trips to Japan, Brazil and throughout Africa in 2008.
Ball Up Dub Show Tour Dates
Atlantic City : May 16th
Detroit : May 30th
Dallas : June 6th
Phoenix : June 13th
Charlotte : June 20th
Chicago : August 1st
Atlanta : August 15th
Houston : August 23rd
San Jose : September 5th
Miami : September 26th
