Good news for basketball fanatics: Your obsession is only going to get worse, thanks to Scott O'Neil (MBA '98), president of HoopsTV.com, an Internet start-up based in Paoli, Pennsylvania. According to the Dow Jones News Service (March 9, 2000), Hoops, launched last November, is aimed primarily at the 17 million American males who play basketball and have access to the Net -- you know, the electronic one. As its slogan suggests, the company is serious about its game: "If basketball is your religion, HoopsTV.com is your church."

HoopsTV.com's content will showcase interviews, features, and video, including games from some of the country's best playground leagues. "We want to be the No. 1 online basketball destination," said O'Neil, who cut his teeth in the sports business working in sales for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New Jersey Nets. He noted that "basketball has been a kind of cultural center for 25 years," influencing youth fashion, lifestyle, and music. These elements will also be a big part of HoopsTV, thus presenting a variety of revenue opportunities.

O'Neil has signed on some big names (such as basketball analyst Bill Raftery and hip-hop producer DaddyO) to help make it all happen. "Our focus is on building a successful business," he said. "This is not your short-term, get-rich-quick type of Internet business."

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