This Sixers have a perception problem at the moment. They’ve lied about injuries to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, they have fan-hostile ticket pricing policies, and there’s a general feeling that ownership is more focused on newfangled business dealings and side projects than the on-court product. So now (well, yesterday) seems like a great time to send out a self-flogging press release about… this:

The Philadelphia 76ers have been ranked in the Top 50 on Entrepreneur’s Top Company Cultures list, a comprehensive ranking of U.S.-based businesses exhibiting high-performance cultures created in partnership with culture management software and service provider, CultureIQ®. The Sixers attribute the honor to the organization’s drive to innovate and lead the sports industry, commitment to serve the communities where its fans live, work and play, and its vibrant corporate culture and employee development programs. Entrepreneur placed the iconic basketball team No. 46 on its Top Company Cultures list among other national, large-category companies; to view Entrepreneur’s full Top Company Cultures list click HERE. The announcement comes just months after Philadelphia Business Journal named the Sixers one of the “Best Places to Work in Philadelphia” for the second consecutive year in a row.

“We are fortunate to steward one of the most incredible brands in sports, in an industry which encourages innovation and harnesses our natural love of competition,” said Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil. “We strive to build a work environment that is inspiring, diverse, challenging and fun. We take tremendous pride inEntrepreneur’s recognition that we have one of the most dynamic corporate cultures in business today, something we have known for quite some time.”

Neat.

Sending a press release about some actual business accomplishment – Top 50 Most Innovative Companies, Best Run Sports Organization – would be one thing. Sending one about internal culture, which means literally nothing to anyone who doesn’t work for them, is oddly self-serving and oh so Sixers, especially sending it when there are like 1,000 team-related items the general public are interested in at the moment.

Did any stooges actually pick up on this? Yep, one– CBS Philly, brought to you by official Sixers partner, the Rothman Institute… which is all the more hilarious given the fact that Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have, in fact, not played again:

Voila_Capture 2017-02-23_11-11-55_AM

Here’s the full, jargon-laden press release:

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS RANKED TOP 50 ON

ENTREPRENEUR’S TOP COMPANY CULTURES LIST

RECOGNITION OF SIXERS’ EXCEPTIONAL FRONT OFFICE CULTURE IS TESTAMENT TO TEAM’S INNOVATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

PHILADELPHIA – FEBRUARY 22, 2017 –  The Philadelphia 76ers have been ranked in the Top 50 on Entrepreneur’s Top Company Cultures list, a comprehensive ranking of U.S.-based businesses exhibiting high-performance cultures created in partnership with culture management software and service provider, CultureIQ®. The Sixers attribute the honor to the organization’s drive to innovate and lead the sports industry, commitment to serve the communities where its fans live, work and play, and its vibrant corporate culture and employee development programs. Entrepreneur placed the iconic basketball team No. 46 on its Top Company Cultures list among other national, large-category companies; to view Entrepreneur’s full Top Company Cultures list click HERE. The announcement comes just months after Philadelphia Business Journal named the Sixers one of the “Best Places to Work in Philadelphia” for the second consecutive year in a row.

“We are fortunate to steward one of the most incredible brands in sports, in an industry which encourages innovation and harnesses our natural love of competition,” said Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil. “We strive to build a work environment that is inspiring, diverse, challenging and fun. We take tremendous pride inEntrepreneur’s recognition that we have one of the most dynamic corporate cultures in business today, something we have known for quite some time.”

“Great company cultures don’t happen on their own. They’re the result of great leadership, and a conscious effort to make everyone on a team feel engaged and important,” said Jason Feifer, Editor in Chief of Entrepreneur. “The honorees on our 2017 list are proof that strong cultures make even stronger companies. Entrepreneurs at all levels can draw inspiration from them.”

With the goal of creating the most energizing, challenging and inspiring workplace in the world, the pillars of the Sixers’ corporate culture are its emphasis on fostering an environment of innovation, dedication to community engagement and commitment to employee development.

Led by O’Neil, CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils and Prudential Center, and with an emphasis on continuous improvement, the organization has become a driving force of innovation in the sports and entertainment industry:

In the past year, the Sixers became the first professional sports team in North America to acquire and directly manage an eSports team and sign a 2017-18 regular-season jersey patch partner, StubHub.
The Sixers and StubHub made industry history as well when they launched a groundbreaking ticketing platform that fused primary and secondary ticket sales into one blended platform and purchase process.

The team recently opened the 125,000-square-foot Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex in Camden, N.J., a destination for elite professional athletes and front office executives; becoming an integral part of the city’s rejuvenation.

The Training Complex will additionally house the Sixers Innovation Lab Crafted by Kimball, offering industry-leading executive mentorship, diverse funding sources and unparalleled resources for start-ups and entrepreneurs.

Community engagement is at the heart of the Sixers award-winning corporate culture. The organization believes it is its responsibility and privilege to use the game of basketball to support and inspire youth in the communities where the team’s fans live, work and play; and mentor the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. Through its “Project 76” initiative, each Sixers employee pledges 76 hours a year to community service. The result is more than 7,000 volunteer hours generated annually in Greater Philadelphia and New Jersey, including basketball court refurbishments, community center beautifications, basketball and life skills clinics, food packaging projects and more.
With the belief that talent wins, the Sixers’ signature Sales Team Training Program provides unprecedented executive leadership access, transparent communication and vast opportunities for employee development, including “Sponsorship Academy,” “Elite Training Program,” “Executive Book Club,” “Breakfast with the CEO” and more. The Sixers 115-person sales team is the largest in professional sports today and boasts an industry-leading 90% annual employee retention rate. Sales executives are motivated by 30-plus monthly employee recognition honors including the coveted “CEO For a Day” award that bestows full CEO perks and power to implement corporate or social initiatives to the recipient. The organization’s annual “Go Forward” leadership meetings assemble senior leadership members from the Sixers, New Jersey and Albany Devils, and Delaware 87ers to strengthen company values, build relationships, share ideas and boost business efficiencies.
MORE INFORMATION:

For more information, please contact Philadelphia 76ers Director of Corporate Communications Lara Toscani

ABOUT ENTREPRENEUR MEDIA INC.

For nearly 40 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide. To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com. Follow us on Twitter at @Entrepreneur and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/entmagazine.

ABOUT CULTUREIQ®

CultureIQ is a platform that enables organizations to make positive, measurable changes to their culture, and a community that connects peers and experts around the topic of culture. The CultureIQ platform helps companies actively manage their culture through an ongoing process of collecting, understanding and responding to internal feedback to drive employee engagement, retention and success. Based in New York City, CultureIQ was founded in 2013 by Greg Besner, an adjunct professor at New York University Stern School of Business and one of the original investors in Zappos.com. CultureIQ is backed by a group of notable investors including Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Founder Collective and Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh’s VTF Capital. For more information, visit www.cultureiq.com, follow us on Twitter at @CultureIQ and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/CultureIQ.

ABOUT THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS:

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most storied franchises in the National Basketball Association, having won three World Championships, earning nine trips to The Finals and making 47 playoff appearances over 67 seasons. The team is owned by an investor group led by Managing General Partner Josh Harris.