Syracuse Basketball: Adam Weitsman, guests bring beautiful buzz to CNY

Adam Weitsman is expected to have Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin as his guest when Syracuse basketball hosts Duke on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Weitsman recently said via Instagram that Hamlin, whose story has prompted love and support around the world, is likely to be his final guest at Orange games in the 2022-23 regular season.

I can’t thank Adam Weitsman enough for bringing Damar to the Dome this Saturday, and the same goes for Adam’s many other celebrity guests who have come to Central New York this season and in other recent ones.

This week, Mike Waters of Syracuse.com published a piece that said the ‘Cuse home attendance, prior to the Blue Devils and other upcoming contests on the Hill, is at a “20-year low.”

Candidly, if not for Adam Weitsman and the fabulous celebrities and superstar athletes who he has had sit courtside with him, it’s my contention that the Orange’s attendance numbers for 2022-23 – and in other recent stanzas – would be even lower.

Adam Weitsman provides a beautiful buzz to Syracuse basketball games with his special guests, and it’s a blessing for the greater CNY community.

When Weitsman has been kind enough to share with me who his guests were at recent games, and I’ve shared this on social media, many, many fans are excited and enthusiastic about Weitsman’s guests.

Some Orange fans, though, say that these courtside celebrity guests of Adam Weitsman are a distraction to the game being played on the court by Syracuse basketball.

Respectfully, I find that sort of argument to be complete and utter nonsense. Orange hoops games are entertainment just like any other sporting event out there.

Adam Weitsman, when he has these famous people attend Syracuse basketball games with him, provides a huge amount of buzz and excitement in the Central New York region that, frankly, wouldn’t be there otherwise.

Do you think that NFL stars Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Odell Beckham Jr., famous entertainers Jimmy Fallon and Pete Davidson, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and former NBA star Allen Iverson, among others, would head to the Hill if not for Weitsman?

Former Syracuse basketball stars Carmelo Anthony and Dion Waiters have also been guests of Adam Weitsman.

Just in the 2022-23 campaign alone, Weitsman’s guests have included actor Cole Hauser, NFL players Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and Jalen Hurts, and hip-hop artists/songwriters A Boogie and Fabolous, among others.

Now, some ‘Cuse fans like to opine that Weitsman pays these celebrities and famous athletes to come to the Dome. Weitsman has said in media reports, and confirmed to me, that he has provided financial donations to some of his guests to support their charitable endeavors.

And, by extension, I have to ask: what’s wrong with that? Weitsman, who is so generous with his own philanthropic efforts, is doing even more good by supporting his guests’ charities. I think that’s awesome, and I’m not alone in that sentiment.

What’s more, I adamantly believe that the buzz and attention that Adam Weitsman and his guests create at the Dome is a positive for recruiting in basketball and other Orange sports.

When he has celebrity guests at games, I write about it, along with other bloggers, beat writers and national media outlets. I’ve seen Adam and his guests noted on ESPN’s famed SportsCenter – that is beautiful publicity for Syracuse basketball, the Dome, Syracuse University and Central New York.

For an Orange program that went 16-17 a year ago and may very well miss the NCAA Tournament this spring, which would be the second term in a row for head coach Jim Boeheim and his squad, Adam Weitsman is providing a big-time boost to the ‘Cuse program – and my column here has nothing to do with name, image and likeness.

On cuse.com, the average attendance listed through the Orange’s first 15 home games of the 2022-23 campaign was 17,977, and this was prior to the Duke affair this Saturday.

Per SU Athletics, when Syracuse basketball played Virginia on Monday, Jan. 30, the listed attendance was 19,272. It was 20,761 when the Orange hosted North Carolina on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

And on Saturday, Jan. 14, when the ‘Cuse welcomed Notre Dame to the Hill, the announced attendance was 20,666.

I’m not saying this is a complete apples-to-apples comparison, but those ‘Cuse home contests noted directly above had higher attendance numbers than the team’s overall average in 2022-23.

And in those three games, Adam Weitsman had famous guests with him. His loveliest guest of them all will be Damar Hamlin, and I’m confident that the Orange’s attendance against the Blue Devils this Saturday evening will be at least several thousand people higher than the ‘Cuse average of 17,977 so far in the present stanza.

What Adam Weitsman has been doing as it pertains to bringing celebrities and superstar athletes to Syracuse basketball games with him I find to be positively wonderful. It helps with attendance, creates buzz and excitement, and brings more attention to SU and the CNY area.

Adam has said countless times that he loves Central New York and wants to do whatever he can to support the region. I commend Adam Weitsman, a kind and generous human being, for putting his money where his mouth is.

Much admiration and respect, Adam.