t was his adoration for the game of tennis that drove
Bahar Uttam to purchase the Boston Lobsters in 2003.
Now, heading into the team's 10th Mylan World Team-
Tennis season under Uttam, the owner of the Lobster has
found that his passion only burns stronger. And as his passion
has grown, so has the Boston Lobsters brand.
"I think the thing that gives me the greatest satisfaction is
growing the brand of the team," explained Uttam, who is an Ip-
swich resident ยน?hen 1 first told friends and acYuaintances that
I had just bought the Boston Lobsters they looked at me and
said 'why are you getting into the seafood business?' 10 years
later when I tell people they all know it is a tennis franchise."
Building the brand has been no easy task. Mylan WTT
isn't your typical professional sports league. Teams aren't just
sports franchises; they are sports entertainment franchises-an
important distinction Uttam has grown to understand.
"This goes back to Billy Jean King's vision of what Mylan
WTT is about. She wanted it to be something that would be
entertaining for families whether they are tennis players or
not," said Uttam. "This is a lot of fun and it's not just for ten-
nis aficionados The kids have stuff for them and it's all a very
family-oriented entertainment package. Instead of just going
out to ?imbledon to watch tennis, this is different ?e're of-
fering something more than that."
The fans have responded to the uniYue product -ven af-
ter moving the team's venue to the Manchester Athletic Club
in -sse` in 2013, the Lobsters saw an increase in fan interest
and attendance.
P R O M O T I O N
UTTAM, LOBSTERS
CELEBRATE 10
TH
SEASON
Photos by Karen Draymore
12784_BostonLobsters.indd 138 4/30/14 4:22 PM
