Hawks fans sport Magic City gear despite canceled promotion - ESPN

ATLANTA — State Farm Arena was packed Monday night as the Atlanta Hawks beat the Orlando Magic for their 10th straight win. With 18,138 fans in attendance, the atmosphere resembled a playoff game.

But it wasn't a playoff game. It was merely what was once known as Magic City night.

The Hawks' short-lived collaboration with Atlanta's renowned adult entertainment club was announced on Feb. 26 and promised exclusive merchandise, the club's lemon pepper wings and a halftime show by Atlanta rapper T.I. It lived for less than two weeks before NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shut it down, citing concerns from «a broad array of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees.»

Collaboration or not, plenty of Hawks fans dressed accordingly anyway. Magic City gear, both official and unofficial merchandise, was a common sight throughout the crowd. Those proudly sporting a club sweatshirt included Hawks Principal Owner Jami Gertz, who sat near halfcourt as she watched Atlanta roll to a 124-112 victory.

The event's cancellation was met with mixed reactions and, locally, a good amount of confusion. That was clear by game time, as one of several retail shops in the arena had tallied 12 Magic City hoodie requests through the first quarter.

A Hawks Shop sales associate said 300 of those hoodies were available for preorder, and they sold out almost immediately. The high demand prompted a larger order of the sweatshirts, which will now be permanently shuttered away.

Koreena Atkins, a member of the Hawks' fan section known as the 404 crew, secured one of the 300 sweatshirts. She said the hoodies were gone less than two hours after the preorder opened.

Atkins had hoped to wear her sweatshirt to the game, but the fan club, which makes