The Charlotte Hornets are so bad that tickets are going for $1

• Tickets were practically being given away to Monday night’s game.

Why it matters: Low resale ticket prices reflect the state of the team and the morale of its fan base.

• The team was seemingly gaining momentum last season. It was their first winning season (43-39) since 2015-16.
• But this year, they’ve fallen near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and are on a four-game losing streak.
• Making matters worse, star guard LaMelo Ball is out for the rest of the season because of an ankle fracture in February.

By the numbers: Two tickets to Monday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers were listed for $1 each, or $14 with fees and sales tax, on Gametime as of Monday afternoon. A single upper-level seat was $3, or $10 with fees and tax on the ticketing app.

• Of note: On Ticketmaster, standard admission started at $15, or $26.33 with fees.

The big picture: Team owner Michael Jordan is in “serious talks” to sell his majority stake in the team to minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall, as Axios previously reported.

• Jordan, the Hornets’ owner for the last 13 years, is a six-time NBA champion and largely regarded to be the greatest basketball player of all time. But the Hornets haven’t made the playoffs since 2016.

• Some fans say they hope fresh ownership could bring a new vision that makes for a winning team and revives the fan experience.

Yes, but: Charlotte still is a great sports city, at least off the court, and at least according to one report.

• This week, Sports Business Journal ranked Charlotte as the third best city to be in if you’re in the sports business. Charlotte checks “almost every box” on SBJ’s list, from low per diem costs to its large pool of sports media professionals.

The bottom line: Cheap tickets are less appealing when the product on the court is lacking.