You know the job market is bad when NBA teams begin to give away tickets to fans simply because they're unemployed.

That’s exactly what the New Jersey Nets have announced they will do for fans that post their resumes at the team’s online job bank. As a part of this innovative promotion, the basketball team will also forward fans’ resumes to team sponsors and corporate season ticket holders.

“Right now we’re in some lean times. We want to invest back into our fans and when things get better they will invest back in us,” said Fred Mangione, the team’s senior vice president of ticket sales and marketing. Mangione and Nets CEO Brett Yormark spearheaded the free ticket promotion.

The team and other sports business experts weren’t aware of any similar promotions in pro sports.

“It’s a brilliant idea because it’s real. People are dealing with real life stuff right now,” said Marshall Glickman, CEO of sports consulting firm G2 Strategic and former team president of the Portland Trailblazers. “Yormark has always had a nose for stuff like that.”

The Nets have allotted 300 tickets for each of five upcoming games to give away to fans who submit their resumes. The promotion will give jobless fans access to a number of major companies, including UPS (UPS), Coca-Cola (KO) and TD Bank (TD).

The team saw heavy interest in the promotion, gathering 1,500 resumes in the first 24 hours alone. Other league executives contacted the team to find out what “the catch was,” Mangione said.

“A sport team has never embraced this before. It’s kind of shocked people,” said Mangione.

The move comes as pro sports franchises attempt to convince fans to pay hefty ticket prices to watch their favorite teams in person as the economy falters and consumer confidence plunges.

"This program underscores the investment that the team is willing to make to support the fans that have supported them for so long," said Chris Granger, NBA senior vice President of team marketing and business operations. "Our teams continue to go to great lengths to demonstrate the care they have for our fans during this difficult economy."

Granger pointed to similar programs around the league, such as efforts to make 1.5 million tickets available for less than $10, the Atlanta Hawks' "all-you-can-eat" seats for $37 and the Dallas Mavericks' $2 individual game ticket promotions. 

“There is no doubt that demand for tickets is dropping, so they have to find new ways to compel fans to come to the building,” said Glickman.

The Nets are no different as their attendance ranks just 22nd in the league with an average attendance of 16,000 people per game, filling up just 80% of their building so far this year, according to ESPN.com. By comparison, the Nets’ crosstown rivals the New York Knicks draw nearly 19,000 fans to a typical game, filling up 95% of their arena.

“We’re actually really happy where we are to tell you the truth. We’re one of nine options around here,” said Mangione, citing the eight other pro sports teams in the New York metropolitan area.

The team also said the jobless promotion had little to do with its scheduled move to Brooklyn in 2011.

“Obviously we’re a business but we’re also about making a difference in the marketplace. We thought this was something that could help people across the board,” said Mangione.

The Nets hinted at expanding the promotion for the second half of the year and it’s possible other pro sports teams will follow in their footsteps.

“It seems like a great idea. Teams are going through a lot of the same difficulties with the economy right now,” said Darin David, a sports marketing veteran and a director at sports marketing firm Millsport. “For them to be able to make the best out of the situation, it’s just going to benefit them down the road.”