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jaye
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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accommodatingly
Joined: 21 Nov 2004
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
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 Posted: 10/02/07 8:22 am ::: |
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I wouldn't be surprised if Houston were moving-- and I wouldn't start generalizing or worrying about the rest of the league, should Houston move. You need to have a certain amount of money to run a team and absorb the likely losses, year after year. There have been rumors circulating since he bought the team that Hilton Koch, whatever his good intentions, doesn't actually have that amount of money. If that's the case the league needs to find an owner-- in whatever market-- who does.
I'm not sure how I think the league should respond to purported demands that the league monkey with the draft lottery. I am sure it's a crappy demand for new owners to make, and a lousy precedent to set-- but contracting to twelve teams would be a pretty lousy precedent too: if there's exactly one entity that wants a WNBA team, doesn't own one, and can afford to run one, that entity's in a pretty good bargaining position. Especially with the CBA coming up.
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Thrillrider08
Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 12142
Location: Indianapolis, IN
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| Posted: 10/02/07 4:06 pm ::: |
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Now a team is moving? Good grief can we just find out what is going on!?! The only team I see moving is Minnesota, Houston has too much history with it. But we'll have to wait and see. I'd rather no team move  |
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HotForHammon
Joined: 04 Jul 2007
Posts: 5008
Location: Hammonite Nation
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| Posted: 10/02/07 4:30 pm ::: |
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| Richyyy wrote: |
Much as I'm not sure an expansion franchise in Atlanta is a great idea, I really hope Bob's source is wrong as well. They'd be much better off adding a crappy expansion team, probably with an expansion fee of around $10m, than selling a team for much less than that and moving it into a (likely) poor market.
Last year the teams that got sold were ones where the NBA franchises that owned them had gotten tired of running them. Following that pattern, it'd be Detroit, Indiana, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento or San Antonio. Can't see Detroit selling, NY aren't gonna dump the Libs right now (they're in the middle of a sexual discrimintation suit for crying out loud), SA just started to show signs of progress, Phoenix just won a championship. That leaves Indiana, Minnesota or Sacramento if it's an NBA owner pulling out. The most obvious option if it's one of the independant owners is still Houston.
Yeah, screw this. I don't want to see another group of fans miserable about losing their team. Hope your source is wrong Bob. |
I'm getting bombarded with stuff from SASS on season tickets tell your friends ect. type stuff. So it ain't them. Besides from all I've read and continue to read the Spurs Management seems to have recommited themselves to all three of its teams...Spurs (obvious) Silver Stars and the Rampage hocky team with all the marketing they are putting out.
What's the marketing like in the other cites from the front office? They wouldn'tbe pushing if there was a possibility to move?
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Thrillrider08
Joined: 04 Jun 2007
Posts: 12142
Location: Indianapolis, IN
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| Posted: 10/02/07 5:54 pm ::: |
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| I recieved a letter from Pacers Corp. saying there is a siminar and people that go get 4 Pacers tickets and 4 Fever tickets for 2008. So it's not the Fever either. Hell maybe it is Houston |
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BCBG25
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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Location: Sampa
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accommodatingly
Joined: 21 Nov 2004
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Location: Saint Paul, MN
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| Posted: 10/03/07 9:03 am ::: |
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| BCBG25 wrote: |
We might be getting ahead of ourselves as the Comets are hardly the only franchise on the ropes, but if it's indeed them, well, then it's a crying shame. Why sell it to an investor that didn't have the cash to run the franchise in the first place. If they did that only avoid a dispersal draft then I'd be really pissed off if I were a Comet fan, which is so far from the truth, you can only imagine how pissed off a real Comet fan would be. 
But anyway, I don't want to speculate, I'm already down on Donna O as it is, I don't need more reasons to make up my mind. |
The Stars and the Fever are fine. (The Fever have just hired at least one new person whose job will involve selling tickets.)
If I had the choice of (a) selling the Comets to someone who wanted to own them, but couldn't afford to absorb the losses in the long term, or (b) allowing the team to fold right away, I'd pick (a), with the goal of turning the team over to some other owner a year or three down the road. Wouldn't you pick (a) too? There is no (c). There may not be a (c) even now.
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Fuzzball Records
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 2227
Location: Courtside at Staples Center with Stephanie Miller
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| Posted: 10/13/07 5:28 pm ::: |
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Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises.
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"A conservative is a man who is too cowardly to fight and too fat to run."--Elbert Hubbard
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 10/13/07 6:05 pm ::: |
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Houston might make sense in another way too. You'd think players such as Tina would know what's been going on for a while. Maybe that's part of her reasoning for possibly not returning.
I hope it's not Houston, because of the History. But I don't necessarily think it's horrible for the league. As a team didn't fold, and it's natural for fan attendance to decrease when they expect to win, and they don't. (Heck, it's happening a bit at Uconn) I am NOT saying it is a good thing, but it's not a sign that the WNBA is crashing and burning.
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mannman
Joined: 02 Jan 2006
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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Location: Queens
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| Posted: 10/13/07 6:30 pm ::: |
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| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises. |
Because one team, run into the ground by an asshole owner, is TOTALLY a barometer for an entire geographic region.
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p_d_swanson
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
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| Posted: 10/13/07 6:42 pm ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises. |
Because one team, run into the ground by an asshole owner, is TOTALLY a barometer for an entire geographic region. |
Depends on whether Florida is considered part of the South, I suppose...
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SportsGuru
Joined: 20 May 2005
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| Posted: 10/13/07 6:50 pm ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises. |
Because one team, run into the ground by an asshole owner, is TOTALLY a barometer for an entire geographic region. |
Curious, what were the Sting's attendance numbers the years before Bob Johnson.
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Smoovie
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 3960
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| Posted: 10/13/07 7:08 pm ::: |
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| BCBG25 wrote: |
We might be getting ahead of ourselves as the Comets are hardly the only franchise on the ropes, but if it's indeed them, well, then it's a crying shame. Why sell it to an investor that didn't have the cash to run the franchise in the first place. If they did that only avoid a dispersal draft then I'd be really pissed off if I were a Comet fan, which is so far from the truth, you can only imagine how pissed off a real Comet fan would be.
But anyway, I don't want to speculate, I'm already down on Donna O as it is, I don't need more reasons to make up my mind. |
| Smoovie wrote: |
| SORF wrote: |
I find this discussion ironic...when the Comets were at the Compaq Center, Les did not receive the profits from the concessions and he had to pay rent to Chuck Watson. Now, some on this board say
Hilton made a bad deal because it doesn't include concessions and he has to pay rent.....hmmmm interesting. |
Business is business... If Les laid it out there and he took it in, oh well. If it's too rich for your blood. Like Kenny Rogers says, "You gotta know when to fold 'em". If he let his ego talk him into playing with money he can't afford to lose. He's the sucker and he's suppose to get that ass spanked. Les is no fool. He wouldn't be where he is, if he was.
The problem is, if the league front office knows he's going to fall on his face and they let this sale go down. That's the beginning of the end for the WNBA, as far as I'm concern. Because if they are letting people buy teams when they know they can't maintain them, they are grasping and we're in trouble. My faith will be done..... I mean that with all my heart!! It will take a act of god to renew my faith in the league.. |
http://boards.rebkell.net/viewtopic.php?p=260247&highlight=#260247
Needless to say, I'm going to have a huge problem with the league if that happens._________________ (¯`v´¯ 
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨ ¸.•*¨
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.•´*~Smoov |
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ZuG102
Joined: 12 Jan 2007
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Fuzzball Records
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
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Location: Courtside at Staples Center with Stephanie Miller
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| Posted: 10/14/07 2:24 am ::: |
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While not part of the Confederate South, the two teams that folded in Florida are part of the South.
History shows the South is too focused on NASCAR, college football and pro wrestling for the WNBA to make a go of it.
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
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| Posted: 10/14/07 8:10 am ::: |
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| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
| While not part of the Confederate South, the two teams that folded in Florida are part of the South. |
Florida did, in fact, secede and become part of the Confederacy.
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I ain't got a home
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StevenHW
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 10983
Location: Sacramento, California
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| Posted: 10/14/07 11:49 am ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises. |
Because one team, run into the ground by an asshole owner, is TOTALLY a barometer for an entire geographic region. |
Um, which one? Was it Bob Johnson of Charlotte? Or the owners of the former Orlando Miracle (which is now the CT Sun) and the former Miami Sol (which disbanded)?
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bullsky
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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| Posted: 10/14/07 11:55 am ::: |
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I think the WNBA can succeed in the South and I think that past examples aren't the best way to predict the future in this situation.
Charlotte was mismanaged and was not cared about at all.
Orlanda and Miami are both in Florida and Floridians have shown that they aren't consistent fans of any pro sports. People in Florida would rather go to the beach. I remember opening night of the NBA last year in Miami. The seats weren't full until midway through the first quarter and most of the fans left early. And we've already heard about the Florida Marlins and their attendence problems. Summer leagues(or most leagues, really) definitely will not work in Florida unless someone rich comes along and can afford to take hits financially.
That being said, I think Atlanta CAN work. And I think more cities could also work (Bentonville, Memphis, New Orleans, ect.). Just because cities are in the South doesn't mean we have to avoid those markets.
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Smoovie
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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Location: H-Town
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| Posted: 10/14/07 12:01 pm ::: |
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| StevenHW wrote: |
| Queenie wrote: |
| Fuzzball Records wrote: |
Atlanta?
Oh Please, the South is a grave yard for WNBA franchises. |
Because one team, run into the ground by an asshole owner, is TOTALLY a barometer for an entire geographic region. |
Um, which one? Was it Bob Johnson of Charlotte? Or the owners of the former Orlando Miracle (which is now the CT Sun) and the former Miami Sol (which disbanded)? |
The asshole owner that referred to the team as a noose around his neck._________________ (¯`v´¯
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´¸.•*¨ ¸.•*¨
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.•´*~Smoov |
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CamrnCrz1974
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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Location: Phoenix
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| Posted: 10/14/07 5:45 pm ::: |
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| Orange][Krush wrote: |
I think the WNBA can succeed in the South and I think that past examples aren't the best way to predict the future in this situation.
Charlotte was mismanaged and was not cared about at all.
Orlanda and Miami are both in Florida and Floridians have shown that they aren't consistent fans of any pro sports. People in Florida would rather go to the beach. I remember opening night of the NBA last year in Miami. The seats weren't full until midway through the first quarter and most of the fans left early. And we've already heard about the Florida Marlins and their attendence problems. Summer leagues(or most leagues, really) definitely will not work in Florida unless someone rich comes along and can afford to take hits financially.
That being said, I think Atlanta CAN work. |
Based on?
Hawks and Braves both have attendance problems...the same things you alluded to with Florida.
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Fuzzball Records
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
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| Posted: 10/14/07 11:04 pm ::: |
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| Charlotte had 10 years to develope an attendance base with two different owners. The demand was not there so the product folded. That's the bottom line.
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"A conservative is a man who is too cowardly to fight and too fat to run."--Elbert Hubbard
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CB
Joined: 16 Nov 2006
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| Posted: 10/15/07 7:23 am ::: |
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If a product is not run well, people will quit coming, regardless of the talent on the team.
If an organization is not run well, the team could quit playing hard.
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ladydawgs96
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
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Location: Georgia
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| Posted: 10/15/07 9:26 am ::: |
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| CamrnCrz1974 wrote: |
Hawks and Braves both have attendance problems...the same things you alluded to with Florida. |
I agree with Cam.
As much as I would support a team in Atlanta, the team will struggle to gain a foothold in the city. If you have a marginal team, people can easily find other things to do, rather than sitting inside an arena.
I think that the best chance to get butts in the seats is to market the team to the folks in the burbs. I think it will be a mistake to have the team play at Phillips Arena. That will keep a lot families away from any of the midweek games. If the team were to have played at the Gwinnett Center, I think that the team's chance of survival would be better. Yes, Marta doesn't go to Gwinnett, but let's face it. Atlanta is not a mass transit loving city. I think the midtown/downtown people would be more apt to drive out to go to games and the surburbanites would be more likely to attend a weeknight game with the family.
All that being said, I think it is possible for the team to thrive, look at how well Georgia draws for gymnastics. The team will need to win and have a good PR machine that can build a fanbase and tap into the GOB network.
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 10/15/07 9:08 pm ::: |
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Orlando's owners were no great prize either (remember the hubbub about one of them writing against gay rights legislation and sending it on Magic stationary?) and the Sol were folded *despite* average support. I *dare* any of you to tell bibb the Sol didn't have fans. I DARE YOU.
Anyone who talks shit about the first three years of Charlotte's existence probably came into the league in 2000 or later and wouldn't know Vicky Bullett from a bag of Miss Vickie's potato chips.
The point remains: good owners will find a way to succeed anywhere, bad owners will find a way to fail anywhere.
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Ardent believer in the separation of church and stadium.
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