Fans have ideas on how to save the Thrashers

I get quite a few e-mails from Thrashers fans with their ideas on how to save the team from leaving Atlanta.

I thought I would share a couple of the correspondence I have received.

1. The five largest locally headquartered sponsors (Delta, Coke, Home Depot, Chik Fil A and UPS) step up and make a commitment to the fans and the team to add $4M to this year’s sponsorship each ($20M) to help the current ASG ownership absorb projected loses while they nail down a new local owner.  These same companies commit to the same level of sponsorship to new owners for five years while the new owners help build the brand.

In turn, the sponsor each get 100 upper bowl and 100 lower bowl season tickets to give to their employees, customers, clients, etc and some sort of added season ticket discount (5-10%) is given to employees of those companies if they buy season tickets.  The companies would also get great PR locally and I am sure nationally through sports media.  They could also work some cross promotions with the team – for example, Coke could do a commercial that shows a PeeWee hockey game with little kids wearing Thrashers jersey.  One kid skates off and mom and dad hand the kid a Coke and the tag line is something like “Coca Cola, committed to the future of hockey in our home town”.

2. Several Thrasher fans would like to offer a challenge to [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman and fellow Thrashers fans.  Before Winnipeg can be approved as a viable NHL location, ten thousand fine citizens of Winnipeg must commit to being season ticket holders for three seasons.

The fine citizens of Thrasherville would like the same opportunity with a twist. …

Mr. Bettman, the fine citizens of Thrasherville would like to play “deal or no deal.”  These are the terms: beginning on a date to be named by you, if 10,000 Thrashers fans commit to being season ticket holders for the next three seasons within a one week period from the “go” date, the NHL comes in and operates the Thrashers.  The ATLANTA SPIRIT L.L.C., IS GONE.  If Thrashers fans fail to reach that goal, you can go honestly state that you gave hockey a “chance” to succeed in Atlanta.  Thrasher fans would like the opportunity to have a “committed to success ownership.”

So the question is rather simple, “deal or no deal?”

What are your thoughts?