Report says Hawks and Thrashers may both be for sale (UPDATE: Spirit responds with silence)
The Atlanta Spirit has always been one big happy team. OK, maybe notsomuch.
The Atlanta Spirit ownership group has been disputing reports that it is seeking to sell the Thrashers and that the NHL team might be on the move to another city. Now comes a report that the Hawks also might be on the market.
A New York Times story on sports ownership during the recession references both the Hawks and Thrashers as being among franchises that might be for sale. The paragraph in question reads:
Now that the economy seems to be on the mend, owners who held off selling during the downturn are seeking to unload their teams. According to sports bankers, the teams thought to be for sale include the Atlanta Hawks, the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors and the Detroit Pistons in the N.B.A; the [Dallas] Stars, the Atlanta Thrashers and potentially the Columbus Blue Jackets in the N.H.L.; and baseball’s Houston Astros.
E-mails this morning to various club officials seeking comment have not been immediately returned.
(UPDATE: Despite emails and phone requests, the Hawks/Thrashers/Spirit have yet to issue a statement, either confirming or denying the New York Times story. Draw what you will from their silence. For what it’s worth, the Thrashers have been quick to deny past stories of the franchise’s possible sale and/or move.)
There had been no indication in the past that the Spirit is looking to sell the Hawks. However, the potential exit of partner Steve Belkin is expected to prompt the group, led by Michael Gearon and Bruce Levenson, to seek a new partner. Belkin and the other owners have been in litigation for about five years. Both the Hawks and Thrashers are struggling in attendance. The Thrashers rank 28th out of 30 teams in the NHL, averaging 13,397 announced per game. The Hawks rank 21st in the 30-team NBA, averaging 16,092 announced, despite having the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman recently told the Journal-Constitution that the squabbling among owners has affected the Thrashers’ operation and product: “Ultimately, the ownership situation has to be straightened out. It’s difficult to operate a franchise when owners aren’t getting along. It’s even more difficult in a recession climate. A team has to be at its very best. Issues have to be resolved and everybody has to be together so they can interact with fans. But that’s difficult when the owners aren’t together.”
The Times story addresses how devalued pro sports franchises are in today’s economy, and how new owners like Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats “are facing a future without the near-certainty of making up for any short-term losses by selling their teams for hefty profits later.”
“It used to be you got bailed out when you sold your team even if you lost money year after year,” said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd., a consulting firm. “Now, you’re no longer assured of cashing out to cover your capital costs and losses.”
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227 comments Add your comment
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
March 17th, 2010
3:21 pm
I agree that the hip-hop atmosphere at Hawks games is a HUGE turn-off to many. I used to attend around half their games, but not a single one in the past 5-years. They’re courting a crowd I’m alien to.
The Thrashers? Their plight is simple. Nobody gives a damn.
Otto
March 17th, 2010
3:23 pm
http://www.ksuicehockey.com/history.php
Kennesaw State would bring home the ultimate title as the 2006-2007 ACHA D3 National Champions. No other team from the South division has ever claimed a National Championship, and in five years, the Owls were able to build a program of such tremendous success.
…and Atlanta is not a Hockey town?
DHD
March 17th, 2010
3:24 pm
Atlanta attendance: It’s not about being “leery” of going downtown, it’s the fact that Atlanta only has 450,000 people inside the city limits and 5 million outside the limits. People are NOT going to leave work, drive an hour to Alpharetta, get the kids and drive back to Atlanta another hour for a game, especially when it is on TV. When school is in, the kids aren’t getting to bed until midnight. You can’t compare other cities to Atlanta because no city has this population makeup. That’s why moving the sports venues to the north would increase the attendance. It’s all about convenience.
Dr. Warren
March 17th, 2010
3:34 pm
The fault is NOT with the fans. Customer needs come first. The Spirit has not filled those needs adequately. So naturally, the laws of business are interceding, and the ship is finally sinking. 2 years of winning basketball don’t cancel out 9 years of horrible losing. If the Hawks had a bankable major star–read: draft incompetency; If the Hawks had had a big name coach–read: cheapness; if the Hawks gotten rid of those boring red uniforms and dated logo much earlier–read: lack of imagination; if the Hawks had overhauled the fan experience a la Arthur Blank–read: putting the customer first. If they had done these and more, they wouldn’t be in trouble. Let’s not blame Atlanta’s customer base, transients or natives. It’s a business–and it’s been poorly run.
ELVISINTHEHOUSE.
March 17th, 2010
3:35 pm
Greg everyone who works and get a check will pay for health care if there black white purple or gold.Its simple,this blog is for people’s opinion if you don’t like downtown then don’t go downtown.And for everyone who don’t like coming to the games because of there location,last i checked the teams have been and are thus far are doing a great job without your funding.Your choice of living is just that your choice.
Lee
March 17th, 2010
3:54 pm
Oh please no! Love the Thrashers and the Hawks!
George G.
March 17th, 2010
3:59 pm
The NY Times article says that the economy is “on the mend.” What economy are they talking about?
Anthony
March 17th, 2010
4:16 pm
Time for the Atlanta (and other) sport franchises to come back to reality. Paying top dollar to watch over-paid millionaires play a game has a ever shrinking base of paying customers. The supply and demand curve is reflecting lower ticket prices is required to increase fans in the seats. However, the greed factor does not follow the logic and is exactly why I stopped buying tickets years ago.
tmerge
March 17th, 2010
4:19 pm
God, I am so tired of these clueless owners, the Atlanta Spirit. Look, I don’t have any problem with anyone spending their hard-earned money (though inthe case of the Spirit, there are at least a few spending daddy’s or daddy-in-law’s money) any way they want to. But these guys have absolutely no clue what is going on or how to run a team. There’s only one or two of them that really even ran a business for any period of time.
Just look at the pic that comes with this blog – a bunch of guys who should NEVER be allowed to dress up like this and try to recapture their youths. They spent their money for front-row seats and all the jerseys/sweaters they wanted, but they have wasted our time, money and patience.
They have made NO smart decisions on the Thrashers’ side of the ledger, and on the Hawks’ side, well even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while. The tough decisions with the Hawks (JJ, Smoove, etc.) are just around the corner, and they’ll find some way to screw these up, too.
These guys are the laughingstock of the leagues and I hope that their foolishness and (dare I repeat myself) cluelessness doesn’t cost us the franchises themselves.
David McDavid, are you still out there? How about you, Jim Kennedy? Arthur, can you spare any money now that the Dome is paid for?
JSS
March 17th, 2010
4:37 pm
Co-sign Niremetal!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
March 17th, 2010
4:39 pm
“NBA is way too expensive to attend – particularly when we’re all cutting back. Add up parking, food, drinks, and tickets for one game and you could buy a nice TV.”
Nice TVs go for $30 now?
chas
March 17th, 2010
4:40 pm
Got to drop the prices for the Thrashers and Hawks games. I went to a Thrashers game a week ago and we dropped $30 for upper level seats and then another $30 on beer to kill the pain of the game. Thrashers went down 3-0 in the first 15 minutes. Very simple formula…fill the seats with lower priced tickets and make your money on concessions. I love hockey, but there has never been an NHL team in Atlanta that got out of the first round of the playoffs so aren’t I a fool to keep watching? I think the attendance at the Thrashers game is actually very good relative to what the team has been doing. Hockey will work in Atlanta if you give the people a good product and lower the prices..real simple. Hawks attendance probably is off for the same reasons. LOWER THE PRICE!!!!!!
go thrash!
March 17th, 2010
4:47 pm
Jeff
why do you hate the spirit?
Also the only reason the thrashers have not had big crowd is because Bruce will not make a change with gm. I looked at Boston, Chicago , and Washington attendance when they had issues and there attendance was horrible. You harp (it is the 17th) on hockey not making it here. This town more than enough hockey support. The issue bruce’s unwillingness to make a wholesale change in the front office. The anti hockey/ thrasher crowd on this do not reflect the thousands in atlanta who love hockey. You need to go to the root of the issue and analyze why Bruce won’t make a change. We have core talent but it needs tone nurtured properly and the 18000 will be back.
Intereting that the thrash have on some nights outdrwan hawks.
So speaking of the Hawks, who I apprciate, their constituency is totally different.
Basketball people generally speaking are not hockey and vice versa. You of all people should not that. Please stop writting negative articles against hockey that do not have substance.
chas
March 17th, 2010
4:52 pm
By the way, NBA can work well in Atlanta, so don’t pin the blame on fan apathy. Look at the Hawks in the mid to late 1980’s…they had great attendance and a great product and a great record, but never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. So, it has been proven that we can draw large crowds for the Hawks so there is certainly a solution. And, the city had alot fewer people back then. Maybe we need to bring back the OMNI.
The Smart Move
March 17th, 2010
4:53 pm
The Atlanta Spirit should sell the thrashers and some of that money can be used to sign some free agents for the hawks so that the team can get over the top and maybe win a championship.
Atl Resident
March 17th, 2010
4:57 pm
This damn group of “owners” should have never bought both franchises in the first damn place. They been catfighting ever since they got here. I hope Blank is listening cause these franchises just need one owner but it’s took around 10 years for public to finally see that.
go thrash
March 17th, 2010
4:58 pm
chas
you’re right….but its all about winnung consistently. Not going to playoffs and losing 4 straight. Same for Thrashers who have done nothing but consistenly lose. However when they had a glimmer of hope they were packing them in.
The Hawks fans will reurn but they still are not believers.
We have one of the best buildings for both but we need to believe
Andrew G
March 17th, 2010
4:59 pm
I live in Colorado and bought the NHL center ice package for $150. I can watch every game for what it would cost for 2 single game tickets at Philips. Lower the ticket prices and build a fan base…..ASG has got to go…….Oh and I bought $5 seats when the Thrash came to Denver. Ted….Arthur….please help an Atlanta Fan out!
Thug Town
March 17th, 2010
5:00 pm
The hawks / philips arena area is just a big thug / hip hop fest on game nights and that’s how they market the team. I’d rather stay in the suburbs and watch a movie at a metroplex than deal with that atmosphere. The city never learns—it’s always the same downtown.
chas
March 17th, 2010
5:02 pm
I agree with some of the other comments. Can you imagine any sane/profitable business blaming the customers for not buying their product? That is a recipe for disaster if you don’t look in the mirror first and don’t understand your target market. People are motivated by pain and pleasure and if you give them more pain than pleasure they ain’t gonna fill the seats.
go thrash
March 17th, 2010
5:05 pm
unlike Bruce, Art has fired people who do not get the job done. But I have been to many Falcon games during the down days when it has been have empty but does Shultz write a negative article about Art? Does he suggest they are moving on absolutely no basis?
No, why? because he has a personal issue with Bruce. But Bruce should forget about Jeff and make the right decision about the management of thrahsers.
WeSupportHockeyInAtlanta
March 17th, 2010
5:06 pm
Cue the Canadian media rumors about the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg, Hamilton, or Quebec City (That’s where the Atlanta Knights ended up moving to after the Omni was imploded.).
I think that the most likely local bidder if the teams are on the market or ASG is looking for new partners would be the Dickey family. They were one of the groups that made a play for the Braves prior to the deal with Liberty Media. Maybe Jerry Reinsdorf would be interested in the Thrashers (He couldn’t own the Hawks since he owns the Chicago Bulls.) as well as the Phillips Arena rights?
When you consider that there are rumors that the NHL may be owning the Phoenix Coyotes a little bit longer than expected (There are rumors that the Ice Edge Group, who is supposed to be buying the team, may be forced to pull out.), it may be a bit tougher to sell an NHL team unless the league is cool with the team possibly relocating (Which as long as Count Bettman is running things, there will not be any relocation of any NHL team.).
Hawks fan
March 17th, 2010
5:08 pm
Gwinnett Mom,
People need to avoid the suburbs to stay away from people like you!
As for the Hawks and Thrashers they both deserve a better following, especially the Hawks. With all of their talent, the games should be sold out every weekend. Come support your home teams if you want them to last.
Thrash
March 17th, 2010
5:37 pm
I’ll be GLAD to hand over my money for Thrasher and/or Hawks tickets when I actually get value for my money… until then… Even the Braves have become a money losing adventure for the fan but overall, much more economical bang for the buck than the Philips Arena tenants.
heartofdarkness
March 17th, 2010
5:41 pm
Nothing attracts and illustrates biodiversity like a moldering corpse or a Jeff Schultz blog.
Unless the US economy generates better returns than currently forecast, sports teams are likely to retain attractive shelter from taxes for US owners and inflation hedges against loose monetary discipline if the political system fails to self correct from the age of excess over the last quarter century. Likely, these assets will attract foreign owners as well in the manner of the European soccer leagues.
Pressure will build on professional sports team’s operating budgets due to unemployment and tighter controls over corporate expenses. That may result in lower player salaries and smaller professional sports budgets. [Worry not, UGA fans, you have significant public subsidies of your sports infrastructure and your labor costs remain of the pre-industrial age.] Redirecting expenditures to areas that may have more long lasting social benefits might be a good thing for future generations.
I try to imagine a moneyed individual or entity, however, who would be willing to join the ASG without acquiring at least 51% of the ownership. Theoretically, the markets should have removed the assets of anyone that dense.
KnightInATL
March 17th, 2010
5:44 pm
Don’t look for the Braves to bring in any high attendance numbers this year either. Guess how many Fri/Sat/Sun home games we have this year against the Mets and Phils.
A nice round ZERO. That’s right, no weekend series’ against the top division rivals this year.
MrHughes
March 17th, 2010
5:46 pm
This article is rubbish. The Hawks and Thrashers aren’t going anywhere. They are a package deal! As long as they are tied to the arena, neither league is going to sign off on leaving one of the most attractive tv markets in the country. I was at the Thrashers vs Sabers game last night. The attendance was 12,540 (67.6% full). That’s not bad for a game in the middle of the week. Also, the Sabers and Thrashers sold out a game at aproximately the same time at Philips last season.
The reason the Thrashers are not pulling in fans isn’t about traffic, cost, marketing or stars. Wins equal higher attendance numbers. I think folks are just waiting to see about the Hawks. The fans will come once the playoffs get here. I think it’s funny to see people complain about DW and spell his name wrong though. It is what it is.
Building a stadium/arena in the suburbs is dumb and has been rehashed on here countless ways. I’ve ventured to Gwinnett Arena once and it took me twice as long to get to the highway as it ever has leaving Philips or the GaDome. Moreover, GWA right next to the I-85 and is half the size of Philips! The Force at Gwinnett was a joke. After a lot of fanfare and cries of “we [GW] have our own team and we will support them” they and the AFL died with a wimper in the burbs despite basically being subsized by the NFL.
The Braves deal can only be described as thievery; that process reaked shadyness and that team should still be in Richmond. Keep complaining about politics in Atlanta folks. There’s egg all over your faces…
Then the Glads. The only reason they exist at GWA is because they are an affiliate of the Thrashers. FYI:The Glads played in front of only 6400 people the other night. It’s all relative folks.
As for the crime “arguement” I regularly walk around downtown at night, have never have been bothered, and don’t get scared when people look at and/or speak to me. But, that’s what happens when some folks become BIG boys and BIG girls behind computer screens. Anyway, some of y’all must have “Welcome to the big city” looks on your faces that encourage all these thieving criminals to steal your dowries.
Yea right…
UGASlobberknocker
March 17th, 2010
5:52 pm
The Hawks arent going anywhere so any new ownership would be welcome. As for the Thrashers, the present ownership has pi$$ed on the fan base for so long that if the Thrashers moved out of town, not many people would care.Many would not even notice. I love hockey and go back to the Flames, but enough is enough..I refuse to spend another dime on the Thrashers.Hopefully new ownership would spend some $ and get the fans back. The stands now look like a high school wrestling match.
UGASlobberknocker
March 17th, 2010
5:54 pm
If there were 12k fans at the Thrashers game last night, about half of them came disguised as empty seats. They may have sold that many but no way there were that many people there not even close.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
March 17th, 2010
5:58 pm
Somebody wake me up when Mr. Hughes quits rambling. Mr H pls, pretend your are twittering and keep it to 140 characters..then someone may read it.
mario scandrett
March 17th, 2010
6:04 pm
I will buy the HAWKS if Arthur Blank doesnt…..
emptyseats
March 17th, 2010
6:08 pm
My question is who told this guy from the NY times that the economy is on the mend? Is he living in the same country that I am?
Title Town
March 17th, 2010
6:56 pm
Hockey down in atlanta is a joke! Up in New York, the fans support the team win or lose. We have a loyal fan base that always shows up. I miss living in the Bronx—hopefully, I can move back soon when the economy picks up. Too many rednecks down here.
Native Georgian 1988
March 17th, 2010
7:18 pm
I wish we could just be honest. We all know why attendance is suffering. First of all, it’s the economy. With a good amount of people who have left the city, or have remained but are unemployed, you diminish the pool of potential attendees.
Second, racism and classism is an issue. It is an issue in every big city. White people left the city in droves decades ago because they didn’t want to live in the now segregated city. They passed on those fears to their children, and in some cases, sadly, their grandchildren.
The reason MARTA is having problems is because it hasn’t been expanded sufficiently so that it’s ridership is large enough to support the service it should be offering. May of those folks who fled the city thought that those black and poor folks would get on MARTA, come out to their neighborhoods, and commit crimes and then wait at the bus stop to be taken back to the city. Don’t laugh, if you have lived in the city for a bit, you know I’m right. This euphemism is known as the “I don’t want my property value to decrease”.
Lastly, we have team management. Or Mismanagement if you’d like. For whatever the reason, ownership does not inspire fans. This includes the Braves now too. This city responds to aggressive and successful ownership. Fans want to know that the owners burn to win a championship, year after year. Perhaps Ted Turner spoiled us, but we all know that if these teams start to win and are compelling, the fans come. The decision not to connect Turner stadium with MARTA was one of the worst planning decisions in the city’s history. The Ted needs to be a connect point in every direction much like 5 points , directly out to the suburbs and later to commuter rail that will take advantage of the fan base that lives around the state and region.
The Braves once were among the tops in attendance, but they spent more aggressively and didn’t talk about self-imposed budgets. Fans will pay for a consistent winner, even if they don’t sellout during the Fall. The Hawks were once the toast of the town, they had no problems filling the Omni during the days Fratello was coaching and at the start of the Wilkens era. The Flames and Thrashers have had their moments, if they win and are compelling.
The teams aren’t going to move to the suburbs because the infrastructure is not there and the tax payers aren’t going to want to pony up. Better to stay in a central location with infrastructure already in place.
Sorry to go so long, put I’m tired of reading crap euphemisms such as, “leery to go downtown”. I grew up in the ‘burbs, and can tell you, there are far more drugs and drug users out there than in the city. Everything from glue sniffing kids in elementary school, on through the availability of every hard and soft drug you could want, is available, in the ‘burbs. Oh, and don’t forget plenty of prescription drugs availability too. The only difference is that it’s behind doors, or they come to the city sometimes and party. If you aren’t stupid, then you tend to remain safe in the city. Those that look as if they are among aliens tend to arouse others to violence due to sheer stupidity and disrespect.
Star of the Zanarkand Abes!
March 17th, 2010
7:36 pm
Atlanta needs more GM’s, sports team owners, and citizens like Khao$ and P Rose.
I haven’t seen anyone on AJC.com make so much sense since…….EVER!!!
no round ball, please
March 17th, 2010
7:36 pm
Sell the Hawks, spend the money on the Thrashers.
Coach D
March 17th, 2010
8:25 pm
Steve Smith, Kevin Willis, David McDavid : )… Where are you????
Scare Dee Cat
March 17th, 2010
8:28 pm
I am the biggest wuss and the the most fearful person on the planet. I hate big cities. I’m a thrashers STH and Even the most sparsely attended weekday game doesn’t cause me anxiety. traffic and parking is a peice of cake for anyone on the southside. This team was routinely selling out before the basketball bafoons took over. It’s a shame. this town could be Hockey Town Two! Two in O’Ten! Too bad..
RCH BCH
March 17th, 2010
8:39 pm
Questions for Native Georgian 1988
What were the demographics of clayton county prior to ctran(the supposed model for how marta can slither into the burbs without it being marta), and what are they now? And what have property values done?
Answer key:..white, black, fallen thru the damn floor..
BRock
March 17th, 2010
8:46 pm
They should sell tickets cheaper since they are raping us with concessions. If you want people to come to games make it affordable or at least doable. If you bought $15 Thrasher seats in the 400 level an individual would on average spend $50 on beer and food while at the game. That is outrageous. Government should step in and not allow the monopoly that is arena concessions. $6.50 for a beer? That mark up is in excess of 500%. It probably cost them $1.00 tops for that beer. A hot dog for $5.50? Probably cost them $.75. That is the scam. If they charged less for the concessions they could reasonably charge more for the seats. People can understand that. When one person is going to shell out upwards of $100 on themselves for a sporting event and 15% is for the ticket then people will not go.
If the ASG cut concession prices in half they would probably sell 15,000 on average to a game. Also the parking is a scam too. $12 to park in Centennial Garage? Get real.
Tightey Whitey
March 17th, 2010
9:02 pm
Why would anyone want to go down to Philips for any reason period, and have to deal with the following:$
(1)FOUL SMELLING HOMELESS LOWLIFES ASKING FOR MONEY.
(2)SIT NEXT TO OR NEAR CLUELESS UNEDUCATED, FOWL SMELLING GHETTO THUGS WITH A BASEBALL CAP TURNED SIDEWAYS FLASHING BLING AND ACTING LIKE THE LOWLIFES THEY TRULY ARE.
(3)PAY TOP DOLLAR TO BASICALLY SEE A ZOO FULL OF GRILLED AZZHOLES THAT HAVE NO BUSINESS ATTENDING A PRO SPORTING EVENT
(4) WASTE MY MONEY FOR SUBPAR CONCESSIONS
(5) PAY FOR INFLATED PARKING RUN BY (FOWL SMELLING GHETTO THUGS)
(6) FIGHT THE CONGESTION OF DOWNTOWN TRAFFIC
(7) WITNESS A TEAM COACHED BY A TOTAL MORON WHO IS A DRUNK AND DOES NOT HAVE A CLUE
I once was a Hawks season ticket holder during the Hubie Brown era and never missed a game but Ill be dammned if I am going to subsidize anything that is black oriented. As far as the Thrashers who gives a rats azz if they win lose or leave town. Do mme a favor and do just like the FLAMES and go NORTH. Inferior product, inferior GM, inferior coaching, inferior talent and inferior marketing.
As far as Iam concerned the whole city of Atlanta ir run by IGNORANT UNEDUCATED GHETTO THUGS. That is why whites stay away from downtown period. Let the blacks continue to screw up everything for all of us and we will stay home and watch the product on TV for nothing. In case you havent noticed, whites have the spending power to make a franchise succesful, blacks cant afford chit and thus the franchises will lose money and leave town.
Cater the product to attract professional educated clean smelling patrons and the product will be supported.
It is the same old story with underground, buckhead nightlife and so on. When ever and where ever there are lowlifes, the whites will stay away and things will go in chitter.
Hockeyfan
March 17th, 2010
9:06 pm
I wonder why the Spirit didnt respond to you. Maybe they read the NYT article and saw where it only says “thought to be for sale”.
Or maybe they just dont read your columns. Who could blame them?
gcs
March 17th, 2010
9:10 pm
Atlanta Spirit: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
….
Star of the Zanarkand Abes!
March 17th, 2010
9:18 pm
Native Georgian 1988: I’ve been here since 1980, and you’re exactly right.
If one of these teams catches fire and wins a title, thanks to SMART management, this city will go insane. (And the parade will be down Peachtree, not any street in the burbs.)
B. Thenet
March 17th, 2010
9:33 pm
Hockeyfan: Exactly. What exactly is ASG going to dispute, that someone at a business think tank thinks they are for sale.
Sometimes Jeff just likes hucking bricks at beehives to see what happens.
Atlanta Hawks - Page 30 - iSTORYA.NET
March 17th, 2010
9:50 pm
[...] outscored 31-18 and attempted stupid shots. Hasola na ani ilang style oi. Haha! SELL THE TEAM!!! HAWKS/THRASHERS FOR SALE? Now that the economy seems to be on the mend, owners who held off selling during the downturn are [...]
Matt the Brave
March 17th, 2010
10:09 pm
Pretty sure that the NBA would block the Hawks from moving, but I don’t see the NHL moving to block the Thrashers from getting out of town. It’s a shame, too, because they seem to have a lot of potential. Frankly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot going on at Philips Arena for the fans other than the game. Not saying that this shouldn’t be the main focus, but at least have something…
Sean Grace
March 17th, 2010
10:28 pm
Jeff,
Are you sure you haven’t willed this to happen? Have your evil powers finally peaked?
There are many reasons for the Thrashers lack of success. It starts with sub-piss poor Ownership with an assist by upper management. Reason 117 or so is the AJC or more specifically, you. What did this organization do to you to merit the obvious hatred you have not been even attempted to conceal? You have all but call Don Waddell a moron over and over again. For years you’ve had it out for the Thrashers. Now, whether Don is or isn’t a dullard is not the question. The question is should a hometown Reporter somewhat support a struggling organization by occasionally writing something positive?
I am a devout hockey and Thrasher fan and never miss a home game. I know I am an anomaly but there are a few thousand like me. My contention is that there would be many more thousand if the AJC had eased up on the constant Thrasher bashing years ago. But let’s forget about placing blame for a moment. Obviously the negative articles in the AJC have not caused the habitual losing of games, stars, and fan base hope.
More than a few of us are curious. What happened between you and the Thrashers? Please share Jeff! I assume you and Waddell have exchanged heated words more than once. How did it begin?
Sean
Report says Hawks and Thrashers may both be for sale | Atlanta Hawks Fan Store
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[...] POSTSCRIPT: So I posted this blog Wednesday morning on the Times story. Sent emails to two owners (Mike Gearon, Bruce Levenson), two general managers [...]