Whether Spirit is selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified
Can we really know what Michael Gearon Jr. (left) and Bruce Levenson are going to do?
This is what we have known about the owners in the Atlanta Spirit for some time.
♦ They are losing money, lots of money, the amount of money that tells you, “I just don’t think Turbo Tax is going to get the job done for all of these write-offs this year.”
♦ They are a dysfunctional ownership group, as evidenced by the fact that one of the primary owners (Steve Belkin) is STILL on the outs with the rest of the group.
♦ They do things on the cheap, as evidenced by the Hawks and Thrashers’ payrolls and recently making new Hawks coach Larry Drew one of the lowest-paid head coaches in the NBA (and with only two years guaranteed on his contract).
♦ They are looking for “investors.”
The only new thing the New York Post brought to the table this morning was its report that both teams and Philips Arena are all for sale in their entirety. Similar stories have surfaced before. Each time the Spirit ownership has issued denials (once all could finally sign off on a statement, which took hours to days).
So it should not come as a surprise that the Spirit just emailed the following statement:
ATLANTA – (June 18, 2010) – Bruce Levenson and Michael Gearon, two of the principal partners of Atlanta Spirit LLC, the parent company that owns the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena operating rights, have released the following statement regarding the rumored sale of the teams and arena:
“As has been shared publicly for more than a year, we are interested in finding minority investors and have engaged a firm to assist us in that effort. We have no plans to move either team, and remain committed to the Hawks, the Thrashers, Philips Arena and the city of Atlanta.”
Read into those words what you like: Truth, half-truths, or go-away-you’re-not-entitled-to-the-truth.
But know this: Until the Spirit spends and operates like solid ownership, every day will be perceived as amateur hour and stories like this — factual, fictional or somewhere in between — will constantly come up.
For what it’s worth, some numbers — also factual, fictional or somewhere in between — from the Post story:
The Hawks posted an operating loss of roughly $20 million last year before servicing debt. Philips Arena made $10 million.
That means the package together is losing money, and if one bought the Hawks and tried to move them out of Atlanta it would trip a clause in the financing deal that would accelerate the remaining debt payments owed on the 11-year-old arena.
As for the Thrashers they are being sold separately and lost about $30 million in the last 12 months, according to figures compiled by the Spirit, the source said.
This dilemma is part of a deeper problem the NBA faces in that its teams posted an overall loss of $400 million, according to Commissioner David Stern.
The Spirit owners can complain all they want about what they perceive as unfair coverage. But until they actions project something more solid and positive than what we’ve seen, there’s nothing unfair about this.
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC and Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
♦
Latest posts:
♦ Tim Hudson: Braves were too ‘passive’ in past seasons
♦ Chipper Jones’ retirement shouldn’t be a punchline
♦ We’re LIVE from Braves-Rays (and consider Chipper corked)
♦ Poll time: Which Atlanta team is closest to a title?
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
105 comments Add your comment
Big Fred
June 18th, 2010
12:40 pm
Nice truthful picture of the owners in Thrashers uniforms with an empty arena behind them!
virgil leonard
June 18th, 2010
12:41 pm
see this is why I question the direction of the Hawks. If Management is in shambles what are we really expecting from the team? This is a disaster of a situation to be in if your a Hawks player or fan. Would it be to much to ask Arthur Blank to make move to buy the Hawks?
Big Fred
June 18th, 2010
12:41 pm
Dang – and FIRST too!
Ted M
June 18th, 2010
12:42 pm
The ship is sinking. We’ll lose Joe and we won’t sigh even mid level free agent.
Ted M
June 18th, 2010
12:43 pm
sign
GTFan
June 18th, 2010
12:43 pm
First, and the Thrashers and Hawks stink
Tweets that mention Whether Spirit is selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
June 18th, 2010
12:46 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by ajc sports editor, Jeff Schultz. Jeff Schultz said: JUST POSTED: Whether Spirit selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified. http://bit.ly/c62Ork [...]
Sage of Bluesland
June 18th, 2010
12:46 pm
I don’t wonder at all why these franchises are where they are…Exhibit A to the incompetence is allowing that blustering buffoon Don Waddell to not only keep his job after embarking on his third “Five-Year Plan”–but PROMOTING him in the process.
This utter incompetence isn’t worthy of the dollar in your pocket. It’s way past time to send the only message ownership will listen to…
mark
June 18th, 2010
12:46 pm
The Spirit Group is a joke, it is a shame in a town as big as Atlanta that this is who owns two profosional teams. Sports fans in this town never new how well they had it when Ted owned the teams. As crazy as he is, walking around picking up trash and all, he cared about the teams and wanted to see them be successful. These guys could care less, even Micheal Gearon Jr. with all his empatic we care can not change my mind. I love the Hawks, but if they are run by this group we will never hold up a championship trophy.
F-105 Thunderchief
June 18th, 2010
12:56 pm
We’ve got some nice players on the roster, but that’s about the only bright spot here. Drew was promoted because he is cheap. I really don’t see this disjointed “organization,” in the current economic climate doing anything of significance to upgrade the team. This year was probably the peak … unless a majority owner … a single majority owner … with deep pockets buys the team. Won’t hold my breath for that one.
Spud Webb
June 18th, 2010
12:58 pm
When you don’t put money into things and build a solid fan base, you usually don’t make money. These &ss clowns are classless liars, have no idea how to run a sports franchise, much less 2 and an arena.
If this city is lucky and us as sports fans are lucky, all will be sold. God would I love it if Blank put a group together!!
@ GTFAN, it’s funny to hear you say both teams stink, as you’re a tech fan, you know all about teams stinking!
Wayne stuck in AL
June 18th, 2010
12:58 pm
Well, I guess neither the Hawks nor Thrashers will attract any free agents this Summer…
F-105 Thunderchief
June 18th, 2010
12:58 pm
And, yes, Jeff, the scrutiny is definitely justified.
Sonny Clusters
June 18th, 2010
1:07 pm
The AJC has an article about soft drinks and calls them “sodas” . . . Ralph McGill would not approve of that . . . neither would Mr. Woodruff. Could use some scrutiny. We was always taught it is not soda and it’s not pop. Of course, we was born in Atlanta where they invented Coca-Cola and call it Coke. Not soda. Not pop. Pop goes the weasel.
Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
1:09 pm
Virgil — Pretty sure AMB isn’t interested. If I were to buy any other team, it would be the Braves.
JC
June 18th, 2010
1:09 pm
Agree with all of the above statements, but please don’t take this out on LD. ASG may have signed him for cheap, but he’s still a solid head coaching prospect. Better give him a shot here than see him, and his price tag, mature somewhere else.
Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
1:11 pm
JC — Trust me, I’ve been one of the few defending Drew’s hire. But his contract speaks volumes. How does a team guarantee only two years for a new coach? Sends a bad message.
the TRUTH
June 18th, 2010
1:12 pm
My source who knows the Carolina Hurricane management is indicating smoke. The sale of the Thrashers is close. The question to the other ownership of NHL teams is how to do the divisional realignment. Expect an announcement at any time that the Thrashers are being sold. I can’t speak for the Hawks.
JC
June 18th, 2010
1:12 pm
Can we send our international scouts to look for a Russian billionaire? We can just tell him Slava Medvedenko still plays for the Hawks.
Fat Alligator
June 18th, 2010
1:13 pm
Enter your comments here
Bhorsoft
June 18th, 2010
1:22 pm
Now I haven’t been smokin’ or drinkin’ nothin’ (yet), but maybe Drew is a “bridge” coach. They guaranteed him only two years because ASG thinks they can get Doc Rivers in 2 years.
Naaahh, they wouldn’t spend the money.
TONE
June 18th, 2010
1:23 pm
I thought that the drew hire was just a stop gap to allow the Hawks to go after Rivers in a year or two , but now i know they are just cheap and petty . A 2 year contract for an NBA coach that you claim you wanted over higher profile (expensive) coaches . I hope Drew does a great job and breaks their bank in two years. if the same group still owns the team.
isnt there a third year option in drews contract ?
gcs
June 18th, 2010
1:26 pm
ASG keeps complaining about bad press coverage. No offense to the AJC and other local news outlets but we fans don’t need them to tell us this is a poorly run company that does not know what it takes to win.
You guys can forget Blank or Ted Turner coming to the rescue. Atlanta needs a new white knight.
.
Atlanta Hawks, Thrashers and Philips Arena Put Up for Sale by Atlanta Spirit Ownership Group
June 18th, 2010
1:31 pm
[...] more solid and positive than what we’ve seen, there’s nothing unfair about this. Whether Spirit is selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified | Jeff Schultz Reply With Quote + Reply to Thread « World Cup [...]
rob
June 18th, 2010
1:31 pm
I would like to see the FANS of both teams come together and begin to PUBLICLY denounce the ASG. And no I am not talking about saying it on a blog. Go to the games, and have a sign that says they suck. Cheer loud for the team, because as FANS we enjoy the game they are playing, but let it be known at the VENUE that we are unhappy with 10 years of pisspoor ownership/management of 2 teams that play in one of the biggest markets who can do ABSOLUTELY no right due to incompetence. Bettman is already looking at it from the NHL side….now get the NBA to look at the Octotards too and we may get somewhere because while we as FANS can be displeased with the way they run things, only the LEAGUES can have sayso over them actually making change.
Herschel Talker
June 18th, 2010
1:32 pm
Atlanta Spirit = Clown circus
Astro Joe
June 18th, 2010
1:35 pm
It’s cute that they stopped by the Lexus dealership (Avery Johnson) but ultimately, they went shopping for their new head coach at the Kia lot in West Bubkist, GA. Let’s go Hawks and Coach Drew, shock the world and defeat the odds. And so long, Joe, no one can blame you for your lack of faith in this franchise.
wxwax
June 18th, 2010
1:36 pm
I’m sure you’re right, that Drew’s two year guarantee is a money saving measure.
But it could also be another sign of the ownership’s disfunction. Given that he was apparently a compromise choice for head coach, the ownership and GM’s lack of unanimous belief in Drew might be reflected in the nature of his contract.
I can’t see the ownership situation improving anytime soon. This economy isn’t conducive to financial saviors.
Leon "Pooch-Kick" Trotsky
June 18th, 2010
1:40 pm
Jeff, I have obtained for you a sneak peek of the new Nick Saban statue to be unveiled this fall at Bryant-Denny stadium in Tuscaloosa!
http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/481021/sabanbrinksstatue.jpg
northcyde
June 18th, 2010
1:40 pm
Fans kill me, taking no responsibility whatsoever in all of this. The Hawks are 65 – 17 ( 79% winning percentage ) in the last 2 years at home. Add the 2007 – 08 season, and they’re 80 – 33 ( 71% winning percentage ) in Philips Arena over the last 3 years.
Yet because of tremendous fan apathy in Atlanta, fans still don’t go to the games like they should. Instead, they cry about this team not being a “championship level team”, before supporting them and use excuses like traffic and rare bad losses as justification for them not supporting the team.
Be careful Atlanta . . . you may find yourself one day WITHOUT the Hawks. Championship caliber product or not, this team deserves more support than it has been getting. People actually came out to Hawk games LESS last year, than they did in 2008 -09, despite us having a better team.
Yeah, the owners are cheap. But some of you fans are cheap as well, in your unwillingness to support this team like they do in other cities when they start to become good.
TONE
June 18th, 2010
1:46 pm
nick saban statue now thats funny Leon .
The Ayatollah
June 18th, 2010
1:48 pm
Rich people do not care what we think.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 18th, 2010
1:49 pm
Want to become a millionaire and buy the Hawks and Thrashers?
First, start with a billion dollars…
jlewis1333
June 18th, 2010
1:53 pm
And JJ becomes the scapegoat for an organization that didnt win because they got him no help. The teams in the final four all had a legitimate 3 options, a center and a backup center. Kobe stunk it up but the other guys and bench pulled him up, it wont happen here. For his own sanity, JJ has to leave here.
moorman
June 18th, 2010
1:54 pm
the fans aint slow. they see cheap ownership, thus, they know the hawks aint serious about a title. if its true the nba is losing money at the rate david sterns said, the hawks aint gonna be ALLOWED to win anything anyway by the nba, not being a nationally known money making product for them. now we know why the lakers got the referee help.
The Truth
June 18th, 2010
1:56 pm
To be fair to the Hawks, this problem is a much deeper problem throughout the NBA league. According to the commissioner, David Stern, the sum total of all NBA teams posted an overall loss of $400 million. So the problem is not unique to the Hawks. In fact, the Hawks problem is a typical situation within the league during an economical recovery. So let’s give the owners/management some credit for putting a competitive product on the court with one of the league’s lowest salary. Yes the owners are on the cheap for sure in this market, but at least give management a shout-out for operating efficiently on a tight budget.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 18th, 2010
1:58 pm
jlewis1333 : JJ catering the D. Wade Summit will do wonders for his id.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
June 18th, 2010
2:03 pm
ASG has been in shambles for a long, long time. why hasn’t someone from the Atlanta Sports Council got involved earlier? No offense JS- but it’s as if the Count and his Crew were running ASG.
CrazyDiamond
June 18th, 2010
2:04 pm
The NHL in Atlanta is a losing business deal. The NHL by and large cannot support teams in non-traditional hockey markets. No national TV contract – why? Because there is not a national fan base to watch all the lousy games between bad teams. The Thrashers will be successful when the move to Canada. Or Green Bay or Boise Idaho. Sorry to see the Thrashers go, but if I really want to see NHL hockey I should move to Boston or Montreal.
Can’t sell both teams to one owner because the hockey team is not lomg for Atlanta.
Rich
June 18th, 2010
2:05 pm
If the Smiths were the Clampetts, what does that make this bunch?
Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
2:12 pm
Wxwax — Agreed. Nobody is buying franchises right now, let alone two franchises and an arena.
Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
2:12 pm
Pretty funny, Pooch.
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 18th, 2010
2:16 pm
If the Smiths were the Clampetts, what does that make this bunch?
Mama’s Family from the Carol Burnett Show?
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 18th, 2010
2:17 pm
Of course, we was born in Atlanta where they invented Coca-Cola and call it Coke.
Actually it’s the younger folks who call it Coke. To us old timers, it’s Co-Cola.
gdawginkalamazoo
June 18th, 2010
2:22 pm
Personally, I think they need to tear down Phillips and put the Omni back up. I remember how the curtains to the breezeways held the dope smoke in the arena. Kind of like a foggy room at the Grateful Dead concerts.
Boone7
June 18th, 2010
2:23 pm
How about David McDavid buying the team? He has additional cash from the lawsuit…
gdawginkalamazoo
June 18th, 2010
2:27 pm
Rich, I don’t know but that looks like a Timex Ironman watch with all the fixin’s on it that Michael is wearing.
tom
June 18th, 2010
2:28 pm
The NBA and NHL executives need to find a way legally to take ownership of the Hawks and Thrashers. Neglect and incompetetence hardly define the owners of these two clubs. While your at it, find a way to get rid of Waddell. A cancer that needs elimination.
cheshire
June 18th, 2010
2:49 pm
This is too great a city with too many sports fans to keep putting up with stuff like this. Both of these franchises have built a tradition of losing and until someone steps in and takes control the way Arthur Blank did with the Falcons, we are going to continue to have two embarrassing franchises representing us in the NBA and NHL.
I am so sick and tired of incompetence in Atlanta sports, and the ASG just fuels my frustration unlike anyone else. They are blowing a golden opportunity in a city that could be such a great NBA town, and a city that has enough Northerners and Southern interest to be a solid NHL town.
If you didn’t have the money to do this, you should never have done it. It takes someone at a certain socio-economic status to run a sports team, and these guys aren’t there. I’m sure they’re nice guys (at least i think they are), but all they are doing is wasting everyone’s time and holding hostage everyone who wants to support these teams.
Why is it too much for us to ask to have teams that are just occassionally competing for basketball and hockey championships????
Rich
June 18th, 2010
2:49 pm
I remember being excited that a group of fans was going to take ownership of these entities of corporate folks who didn;t understand sports and the Atlanta fan base. I hereby rescind my belief in the theory that fans would do a better job.
Spirit has sucked the spirit out of this fan.
I do truly hope they sell it all, and soon, to someone who has the resources to improve upon both the Hawks and Thrashers organizations, and this time I won’t care how corporate they may be.
cheshire
June 18th, 2010
2:58 pm
By the way CrazyDiamond, i don’t agree with your assessment of Atlanta as an NHL town. I think Atlanta could be a fantastic NHL town – the years where they’ve been competitive they’ve drawn great crowds, and in our lone playoff series against the Rangers, Philips Arena was rocking. I’ve been to some amazing Thrashers games and there is a very loyal fanbase.
But when you’ve gone 12 years and NEVER EVEN HAD A PLAYOFF WIN (i can’t believe i just typed that), you can’t expect a new market to adapt to that team very well. Why is anyone going to pay to see a team that is in the cellar of the league every single year and builds absolutely no goodwill with it’s fanbase? People get sick of that after awhile and eventually ask themselves “why should i support a team that isn’t even going to try and be competitive?”…especially in this city where crushed hope is pretty much the norm.
Maybe a team that has an established tradition like the Bruins or Blackhawks can get away with that, but you can’t thrust a new team on a city and for 12 years give that city no reason whatsoever to watch them.
Jeff Schultz
June 18th, 2010
3:00 pm
Boone7– I’m not sure that he’s collected from that yet. Pretty sure AOL-TW appealed.
mark
June 18th, 2010
3:06 pm
check around both the nba and nhl and find out how many team made money this past season. why are atlanta franchises the ones always in the news when talk of, movement and selling are mentioned? we all know the hawks and thrashers don’t make money. this is a college and pro football town. they make the money. all other sports are on their own. it’s no different in all the other major cities with multiple pro franchises and college sports. it’s just the way it is, like it or not.
Dr. Warren
June 18th, 2010
3:10 pm
Maybe it would be fun to lose the Hawks and get an expansion team. It’ll be a long time, maybe forever, before they advance past the 2nd Round if they stay here.
Mr. Turnip-Green Jeans
June 18th, 2010
3:13 pm
Surely these crooks/liars have done something that warrants their being in jail.
Maybe that’s our only hope.
"Chef" Tim Dix
June 18th, 2010
3:16 pm
I’m off to the ATL and the Ted for tonight’s game!
Paddy
June 18th, 2010
3:23 pm
northcyde……it is not the fans fault that Hawks are in financial trouble. It is a much larger (league wide) problem.. People are fed up with the “me first, me always” attitude of NBA players. Franchises have been leaking money for years. The commish is also to fault. He pushes players to be the focal point of advertising not teams. It is a team sport and thats what the buying public wants to see, not Kobie’s Lakers. Even when the economy improves the NBA will continue to be on that slippery slope to total fan apathy. The fans just don’t care northcyde and can you blame them? I for one do not think so.
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 18th, 2010
3:32 pm
Paddy
Your point is well taken. I don’t really follow basketball but I see the same thing with TV and baseball. You don’t see a promo for a telecast of a matchup between the Braves and the Mets, for example. They bill it as something like David Wright leads the Mets against Chipper Jones and the Braves. That may draw in people looking for an event but as a baseball fan, it turns me off. You may well see a very good game in which neither player plays a large part in the outcome. And when you focus you’re marketing on one player rather than the team, if he goes down, it make take fan interest down as well.
cheshire
June 18th, 2010
3:33 pm
Mark, the reason we’ve remained a college town and not a pro town though is because the pro teams never give us anything to cheer about. People are just used to getting burned by pro teams in this town.
And it’s not just about winning championships. With the college teams, you feel like they are being run by someone who cares, and that matters to a fanbase. It gives you hope that, even if you are losing, things are going to get better, and that makes you interested to see what’s going to happen. You feel like they put winning first and someone in charge cares as much as you do.
But does anyone seriously think the ASG is putting winning first? The Braves are having a great year, but does anyone think Liberty Media’s primary concern is winning? Of course not.
Fans need one of 2 things to care – a team that is constantly in contention, or a team that gives you hope that they will one day be in contention. The Falcons went 9-7 last year and didn’t make the playoffs, but i had season tickets and was at every game, and that place was rocking each week. Why? Because people have a hope something is changing. And that all starts with ownership – hence the reason the Falcons have seen significant increases in popularity since Arthur Blank took over. You don’t have to win the Superbowl every year – you just have to convince your fans that winning the Superbowl is your #1 concern and that you’re making moves to do that.
So yeah, i would agree that this is a town that prefers college over pro, but i don’t think that’s an innate quality. I think the pro teams have created that situation, and if they do the right things, they can change it. The ASG is not going to change it… they are the epitome of why Atlanta has remained a “college first” town.
Hillbilly Deluxe
June 18th, 2010
3:33 pm
* it may take fan interest (brain cramp)
cheshire
June 18th, 2010
3:43 pm
Paddy, i totally agree. The NBA is an absolute mess right now. It keeps setting up a system that creates a couple of great teams at the top, a few good teams right below them, and then 20 terrible teams. It’s a joke. The only way to get good is to win a lottery, or to be one of about 5 cities that apparently the league has deemed can’t suck for more than 10 years at a time. (Knicks, Bulls, Lakers, Celtics). If you’re not one or the other, guess what? You’re screwed! That lack of parity is why the league is hemmoraghing money, and why leagues that have figured it out (the NFL) are light years ahead of them in terms of popularity and profitability. David Stern, for some reason, is too clueless to realize this. Create a system that provides parity, and you draw in more fans, and you make more $. It’s pretty simple.
And northcyde, it’s not about winning percentages. It’s about the fact that the Hawks are really not any closer to winning a championship now than they were when they were winning 13 games a year, and everyone knows it. Yes, people want their team to be a championship team – is that so terrible? This team has been in Atlanta for nearly 50 years and has done NOTHING. That is embarrassing and people are tired of it.
rob
June 18th, 2010
3:46 pm
How’s this for a tshirt? Hawks and Thrashers symbol on front and this on the back…
Atlanta
Spirit
Group;
Lacking
Leadership and
Competence
Reid Adair
June 18th, 2010
3:47 pm
Someone should tell Michael Gearon, Jr., and Bruce Levenson to get their stories set up before they sit down at the press conference. Seriously? That photograph says more than enough.
It’s disappointing to know that ownership isn’t spending when it comes to the Hawks and the Thrashers; it’s even worse to see that, despite their stinginess, they’re still losing millions.
ryan
June 18th, 2010
3:52 pm
I hope somebody like Tyler Perry or the guy that owned Dream at one point can buy the Hawks. I just hope there will be no back room deal like with the Liberty group.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
June 18th, 2010
4:10 pm
The NBA needs to eliminate all the semi-recent expansion teams, i.e. Charlotte, New Orleans, Toronto, Memphis, Dallas. The Clippers, though they’ve been around a long time are superfluous. Same with the Nets. The product is too diluted. And, they need to cut the regular season back to 70 games.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
June 18th, 2010
4:10 pm
Oh yeah, Orlando, Miami.
TruthSeeker
June 18th, 2010
4:16 pm
Great thoughts, Paddy and cheshire.
heartofdarkness
June 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
It says here the next owners of the Hawks-Thrashers-Philips Arena will be a consortium of tort lawyers who recently filed suit against BP.
the TRUTH
June 18th, 2010
4:51 pm
Who is that low rent, no talent, chump of a coach the Hawks hired? Talk about the cheap
Paddy
June 18th, 2010
5:02 pm
Red Adair…I have been on the ASG’s case for a couple years now. But I must defend them on one point. When you are broke and there is no hope of a turn around in the future, survival instincts take over. They are just like the rest of us, save what you can of your personal fortune. They know they bought high and they know they will sell low. Not a very good pair to draw to!! They are going to lose a ton more before they can figure out how to bail out. These guys are not going to have many good days until they are out of pro sports forever.
kirkinga
June 18th, 2010
5:14 pm
I think people are missing the most disturbing part of the article which is that NBA teams are expected to lose around $400 million this season. Even if that is inflated a bit, we’re still looking at significant losses in a still soft economy.
One thing that tells me is that there isn’t going to be a bunch of bidding wars for free agents this offseason. The losses also should prompt the league to stop giving huge contracts to unproven and mediocre players.
I’d like to see the NBA (and MLB) adopt the NFL model and institute a hard cap with less guaranteed money. I think the losses would less and fans might see a more consistent and higher level of play than we see now and decided to purchase more tickets.
Dejay
June 18th, 2010
5:27 pm
Cheshire, never have truer words been typed on a keyboard.
No one in this town cares about home winning percentages in the regular season when everyone knows what the end-game will be (fighting for your life against an undermanned team in round one before getting swept in humiliating fashion in round two). A Hulk Hogan match from 1986 has less predictability.
Say what you want about the Falcons but one thing you can’t say; you can’t say that Arthur Blank doesn’t put his $$$ where his mouth is. When we thought we had our ’star’ in you-know-who, he didn’t skimp and sign a bunch of minimum-salary guys to play alongside him. And long after that passed, he’s still doing everything he can to bring home a Super Bowl. Can we honestly say the same about the Notorious A.S.G. or Liberty Media right now? All we can say about those two groups is that they try to get the most bang for the $$$ and not much else. Is it just a coincidence why the Hawks had the lowest payroll among Eastern playoff teams? Folks here are many things but dumb isn’t one of them.
Having a guy at the top who instills confidence that everything is being done to get to the mountaintop or at least will do what is necessary, even if it costs $$$ on the front end, brings in more fans in the long term than any superstar player ever will.
Atlanta Hockey Fans
June 18th, 2010
5:58 pm
The Flames were here from 1972-1980; they never won a playoff series. In fact, they only won two playoff games. Unfortunately, that blows away the Thrashers with no playoff series wins and no playoff game wins. Atlanta is and would be a great hockey town if we could put a decent team on the ice. The two Thrashers playoff games were packed with fans in their seats 10 minutes before the game chanting “Let’s Go Thrashers”. The ownership situation is a shame. Hopefully, Rick Dudley can make some progress. Making the playoff would be a good start. The fans need a reason to come back.
JR1967
June 18th, 2010
6:04 pm
The way the ownership mess has been with the Hawks/Thrashers, why not just change the name of Phlips Arena to “BP” Arena??
JR1967
June 18th, 2010
6:07 pm
Barnacle Bill Bavasi: If you are going to eliminate the Dallas and the Nets NBA Franchises, you will need to rid the Hawks also. Last time I checked, Dallas has been to 2-3 Conference Finals and an NBA Finals (2006) in their franchise history, the Nets have been to two NBA Finals several years back, while your Hometown Atlanta Hawks STILL have not gotten past the second round of the playoffs close to when the Moon Landing was made.
SELL, SELL, SELL!
June 18th, 2010
6:30 pm
I’ll get right to the point. ASG, please sell! You guys don’t have the financial resources to make these franchises great. I won’t even get into how you function as an ownership group.
Jeff D.
June 18th, 2010
6:46 pm
I guess there aren’t enough Russian eateries in the Metro ATL area.
Brendan
June 18th, 2010
6:48 pm
Well put, Jeff Schultz. Scrutiny is justified. They should try to change their image from being “amateurish.” I don’t care how they try to ’sugarcoat’ it, they kept Waddell in charge of roster decisions three (3) FULL YEARS after the NY Rangers playoff sweep. Then they cite losses of $30 million? Well gee, how’d that happen? (It must have been Hurrican Katrina that decimated the downtown Atlanta infrastructure. Perhaps, a volcano erupted? Maybe a typhoon swooped in suddenly?)
Jeff, beee honest, and you always are, “Aren’t the Spirit, themselves, to blame for their financial misfortunes?” Just a “yes” or a “no” will suffice. In any other NHL venue, Don Waddell and his staff, would have been summarily sent packing after that sweep. For a myriad of reasons, really. (1) Accountability. (2) Message to fanbase. (3) Message to players under contract. (4) Message to Free Agents looking for a new home. (5) It would have possibly gotten them back on the road to the playoffs sooner, READ: 100% pure profits from postseason ticket revenues. (6) Would have brought in more attractive GM and coaching candidates, knowing that the ownership was committed to winning, and (7) improved player retention (Hossa, Kovalchuk, etc.). I supposed we can add, (8) improved drafting and player development, derived from having a GM who knows how to put quality people in important positions of evaluation/decision-making.
Deep sigh. Bygones. Instead, what we got was bluster about “longevity at the GM and coaching posts will make the encumbents COMFORTABLE that their job is secure, and therefore, they’d be able to make more CORRECT decisions.” That’s a right, pretty notion. Isn’t it? Has that philosophy EVER worked?? When?? Where??? Who???
So, if the Atlanta Spirit is ever going to experience an ‘epiphany,’ it’s got to be NOWWW. What’s the point in waiting? Joe Johnson is one-foot out the door. Kovalchuk wrangled his way to a contender at the deadline. Hossa was dealt in 2008. Kari Lehtonen is gone, too. This ownership has watched the Thrashers 1st selections from 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005 be moved out of town, and the franchise is only ten (10) years old.
Bruce Levenson once said, “I think we know how to sign free agents.” Clearly, there’s no handle on the situation, when the Tier I players opt not to re-sign, once the choice of where to play becomes exclusively THEIRS. And yet, the light bulb fails to illuminate, time and time and time again. It’s easy to be critical of them, I do realize. But another thought occurs to me. “This is THEIR money.” And ostensibly, they’re willing to “flush” it, year-after-year. When they ought to be trying to make the Atlanta market, where in the NBA or NHL, one of the most desireable destinations in all of the league.
I wonder when they’ll learn?
Woody WoodPecker
June 18th, 2010
7:21 pm
I could play some ball.
Michael
June 18th, 2010
8:04 pm
@ northcyde. I agree 100%. Pro basketball to me is mindless entertainment that I can attend, see the stars and maybe my home team will win. The NBA is great but the fans constantly demand championships or else. Haven’t the Lakers been to half of the Finals ever played? And the Celtics to the other half? If you want championships then follow the Lakers and Celtics. I bet most on this blog have never even been to a Hawks game.
Ted Striker
June 18th, 2010
10:49 pm
If I could afford to buy the teams and I thought I could do better, I might be more critical of how ASG does their business. However I can’t afford a sports team — other than a women’s jello wrestling team — so I’m not going to pile on folks who are losing millions while offering me a product at a cost much less than what they have invested.
That’s Striker’s policy on this matter and while others may disagree, I can live with it.
Ted Striker
June 18th, 2010
10:52 pm
p.s. All you “SELL SELL SELL” folks need to go back to Econ 101. It takes 2 parties to complete a transaction: Seller + Buyer.
heartofdarkness
June 19th, 2010
12:14 am
ted, I gave you the buyer. But I am left with this thought. During the antitrust trial where Microsoft was sued by the DOJ for anti-competitive practices, the case was, in large part, supplied by the Netscape organization. When the Microsoft lawyer asked the Netscape CEO whether the Netscape founder, Jim Clark, was in his contemplation, an honest person, he answered, I regarded him as a salesman. What did Jim Barksdale of Netscape mean by that?
Gelatin Fan
June 19th, 2010
12:53 am
Ted, I am in favor of piling on the women’s jello wrestling team. Make my dream come true.
scottbravesfan
June 19th, 2010
1:26 am
Why would anyone buy a NBA or NHL team? They both lose money hand over first and the NBA is about to go on lock out or strike after next season. Most of the NBA loses money unless you are named the Lakers or Celtics. The NHL is the same way they have a terrible TV contract. The only sports teams I would own are baseball and football. You are guaranteed to make millions even if you put no effort into running your team. I’m not sure what the NHL lockout accomplished a few years ago because the teams still lose money and the same teams always make the playoffs.
Also the person who made a comment that only the Falcons make money in this city the Braves make money as well. There is a reason that Liberty is going to hang onto the Braves even though they can sell them now and make money off them, they are a revenue generator. In this economy no way they sell them when they are still making money.
Paddy
June 19th, 2010
6:41 am
Michael…..you could not be more wrong. Most of the folks on this blog HAVE been to Hawks games. The problem is, most folks on this blog are NOT going back. They don’t want to cheer for some team 2000 miles away. We are territorial by nature. It is not the Hawks per se that they are not supporting> It is the NBA that turns people off. Their attitude and atmosphere does not lend itself to that warm fuzzy felling of, “thats my team” we are behind them. Do you think the folks in Cleveland love the Cavaliers? NO! Do they love Labron? YES! Do you think the folks in Cleveland love the Browns? YES! Do you think the folks in Cleveland love Jim Brown? YES! In a brief example, that is why the NBA is falling apart.
4 Jacks
June 19th, 2010
7:10 am
Jeff, thanks for the article. Again these losers that make up the ASG, should be run out of this fine city. They have effectively killed hockey in a town that would support hockey if there were anything or any hope of anything to support. I would not trust nor beleive anything that comes from the ASG. Gearon and the rest of these losers are the most inept group of so called owners. No Jeff, what is going to happen is they will sell the Thrashers and they will move, and even though I do not think it will happen the same could be possible for the Hawks. Then we will hear what a lousy sports city Atlanta is and how sorry the fans are here. Yeah, this ownership really sucks, and they all must have inherited their money, as they do not appear to have any business savy, creativity or management skills at all. I put each one of their names right up there with William T. Sherman in their concern over Atlanta and the fans here. I hope they all walk away broke after putting the screws to the Atlanta sports fan the way these losers have. Better yet to release some frustration, can we the fans go and tar and feather these effing losers and run them our of town ourselves? Sorry, just an idea that seemed good at the time.
Ryder
June 19th, 2010
8:04 am
I do believe that fans will support a winner in this town, they’re just waiting for one of these franchises to finally step it up. That is what the Falcons are doing, and what the Braves were doing for a while in the 90’s, but apparently the Atlanta Hawks franchise hasn’t figure it out.
Atlanta is a viable market for someone to come in and own the Hawks and be successful. However, the culture of this city (no I don’t mean race for people trying to read between the lines) is based on flash and entertainment. So that is what we see on the court, a team that is full of excitement yet when push comes to shove will win no championships.
Since the proposed losses of $400 million by NBA teams could result in a work stoppage for the league, it could benefit the ASG in the long run.
bob
June 19th, 2010
8:56 am
punt
bugman
June 19th, 2010
9:29 am
Hey, it’s their $, they are entitled to spend it (or not, haha) how they see fit. Perhaps they all bought into ASGLLC for the tax write offs?
jerry
June 19th, 2010
10:42 am
I don’t care if the Hawks go 100-0 or 0-100. I just don’t give a rat’s ass about pro basketball.
Marcus
June 19th, 2010
11:06 am
Please sell the Hawks to a single owner with the financial wherewithal to stand on his own. You can set the Thrashers and jerry on fire and I wouldn’t care.
Pi$$onaDawg
June 19th, 2010
2:33 pm
So true JERRY. The NBA could just go to Vegas and have a 2-on- 2 Turny. A total payout for all the teams to be $500 million That would be better than the crap product they have now.
extremus
June 19th, 2010
3:27 pm
Anybody here still think the sports industry is “recession-proof”? The current economics of all four major pro sports is doing all they can to preserve their fantasy world of multi-year seven, eight, or even nine-digit contracts and player ego-feeding media hype, but even the fat cat ownerships are now hitting their limits hard. In MLB, you have maybe four or five “spending” teams per offseason (and nobody comes close to the Yankees), in the NBA you have maybe three or four teams with a legitimate chance to win a championship (so if it’s that unbalanced to begin with, can we really blame ASG or all of the other teams who can’t compete for hunkering down in save-money mode? The writing’s already on the wall for a lot of NBA franchises; it’s only a matter of time), and the NFL, while featuring at least some semblance of parity the past several years, still has guys like Albert Haynesworth who feel $100 million isn’t enough to bother reporting to work for. Professional sports in America is headed for a very nasty wake-up call within every league most likely within the next five years.
It’s a given that businesses are in business to make a profit, and that sports is a business. But I feel strongly that ANY aspiring ownership, be they human or some corporate entity, needs to bring solid facts and plans to the table when they make a bid for a franchise regarding how they intend to WIN. If they cannot do so to the satisfaction of the respective leagues, then they should promptly be denied, because what’s happening in pro sports today is a culture of “Money First, Winning Optional”. It’s a disservice to fans around the country and if it’s not soon reversed, I believe we’ll start seeing the disbanding of smaller market teams and eventually perhaps even the collapse of entire leagues. They simply can’t sustain this level of imbalance for much longer.
JB
June 19th, 2010
8:19 pm
As a hockey fan, I don’t like Gary Bettman any more than the next hockey fan. However, I think that he and the NHL could be the only hope the Thrashers have of staying in Atlanta. I think that Bettman and the NHL should come in and take over the Thrashers like they did in Phoenix (I think?) and try to put a winning team together to sell to a legitimate ownership (preferrably ONE person).
athdog
June 20th, 2010
12:33 am
jerry, once you get past the fact that the NBA doesn’t call traveling, double dribbling or carrying the ball, and they don’t pass, move without the ball or play defense, it’s a great pastime. Not like the team oriented, beautiful sport that Naismith invented, but it’s a decent pastime. Certainly not like watching the Magic and Bird days, but it’s better than swallowing bleach…okay, you’re right. the NBA is the most putrid form of basketball I can think of. And ASG is the perfect group to be involved with the bunch of witless idiots.
Atticus
June 20th, 2010
8:57 am
Gearon cares about hoops a lot. Not sure about the rest of them. But whoever handles their PR and whoever is making the decisions , they are clueless. It is the worst example of how NOT to wins fans, it really is sad. Between college football, the Braves and Falcons, these two franchises are SO far down the list as far as competition for dollars that it is almost pointless. The NBA is losing money because the TV contract sucks and the salries are way too high. Yes the finals paired the best two teams and the rating were good, but the rest of the year the NBA is practically a niche sport. The NFL rules, then college football and MLB. MLB has so many more games and is so much mor eingrained in society because its during the summer and millions go to ballparks. We better hope and pray the teams get sold or their may be so much damage done, they’ll be decades before they win again….or ever in the Thrashers case.
Braves go for sweep, Kawakami (0-9) just looking for a win | Jeff Schultz
June 20th, 2010
12:05 pm
[...] ♦ Whether Spirit is selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified [...]
Fred
June 20th, 2010
12:10 pm
The ASG have destroyed professional basketball and hockey for the Atlanta fans. They are the worst owners ever and I pray to God that they sell both teams so that each team will have a chance to be a contender for the championship of their respective league.
I have stopped going to Hawks and Thrashers games and will not spend a dollar on them again until we have new ownership. Unfortunately the ASG doesn’t care about Atlanta or Atlana fans and will sell the Thrashers to some owner who moves them to Canada. So thanks to ASG we will lose professional hockey and they have destroyed the Hawks by naming Larry Drew (what new voice or vision?) as head coach and not signing any big name free agents. The Hawks will go backwards starting this coming year. We Atlanta fans have nothing to look forward to regarding professional basketball and professional hockey. They are dead to me until we have new ownership that is dedicated to the Atlanta fans and has the money to make each organization first class. See Falcons before (Smiths) and after (Blank). Ownership makes all the difference.
KevinM
June 20th, 2010
2:17 pm
To all fathers out there supporting and paying attention to the ASG LLC, Happy Father’s Day! Hope you get away from the blogs about the Hawks and Thrashers and enjoy your family time.
Saying that, it is tough to back the current ownership group of this team and it has been tough for quite a while. Reason #1:
1) Billy Knight – ever since he came in here, this team has been a franchise of confrontation. He stood his ground against the ASG, and he still didn’t get fired. He didn’t have full authority over basketball operations, and his decisions didn’t match with the remaining management forces.
2) Handling the Thrashers with Don Waddell. Here I saw the opposite. I think Waddell had total control over hockey decisions and was able to draft, hire and fire without confrontation. Does anyone see 2 different standards here under the same ownership group?
3) Bernie Mullin – the face the ASG for the first few years. I think he took it as long as he could in dealing with 6 or seven owners who couldn’t make clear cut authoritative decisions on who was getting their primo tickets on game night. The times Bernie came to radio and defended this group just couldn’t continue. Seeing him at Hawks’ games and his opinion when opposing teams got the calls on our court just showed how frustrated his was with the product on the floor.
4) Was there any worse a draft evaluator at times than Knight? Anyone named Williams looked good to Knight on draft night.
5) Did Danny Heatley get fair treatment here after that fatal night at Lenox? The team structure definitely suffered after that incident.
6) How can you not sign the guy who you devoted your marketing campaign to (Kovi)for years? The Thrashers got the bad side of each deal for top flight superstars.
7) Never forget how JJ got here under Billy Knight. He was brought here as the PG for this team. We gave up a whole lot for JJ, but judging from the so-so record of Knight, the deal quite possibly ended up favoring the Hawks. The Suns didnt’ do much with any of the pieces given to them.
Those were from the early years heading to where we are today. The Hawks have never been a better team the past 2 seasons (easy now, I am thinking from a history standard in Atlanta basketball). Woody is gone, and the blame has been pushed all to him, for the guy who can get more out of our players (LD), has been here all along. The presentation that LD gave must have shocked the ASG who probably never talked much basketball to him prior to Woody leaving. They absolutely didn’t realize the gem they had already. Time will tell on that one.
The value of the Thrashers probably has never been lower:
1) No rush to sign a coach (and I thought the Hawks’ process was bad).
2) Any way the season fan base just dwindles next season in BlueLand?
3) The superstars are no longer here despite the ability to move people through the airport to international cities.
4) A devoted fan like Kincaid just doesn’t seem to be able to talk much about it. Could the time be coming for him to be throwing in the towel?
Hawks management: if you want to ruin 2 franchises quickly, just follow the lead of the Levenson led Thrashers. The Hawks are as easily headed in that direction as they are moving to an elite level of teams.
LD could be Coach Anderson in waiting as the scape goat, but at least he has some money to fall back on should that happen.
I ride the Jazz and Jerry Sloan alot for their limited ability to get over the hurdle (even the Braves won one time!), but the Hawks are not looking even that successful as they head into next season with numerous question marks.
For all the above……..some of the reasons why fans just don’t see the teams they believe in and want to place their hard-earned dollar on.
And please, ASG and Philips, quit promoting T.I. as a huge celebrity in the crowd……..its a bad sign that this is a guy you want to promote at your games.
KevinM
June 20th, 2010
2:20 pm
And following up on what Fred said,
If the Hawks think they have heard boos, wait til they bring JJ back and they continue to take plays off like it is a scrimmage. They haven’t heard anything yet if LD continues business as usual.
Bobby Cox doing one of his best managing job ever | Jeff Schultz
June 20th, 2010
6:18 pm
[...] ♦ Whether Spirit is selling teams or not, scrutiny is justified [...]
Willy
June 21st, 2010
7:10 am
When will the Hawks name a new coach? Oh, that’s right…
Will Hawks draft player (Crawford) who dunked on LeBron? | Jeff Schultz
June 22nd, 2010
12:26 am
[...] ♦ We don’t know what’s going to happen with their ownership (click here). [...]
Will Hawks draft player (Crawford) who dunked on LeBron? « News, Articles and Information
June 25th, 2010
1:33 am
[...] ♦ We don’t know what’s going to happen with their ownership (click here). [...]