The Thrashers could be gone because the Spirit, alas, is weak
"Keep this to yourself, Bruce, but we just lost another million." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
It was a nice idea until they started suing one another, which took just under two years. But in September 2003 the notion of a group with Atlanta ties owning the Hawks and the Thrashers seemed altogether preferable to the thought of a Texas car dealer owning two of our teams and deputizing his brother-in-law to run them.
In the cold light of hindsight, the Texas car dealer has been the only winner in this ongoing mess. David McDavid sued Turner Broadcasting for breach of contract and was awarded $281 million. We locals have been forced to sit and watch as the Atlanta Spirit, which cut in front of McDavid, took two of our teams and have succeeded mostly in trying our patience. And now we’re told these many owners require “outside investors” for the Thrashers to stay here.
Translated: Atlanta is very close to losing another hockey club.
Maybe some angel is willing to lose millions to keep this money-losing team in place, but it’s more likely the Spirit’s mismanagement has ruined Atlanta as a hockey market. In place since 1999, the Thrashers are 28th among 30 NHL teams in attendance. And these Thrashers, working under new on-ice management, have actually been better than usual.
Tuesday will go down as one of the strangest days in Spirit history, which is saying something. At 4:04 p.m., the Thrashers announced they’d signed defenseman Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year extension, which was major news for a franchise that has seen its best players leave in trades forced by impending free agency. Before the night was through, co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. told the AJC’s Chris Vivlamore: “If we are faced with that [selling the team to a buyer who intends to move it] as the only alternative, that’s what’s going to happen.”
Got that? The Thrashers finally find a big-timer willing to stay, and the whole operation could be leaving for Canada.
From the Spirit’s perspective, it can’t be easy watching millions of dollars circle the drain. As noted, the Thrashers’ attendance is lousy, and the Hawks’ isn’t much better. They’re 24th in a 30-team league, down almost 2,000 per home date over last season, and this has been a winning team for three seasons now. And it’s true that money is tighter than in 2003. But the Spirit is to blame for not fostering the belief that money spent to watch its teams will yield rewarding entertainment.
The Spirit has become the unchallenged master of the mixed message: Over the summer it spent $120 million to keep Joe Johnson but made the career assistant Larry Drew one of the NBA’s lowest-paid head coaches. The Drew promotion has had minimal effect on the team’s record, but it had a massive impact on consumer confidence. Folks threw up their hands and said, “See? They say they’ll spend whatever it takes, and then they go cheap on the coach.”
After finally buying out Steve Belkin, the remaining Spirit owners sent out a self-congratulatory e-mail that made it sound as if they’d won a championship. In truth, losing Belkin might have been the end of the Spirit. He was always viewed as the one owner who had the most ready cash (and, not incidentally, the sharpest lawyers). Banishing the Bostonian was good for corporate harmony, but it didn’t do a thing for the ol’ balance sheet.
It must be noted that the Spirit is seeking financial relief not just for its NHL franchise but for its NBA one, too. There is, however, one difference: This city won’t ever be without pro basketball. Atlanta is headquarters to Turner, one of the league’s TV rights-holders, and also to NBA TV itself. The NBA would sooner move the New Orleans Hornets, over whom the league has assumed ownership, into Philips Arena than let it sit empty.
Which might not be a bad thing. Since 2005 we’ve all been wondering how Chris Paul would look in a Hawks’ jersey.
By Mark Bradley
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
89 comments Add your comment
rawdawg
February 16th, 2011
4:58 pm
First
gpr
February 16th, 2011
5:06 pm
Story indicates that the Thrashers are down 4,000 fans from last season. According to ESPN attendance figures, they are down 551 fans from last season:
2009-2010: 13,607
Through 30 games in 2010-11: 13,056
http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance/_/year/2010/sort/homePct
http://espn.go.com/nhl/attendance
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
5:09 pm
Kudos yet again, rawdawg. You lit the lamp, as it were.
Pauly
February 16th, 2011
5:09 pm
Probably about seventh. The Spirit must go.
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
5:09 pm
And gpr, you’re right. Thanks for the correction. Don’t know what I was looking at.
Iron League 13
February 16th, 2011
5:14 pm
This team has a foot out of the door. That radio interview with Gearon was transparent, he LOOOVES basketball, but not so much hockey. He was was gliding through the interview when talking about the Hawks and exposing his belly and wagging his tail when talking the Thrashers He cleary spoke out of two sides of his mouth between Kincade and Vivs.
Sayonara, Thrashers. It’s been Hell knowin’ ya.
H Dub
February 16th, 2011
5:14 pm
If I hear that commercial about the Hawks having a core that can compete with the elite one more time, I will find Michael Gearon Jr. and punch him in the face.
This whole operation is a joke from gearon to sund to drew.
While I don’t care about the NHL, I would be sad to see the thrashers leave. This city deserves better.
fratdawg
February 16th, 2011
5:20 pm
Hockey is stupid. It is a sport for the GDI’s
Michael Gearon
February 16th, 2011
5:21 pm
Watch out Bradley, I get my lawyers on you. I’m giving the city of Atlanta a one finger salute. Suck it NHL fans.
Magilla Guerilla
February 16th, 2011
5:22 pm
Basketball is even more stupider than hockey, take that fatdawg.
Question for Mark
February 16th, 2011
5:29 pm
Do you think the team would draw better if they played in an arena in the northern suburbs? Most Gladiator games I’ve been too have more people in the seats than at Philips
Stockdog
February 16th, 2011
5:32 pm
I blame AOL for this mess. If they had not merged with TimeWarner, AOL?TimeWarner would not have lost so much value when the DOT-COM bubble burst. Consequently, TimeWarner was forced to sell its assets. So long Braves, Thrashers, and Hawks, Liberty bought the Braves, but at least they have money. The Atlanta Casper Group, I mean Atlanta Spirit Group bought the Thrashers and Hawks instead of the McDavid the used car salesman. At this point, I wish we had the pinto salesman. I think the Thrashers are gone unless the Arizona deal doesn’t go through.
John
February 16th, 2011
5:35 pm
cant we the people buy them Green Bay style
Pesci
February 16th, 2011
5:37 pm
The fact that this story was posted 40 mintues ago and theres only 12 comments, one of which is a “first” and two from you Mr. Bradley show that the NHL and hockey won’t succeed here in Atlanta. If this is about the Braves, Hawks, Dawgs, Falcons or even the stinging nerds there would already be 50+ comments. No one cares about hockey here and that’s just not going to change.
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
5:38 pm
I don’t know, Question for Mark. People seem to find their way to the Dome for the Falcons.
Eb
February 16th, 2011
5:45 pm
The Spirit are, have always been, and will remain misplaced as professional sports owners. They refuse to make the proper investments in players and personnel to build a stable fan base. The Thrashers have never won a playoff game in their 10 year existence and can’t retain any name players. If the fans don’t see a committment to win by ownership, they won’t show up. The Hawks have been a littany of mistakes from draft choices (C Paul), to coaches (Woodson), to GMs (B Knight). I don’t think Woodson or Billy Bumble ever found replacement jobs which says alot about the Spirit’s decision making prowess. Their signing of Joe Johnson to max contract last year epitomizes the defunct decisions this group makes routinely. Johnson is no superstar and flicked the fans off to boot. Who signs a guy like that??
In the end, Atlanta will be better off without the Spirit and their incompetence. There is no chance that any “big Atlanta money” comes in if the Spirit retain decision making authority. That would be the ultimate definition of good money after bad. The only way this works is for Spirit to sell 100% of both teams ( at current market prices) and arena rights to an Atlanta investor. Nobody who actually worked for their millions would ever partner with this group of bafoons.
Sam
February 16th, 2011
5:47 pm
Philips Arena is already empty.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 16th, 2011
5:48 pm
How much more does the public need to know? The Thrashers were for sale the second the Spirit bought them. Cousins is a basketball guy as are the majority of owners. To sell the hockey team would have given the owners and the Hawks ready cash. But alas, a group of millionaires found out that unless you are a mega millionaire and these things are but meare toys… Wives get antsy.
Richham
February 16th, 2011
5:49 pm
The NBA and the NHL have only themselves to blame for this mess. They could have stepped in and said no to approving this ownership group.
Worst thing to happen to atlanta sports in a long, long time. I would sooner raise Rankin Smith back up to take over the Falcons than this mess we have with the Spirit. Me thinks they bit off a whole lot more than they could chew.
Mel from Atlanta
February 16th, 2011
5:50 pm
So long Thrashers. It was good knowing you. Have a good life.
fla dawg
February 16th, 2011
5:52 pm
wow magilla guerilla, what a sharp wit you have. I sure hope that you didn’t terminally ruin fratdawg with that razor sharp comment.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 16th, 2011
5:53 pm
Wanna know how bad it is?
Glavine’s a hockey guy and has avoided it like the plague.
Rich T
February 16th, 2011
5:55 pm
**** *** ******* ******!!!!
Rich T
February 16th, 2011
5:55 pm
Now that I got that out of my system, Go to Hell, Spirit.
Rich T
February 16th, 2011
6:02 pm
This ownership group has failed this city and the hockey fans built in, as well as the ones it could have converted. I realize the harsh reality is they will sell and move, but I don’t think I’m out of line to say they owe this city a hockey team that has half a chance of competing. They need to make certain contractually in a purchase that it stays here and has a chance to pay back the fans for all the heartbreak.
Dishwasher
February 16th, 2011
6:03 pm
Chef: You’re wrong. Glavine still attends, but less frequently, because his kids are playing hockey and he’s coaching.
Nice try!
Delbert D.
February 16th, 2011
6:04 pm
Everything would be better in the northern suburbs, right?
NCBravesFan
February 16th, 2011
6:04 pm
It would be nice if the NBA commish would get involved behind the scenes and politely show the ASG the door. They just don’t know how to run and market winning sports franchises.
Hockey would seem to be a tough sell in ATL, but the NBA could be a monster draw here if the right people were in charge of the organization.
blazerdawg
February 16th, 2011
6:06 pm
This is just how it started in Spring 1980 when the Flames left. The Flames had very good attendance for several years, then it declined after numerous playoff losses, then the move once the owner ran out of $.
Now here we are again, the Thrashers set the inaugural season for attendance for any NHL franchise, the Thrashers actually outdrew Chicago’s NHL team the majority of the 11 years here, and now the product declines, attendance declines, and the undercapitalized ownership group has to move the team.
Shame on the NHL to let a few slow years result in taking the team to Canada…of course ESPN will say it is the “lousy sports market”.
I missed the Flames….won’t miss the Thrashers.
robertussen
February 16th, 2011
6:16 pm
so
if you can't sell tickets
February 16th, 2011
6:22 pm
then why stay? move the thrashers to ohio, hartford, providence, or quebec city
if you can't sell tickets
February 16th, 2011
6:24 pm
fratdawg: c’mon up to boston and strap on some blades. i’ll show ya stupid
blazerdawg
February 16th, 2011
6:25 pm
IYCST – they have sold tickets….they are currently outdrawing one NY area team and are about even with another….take the Isles, the Devils, Coyotes, Blue Jackets, or another team first where the ticket sales have been historically poorer. By this standard the Blackhawks would have been out of Chicago back in 2005 after many seasons of poor ticket sales.
Dawg A
February 16th, 2011
6:33 pm
The ASG led by Jed, Jethro and the rest of the Clamphets!!
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 16th, 2011
6:37 pm
This reminds me of when the Flames left, only much, much worse. It’s a shame; hockey could succeed in Atlanta with decent ownership. The current group has run their franchise and a lot of the fan interest, straight into the ground.
Hollywould
February 16th, 2011
6:39 pm
Here is my question. As Gearon said on 680 the fan how hamstrung they have been for the last five years because of the lawsuits how were they able to give Johnson 120 mill and offer Kovy the same? It makes no sense. If they could write a check for those guys why could they not make a trade or sign a free agent? I asked Kincaide on the radio these two questions,” Why should I believe this guy when he has been telling us for years that they were not trying to sell the Thrashers but when the open records came out it showed they were. Kincaide tells me it’s like owning a car with no title. Because of the litigation they couldn’t do it. BS/then why even try?
John
February 16th, 2011
6:39 pm
The sad, pathetic thing is with half an ounce of common sense in ownership, a city the size of Atlanta should be able to get 18,000 people in the building every night. There are enough transplants from Chicago, Boston, New Jersey, whatever down here to care about hockey. But there’s not even a presence in this city! Games are not televised, and when they’re on the radio you can’t hear it outside the perimeter. Teams don’t win. And when the Thrashers showed some sort of playoff promise, the hockey vibes here were teriffic. More so than in Boston when I lived up there and the B’s were in the playoffs. But with this group of horrible businessmen pretending to care, the fans suffer.
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
6:45 pm
Regarding the Flames: I wasn’t here then, but I’ve always been told their attendance was never the issue.
Reggie
February 16th, 2011
6:46 pm
Go Thrashers…and take that clown Kincaide with you.
BLUELANDbeliever
February 16th, 2011
6:51 pm
First off, PAULY, is ur name james?
Second, i think we all need to take a deep breath and relax a second. im panicking too but we need to chill out. I think we need to have a few rally’s around the city and state to show our love for it personally.
Lastly, i hate that i cant do anything but sit here in my thrashers jersey and read
Ronin
February 16th, 2011
6:56 pm
How about some blame on Waddell? This guy is perhaps the worst GM the NHL has ever seen.
Hillbilly Deluxe
February 16th, 2011
6:57 pm
Mark @ 6:45
That’s true but the vibe and the two-stepping by ownership (we’re not going anywhere, the team isn’t for sale………scratch that we’re selling the team) is very similar, from what I remember. Poor Jiggs MacDonald was vehemently denying the team would be sold, right up until it did sell. They were never straight with him either.
Mark Bradley
February 16th, 2011
7:00 pm
It’s kind of like a college player and the draft: He always says he’s staying right up until the moment he leaves
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 16th, 2011
7:01 pm
Dishwasher: Glavine if so inclined I BELIEVE, could buy and sell the the ASG 10x over.
If not, could line up investers at the drop of a hat.
S'paw_99
February 16th, 2011
7:02 pm
A couple of people have had good points, Glavine is a hockey guy. I wonder if U could get him to get involved somehow & help keep the Thrashers here. He made a lot of $, but I honestly doubt he has enough to buy them, but I bet him & Blank could do it together. I truly believe that hockey can succeed in Atl, but us fans have to feel like the ownership/management is committed to putting a quality product on the ice. We believe in Blank’s commitment to Win, that’s why people go to the Falcons games.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 16th, 2011
7:07 pm
A guy like Glavine smart. No TV rev = gate draw= gaping money hole.
As a league, on a national stage, the NHL is a farse.
"Chef" Tim Dix
February 16th, 2011
7:11 pm
“Hockey doesn’t translate well to TV.” It’s an overstated comment.
Undisputable: It ranks behind the WWE.
Buzzeng
February 16th, 2011
7:33 pm
Let’s get real. Who, in their right mind, would invest in a team to join a bunch of proven failures who only seem to be good at one thing – initiating lawsuits against each other and even their lawyers – and lousy at what they are supposed to be doing – winning games. Who in their right mind would join these spirit-deflating owners when they can’t even write a contract with terms they, themselves, can live under during its term? Who in their right mind would want to invest in a team (or even two teams) that the current owners can’t operate without losing so much money?
As I see it, the team only gets sold to a new owner. Hopefully, that new owner is in Atlanta. No one should have to live through losing two NHL teams in their life.
just sayin
February 16th, 2011
7:36 pm
Hey, contact David McDavid. He’s got an extra 281 million laying around. Keep in mind he was ready to buy the Thrashers BEFORE he got the 281 million in the law suit.
save the birds
February 16th, 2011
8:05 pm
Glavine and Stewart Cink!!! Guys….you have resources and address books! Go get an ownership group together!!!!
Dejay
February 16th, 2011
8:14 pm
Wow. Not much I can say about this but I’ll try.
What I’m about to say has pretty much been echoed already but bears repeating. The Atlanta Spirit Group or, as I ‘affectionately’ call them, the Notorious A.S.G., is the worst kind of owners you can have to run your favorite pro sports team(s). They don’t have the resources to properly run the team and never have (duh), keep folks in charge who are clearly outclassed by their peers (see Knight, William and Waddell, Donald), lie about not wanting to sell when everyone from Duluth to Quebec City knows their intentions, then cry to every lemming with a mic on the radio about the ‘bad ole sports fans’ who have the gall to not take $50-100 out of their pockets for tickets, parking, and concessions because the products they’re offering are so effin’ mediocre (and for the Thrashers, that’s an improvement).
For instance, why it took them well over a decade to find out that Don Waddell was wayyyyyyy in over his head as a GM? Wasn’t that something Harry the Hawk could’ve told them back in 2003? There are non-hockey fans in this town who couldn’t run this team worse than he did; that’s a fact. And just how many seconds it would’ve took someone like Mark Cuban to fire Billy Knight after he promised Shelden Williams’ agent that he’d take him with the 5th pick without a workout, thereby ruining what little leverage he could’ve used to swing a deal and still get him 10-15 spots lower? 10? 16? No small wonder why it took them breaking their little piggy bank in order to talk Joe Johnson into staying, only to be forced to hire Woody’s assistant to the lowest-paying contract among NBA head coaches, sell off draft picks for $$$, and bring in a slew of minimum-salary folks under the guise of, get this, ‘being an elite team’. All the while, their counterparts in Chicago, Boston, NYC, and Miami are moving Heaven and Earth in order to bring in REAL players.
You don’t need Matlock, McGruff the Crimedog, the cast from CSI Miami, or Johnnie Cochran’s ghost to figure out why the stands are so empty nowadays. When you have incompetence abounding in droves like this outfit does, what makes anyone want to take his/her Visa card out on a Thursday night and spend $$$ on it? The way both teams have been mismanaged, I’m sometimes amazed that they’re still attracting 13-15k a game.
The failure of this group to get someone, hell, ANYONE in place who could build a team who could compete for something other than getting the biggest laugh from the crew on Sportscenter is their ultimate downfall. The Don Waddell error (spelled correctly) will go down as some of the most flawed years of sports management that the pro sports industry has ever seen. It is the single biggest reason why folks who could’ve been well-converted hockey fans by now simply stay away. For folks to expect the team to suddenly sell out the place because Waddell isn’t in charge anymore is bad comedy; the scars from being so badly burned are just too fresh. You can’t just open one door and expect all of the stench from his turn at the helm to go away; it takes YEARS of playoff-contending hockey (or a helluva superstar player) to get that smell of Patrik Stefan and Damien Rhodes out of the arena.
And just how much further would the Hawks be right now if guys like Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson, Brandon Roy, Luol Deng, et al were taken instead of four guys who’d have a hard time cracking the rotation of any other decent team in the league? Everyone and every forum, from Hawksquawk to RealGM look back at those four wasted lottery picks as the major reason why they’re self-checked in NBA purgatory; not good enough to seriously contend, not bad enough to get a high-lotto pick, let alone competent enough to make the right call when they DO get one. You think anyone is impressed with 50 wins and getting curb-stomped in the second round in this town? The same town who saw over a half-dozen baseball teams splash champagne on each other in the middle of Turner Field who weren’t ours? Really?
But you know what the saddest thing is about owners like this? Once the finally move the team, the lightbulb suddenly pops on. They finally find it okay to spend whatever it takes to bring a winner to (insert new city here). It’s no longer okay to waste countless draft picks on jabronies who couldn’t outskate me. They cater to their fans by doing everything it takes, expenses be damned, in order to make going to the arena an enjoyable affair. And they win; BIG TIME.
Don’t take my word for it; just ask folks in Hartford, Minnesota, Cleveland, and LA how it felt to lose a team that couldn’t get anything going, only for them to move and start winning titles. Find an old Quebec Nordique fan and ask him how happy he was to see the team win Stanley Cups; in Denver. But you don’t even have to do that; I attended many a Flames games at the old Omni and I can tell you, few things were as unsettling as watching them compete for and win world titles in Calgary. It still hits a nerve watching that team, especially knowing that it wasn’t the fans’ fault for them leaving in the first place.
Somehow, I feel a tinge of deja vu with the Thrashers that I have now for the Flames. It’s really too bad; it really could’ve worked here…
harsh reality
February 16th, 2011
8:16 pm
@Chef
It’s not the product that is the farse. There are only dozen or so cities in North America that have all four major league sports in them…true sports towns…Atlanta included…we’re about to be removed from that category because our population of 5 million plus (AMA) can only draw 13k to each game. Pathetic showing…our team is decent so don’t use that as an excuse either…we deserve to loose the team due to lack of support. period.
Money Talks
February 16th, 2011
8:26 pm
The city of atlanta needs to get a ton of money to the ownership group, quick, to get them to stay! They are losing big money on the thrashers and will need a big cash boost to cover their losses. The city has plenty of cash — just raise taxes on hotels and restaurants in the city and boost the price of hawks games, etc. to pay them whatever they want. It better be quick or they’ll get mad and move the franchise to canada.
JR1967
February 16th, 2011
8:32 pm
Wouldn’t be surprised to see the “Second-Round” Hawks relocate also-Atlanta is primarily a Football and Baseball Town anyway. If only the Falcons and Braves remained, the city will be just fine.
JR1967
February 16th, 2011
8:35 pm
Oh well, at least they can always use Philips Arena for future weekend flea markets and antique shows.
East Point Bob
February 16th, 2011
9:04 pm
Same problem with Flames. Flames always had good attendence. But it was Cousins who screwed thing up. I have to question how he ever got rich, seems like a worthless bum to me. Then this
group we are stuck with now are as worthless as a plane with no wings. They have been proven to lie aove and over. If, we had a commited owner here, attendence would rise and rise fast. But with these little biy owners, that will never happen, and they could care less about saving hockey here in Atlanta. But my final question is this… Where in the hell is the National Hockey League ?
Why are they doing nothing, saying nothing, being completely obstinut to the entire meltdown ?
Is this a ploy by Gary Bettman to move a southern team to Canada to get those Canada fans off his back ? Just why is he bending over backwards, time and time again to help, Phoenix, Tampa, Buffalo sort out their problems and hide when it comes to Atlanta ??? I have to wonder just what the NHL is thinking, because they beeter start addressing this mess here sooner, rather than later.
With that being said, attendence has never been the issue in Atlanta, it has always been the crap owners, we have had, just like the NBA in Charlotte, with the Hornets, same exact issue,
bad owner, hates the fans and moves. The NHL must step in within the next couple weeks, or this franchise will not be here next season. Thanks Spirit, you suck worse than any professional sports owners in the history of the world, you are complete A$$holes to say the very very very least.
AtlFlamesFan
February 16th, 2011
9:41 pm
This is premeditated murder by ASG. They have lied from the beginning, never intending on keeping the Thrashers. The only reason they bought them is because it was a package deal. Their intent from day one was to sell the Thrashers in order to increase their equity in the Hawks. We used to regularly have 17,000 screaming fans in the building. Now it is half empty. It’s the plot from the movie “Major League”. Chase away the fans in order to be able to justify relocating the franchise.
Our only hope is with Gary Bettmen. He obviously was deceived by these criminals. He may stick to his guns and let these guys run themselves out of business.
R. Stroz
February 16th, 2011
9:42 pm
The ASG is CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP.
Gearon used a specious point, a single season example, to show the ASG isn’t cheap, so here’s the whole truth, something an ASG owner wouldn’t understand. Gearon stated that the Hawks payroll THIS SEASON is one of the highest in the NBA. We’ll assume this a true statement being that they re-signed Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. HOWEVER, ONCE AGAIN, AN ASG OWNER FAILED TO TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH.
Over the last few NBA seasons, not including the present one, the Atlanta Hawks have been at or near the bottom of the NBA in payroll since the Spirit Clowns purchased the Hawks, Thrashers, and Philips Arena.
Notice in the list below that the Hawks payroll NEVER exceeds the 50th percentile of the 30 NBA teams. Only in the 2008-2009 season, when the Hawks brought in Mike Bibby at the trade deadline, did the Hawks payroll exceed the 30th percentile.
2005-06 $36,632,449 28th (29 teams)
2006-07 $47,812,036 25th (29 teams)
2007-08 $58,531,493 22nd (29 teams)
2008-09 $68,607,953 17th (30 teams)
2009-10 $70,198,210 23rd (30 teams)
So since the ASG took over the Hawks, the team payroll ranked 28th, 25th, 22nd, 17th, and 23rd relative to the other 30 NBA teams.
LOOKS CHEAP TO ME. LOOKS LIKE THE ASG CAN’T PLAY AT THE BIG BOYS TABLE.
NOTE TO MICHAEL GEARON, YOU SHOULD STUDY THE TERM SAMPLING ERROR. YOU CAN FIND THIS TERM IN ANY STATISTICS BOOK.
The Thrashers, other than 2005-2006 season, have had a team payroll that has ranked in the bottom 20th percentile every season. The Thrashers payroll, since the 2005-2006 season, has ranked 24th, 26th, 29th, 28th, and currently 29th relative to the other 30 NHL teams.
LOOKS CHEAP TO ME. LOOKS LIKE THE ASG CAN’T PLAY AT THE BIG BOYS TABLE.
Mr. Gearon, those are the real facts, all of them, not just a specious anomaly.
So, what is the problem all of a sudden? Gearon told you: the Hawks now have a real payroll THIS SEASON. Yes, the ASG boys blew all their money on their Johnson, or the Hawks, whichever you prefer. Now, they don’t have enough dough for the Thrashers.
Once again, Gearon stated the problem today, alluding to the difficulty of MAINTAINING A PAYROLL FOR TWO TEAMS. And once again we reach the real conclusion, the ASG NEVER WANTED TWO TEAMS, JUST ONE.
The ASG doesn’t have enough dough to run two franchises, something they should have thought of when they bought them, something that’s obvious with a little payroll analysis: BIG OOPS!
So instead of the ASG being merely CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP…we should add POOR, POOR, POOR.
buckhead benny
February 16th, 2011
9:51 pm
Mark,
Excellent article. One of your best ever, and you have had some good ones-
I have called into some of the jackasses in sports radio and they always trying bashing Belkin but the guy was point on in retrospect about the trade for joe johnson- he always felt like we could have signed him straight up without the trade of two first round picks- and if phoenix did sign him then you could offer a trade-
He was right on both sides of it in hindsight- The Spirit let their emotion get the better of their shrewd business judgement which Belkin showed and they folded their hand before letting the hand play out-
You think Arthur Blank has any interest in Hockey and Basketball in Atlanta Mark? I got a feeling he could breathe some new life into both-
Angie O'Plasty
February 16th, 2011
9:54 pm
I went to my first ever hockey game this year and it was very boring to me. But some folks like it…obviously not enough to keep the Thrashers here.
hawks fan
February 16th, 2011
10:25 pm
i know the owners won’t talk to you, which excuses some of your misinformation, but Belkin had the most ready cash? Really? the guy put 11.7 million in, refused to put in his share of the rest, and then got his ass whipped in court (and his “sharp lawyers” with him). you are clueless and a desgrace to reporting.
hawks fan
February 16th, 2011
10:35 pm
Not only are Atlanta fans miserable when it comes to supporting their teams, they are so ignorant about the business of professional sports that they don’t deserve to have any teams. I have never read such stupid crap as the stuff posted here. Go run a business and then start talking.
Tommy
February 17th, 2011
8:30 am
Personal anecdote–until the 2007-08 season, I used to go to about 6 Thrashers games a year. But since then, about once every other year. The reason is ownership and Don Waddell. Why drop $150 so me and my wife can watch an undermanned team lose? At the start of the ‘07-08 season the team quit on Bob Hartley, and rather than do the smart thing and run the malcontent players out of town, Waddell fires the coach six months after getting the team to its only playoff appearance.
I’ll hate seeing the Thrashers leave because if they do, no NHL team in its right mind would ever locate here again. The best outcome is for the ASG to go bankrupt. Then maybe we can get rid of the Hawks, have another franchise replace them, and Gearon and the rest of those clowns can live in their cars for a while, and Waddell can carry my groceries for me at Publix. Serves them right.
timthebrave
February 17th, 2011
8:42 am
Last in payroll by a lot and 28th in attendance. Sounds about right
Sad but True
February 17th, 2011
9:15 am
If you know the history of the Thrashers, you know they were the baby nobody ever loved before it was conceived. The only reason why Turner Broadcasting applied for an expansion NHL franchise was as a preventative measure because they believed that somebody else would want to down the line, and would do so in a suburban arena that would compete with drawing events at Philips (which is exactly what happened in Phoenix). Little did the folks at Turner think that somebody eventually would do it anyways WITHOUT the NHL team, and the Arena @ Gwinnett Center was born. So nobody even wanted the Thrashers before they were born, they were just a measure to keep Philips as the dominant arena in the area (which we all know is the one moneymaker that ASG has).
Curious George
February 17th, 2011
9:26 am
Doesn’t the Rankin Smith Family have sufficient money to buy an NHL team after selling the Falcons to Arthur Blank?
balismith
February 17th, 2011
9:53 am
just as soon see both franchises leave atlanta—-never been a hockey fan and the hawks are really a joke….for every step forward the spirit have made it seems they have taken 10 steps back…fire a coach who has 5 winning seasons ina row and replace him with his assistant…that makes sense….sign their best player to a crazy overblown contract after he slams the fans of atlanta…that makes sense……hire a general manager who basically just draws a contract, his moves suck mainly the hawks have stayed in neutral and other teams have passed them by…that makes sense….pay good money to watch the hawks play like they really do not care,would have had more fun playing xbox nba… that makes sense….car dealer would have made better sense at least with a car dealer you know you are going to be screwed from the beginning……have a nice day
Georgia
February 17th, 2011
9:54 am
Hockey in the south just doesnt cut it.. and yes as an Atlanta native I realize the in flux from the north. Even with that most are fans of other teams and only see a game or two a year. High school football is more popular than hockey. There are not really a lot of “Glavine” guys in Atlanta, at least not enough to fill a stadium. I follow all Atlanta sports but hockey has just never stuck.
What's next for the Thrashers? | Atlanta Thrashers
February 17th, 2011
10:17 am
[...] I will let our folks who get paid for their opinion – Jeff Schultz, Mark Bradley and even Rawhide (hey, wait do we pay him?) – weigh in on who is at fault for the issues that [...]
KLS1
February 17th, 2011
11:09 am
You have to try pretty hard to kill a franchise within ten years of its inception.
They are living off the $ from the ridiculous deal that Philips signed for naming rights to the arena. If there is a legitimate lawsuit, Philips has one. You know it is bad when there is not one flat screen tv in the arena named after a TV company.
Absolutely pathetic, these asg guys should be run out of town…
Hit the road
February 17th, 2011
11:44 am
I hope the thrashers leave town and take the pathetic hawks team with them. Both teams are coached and run by morons. Good riddance!
WTF?
February 17th, 2011
12:53 pm
If the subject was redneck or hip hop related, we wouldn’t be leaving comments on this blog. So, maybe the Thrashers should get some sort of flavor of the week hip hop stars to attend some games, then on other nights have some hillbilly nights and all will be well. Except the ticket prices will have to be lowered for the po hill folk and rap star wannabees coz they all broke azhell !
Sage of Bluesland
February 17th, 2011
2:33 pm
Nice post Dejay. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Whoever continues to subsidize this offensive incompetence and has hopes/dreams for the ‘home’ teams is insane.
I almost broke down and said, “OK, one last time for the Thrashers”….Nope. The owners did it to themselves.
realist
February 17th, 2011
3:30 pm
Neither Mark Bradley nor any of theposters on this blog knows anything about professional sports ownership. nothing. zip. nada. It’s not only embarrassing to live in a town that won’t support its teams, but to live in a town where the paper is so horribly bad, the reporters so lazy and uninformed, and peple like Bradley and Schultz allowed to say whatever they want in a horrible attempt to save a sinking paper and website, is a tragedy. I feel like I am surrounded by idiots. The ownership has made strategic errors, for sure, but they have been handcuffed by litigation not of their doing and they have spent $150 million of their money (that they could have given to their kids or charity) to support these teams that the fans don’t. Instead of whining, how about come up with some money yourselves? oh, you can’t, because you are a reporter making 50 grand a year or some other ditch digger who just whines and never accomplishes anything. so shut up already. or put your money where your mouth is.
Sage of Bluesland
February 17th, 2011
4:21 pm
“…or put your money where your mouth is.”
I did. I stopped subsidizing the incompetence many years ago.
Spin it all you want, but the owners of this business did it to themselves with their shoddy product.
Simple. End-of.
Brendan
February 17th, 2011
4:55 pm
Mark Bradley, why can’t the Spirit Group just also agree to include 33% of the Philips Arena revenue so that it might be worth Coca-Cola’s time to buy the team? I’m jus’ sayin’. If they want to sell, and quickly, they could do that, provided that they make the sale an attractive one.
C’mon Beau Turner, pony up and save the Thrashers! (Sorry, I won’t do that again, Mark.)
Brendan
February 17th, 2011
5:54 pm
I’m in SPAM filters.
Brendan
February 17th, 2011
6:30 pm
Wait, is it the job of the fan, or poster, or blogger, to KNOW ALL the INTRACIES of the daily dynmics of owning a professional sports team? ‘Cuz, like … ya know … who HASN’T RUN a professional sports team yet in their lives??? Only a total loser doesn’t know the responsibility of writing a 5-year/$26 million contract to Dustin Byfuglien. And surely, we’d all be cr@pping in our pants, trembling our way to fitness, if we did. (Even though the league mandates a floor of the salary cap and provides teams with revenue-sharing dollars to offset some potential losses.)
Sheesh. Get a grip. Fans decide to go to games, or not go to games, based on a myriad of factors. One poster once wrote, “If my daughter gives me that doe-eyed look, then we’re off to Philips Arena for some hockey.” Do I blame that guy for taking his daughter to a game? Heck no. Do I blame him if his daughter says, “I’m really rather see that new Disney film instead of hockey?” Heck no. That’s his life. It’s his choice how he spends his money and time with his daughter, especially in a bad economy.
Who has ‘control’ over the team? The fan? Or the owners? I’ve never seen a fan set the starting lineup, or a fan or blogger decide who gets called up from the AHL, or seen a poster from a blog waltz up to the podium on Draft Day to announce who the Atlanta Thrashers are going to be taking at 8th overall. Never. The burden of running a professional sports organization resides with its ownership. Period, the end. And they know that. Bob Dole knows that. And the American people know it, too.
This team’s ownership has been trying to sell or ‘otherwise dispose of’ the Atlanta Thrashers since inception. You tell me, “Does that sound like ‘hot pursuit’ of the Stanley Cup to you??? Honestly, now. Honestly.
And until Steve Belkin was bought out, (terms still undisclosed,) he WAS 30% of the ownership group. So, ownership was filing suit against ownership. In other words, the suit is entirely the fault of ownership. Not that David McDavid matters a bit in the discussion, but there’s no chance that he could have been ’suing himself.’ Per McDavid, “The ‘by committee’ approach doesn’t work. Someone has to be the definitive voice and authority. Do you know what a ‘camel’ is? It’s a ‘horse,’ drawn up by a committee.” Truer words…. And then Joe Johnson appeared. Thud.
I’m just sorry that this hockey team never really had an ownership that was willing to properly care for it. Maybe it will finally get the love it deserves elsewhere? Someone should care about this team.
Some owners are good. Some … not so much. If Atlanta had a ‘not so much’ type of sports owner, then that’s who’s to blame for the product.
Mark Bradley
February 17th, 2011
6:46 pm
I apologize, Brendan. I’m doing my best to rescue you.
Brendan
February 17th, 2011
7:26 pm
Mark Bradley, that’s okay. A lot of people would say “I’m beyond rescue.” I just love the Thrashers and think it’s a heaping waste to see the NHL leave this market, when all this team ever, ever, ever needed … was ‘committed ownership’ to make it work.
Mark Bradley
February 17th, 2011
7:29 pm
I hear you, Brendan.
Fans Can Help Keep Thrashers
February 18th, 2011
8:49 am
Mark and Hockey fans – please help keep the Thrashers in Atlanta – “like us” on face book and forward the link below to friends, family, employees, and co-workers:
http://www.keepthethrashers.com/fans.html
Tom
February 18th, 2011
4:23 pm
Before the Thrashers move to Quebec, can the Blackhawks get Buff and Andrew Ladd back?
Buddy Grizzard
February 19th, 2011
3:02 am
Mark, I see you are still peddling this pet theory:
“The Drew promotion has had minimal effect on the team’s record, but it had a massive impact on consumer confidence. Folks threw up their hands and said, “See? They say they’ll spend whatever it takes, and then they go cheap on the coach.””
Look up NBA Playbook some time. Larry Drew has drawn up multiple game-winning plays this year. I think the under-performance of certain players (Jamal Crawford comes to mind) combined with more games lost to injury than last year has more to do with the Hawks’ failure to improve on last year’s regular season record.
Drew’s biggest flaw is that, for loyalty or whatever reason, he won’t address the elephant in the living room… the fact that Mike Bibby can’t guard anybody in the NBA. The only way to address this is to start Teague and live or die with the results. Drew is afraid to have the Hawks slip in the standings while improving its chances to be relevant in the foreseeable future.
Drew also, like his predecessor, rides Joe Johnson’s coat tails. Al Horford is one of the most efficient offensive players in the NBA, but Drew’s refusal to feature him in the offense (in favor of JJ’s volume shooting) is causing head-scratching throughout the league. Horford finally complained about his touches after the Hawks refused to feed him in the loss at New York, where Horford had been called out by Stoudamire.
So Drew has his obvious flaws, but that’s not the real reason for fan apathy about the Hawks. The true cause of this is the fact the Hawks organization rewarded JJ with $120m after he said he didn’t care if the fans showed up. The fans then decided they didn’t care to show up to watch a player with no heart.
scottbravesfan
February 19th, 2011
4:49 am
I can’t believe the NHL would give up on the Atlanta market. If the Thrashers ever won for a couple of years in a row the bandwagon fans would come out and they would be close to selling out every game just like Washington DC. Of all the cities in the U.S. Washington is closest to Atlanta. Tons of transplants, a majority black population, terrible traffic, most people live in the suburbs, just like in Atlanta. The Capitals used to draw 15k for playoff games when they had Jagr then they got Ovechkin and started winning every year and now they sell out every game. That same thing could happen in Atlanta.
formerwhalerfan
February 20th, 2011
2:59 am
This happened in Hartford we all showed up for a yay rara and they still left…That being said 21,000 people showed up to a AHL game last night in Hartford. Look out for Howard Baldwin
ryan
February 20th, 2011
2:40 pm
I hope this is the end of the ASG how about the guy who owned the Dream he was a good owner he wanted to buy the Braves what is stopping good owners from buying Atlanta sports teams is it the greedy corporations why is great owner not allowed what happened to free markets .
Clueless
February 21st, 2011
11:58 am
I didn’t know ATL had a hockey team.
brian
February 22nd, 2011
7:13 pm
Atlanta is a depressed area now looks like a third world country nobody can afford a game. basketball or hockey. this city looks like new orleans after katrina.