...providers of services. If you knew that the toasters that you bought
overseas had a likelihood of catching fire, and you sold them anyway, they
have a special place for you: jail.
Admittedly, it is unlikely
that a netminder will spontaneously combust, taking the arena and the eight
hundred or so fans dotted around the seats in the building with him.
Still, many cities recognize
the added responsibilities of bringing sports and entertainment events to
the public. A badly-managed sports franchise can ruin the sport for a local
market for more than a decade. It can also impact the public's attendance
of other sports operations and entertainment facilities. Such mid-season closings
are a violation of the public trust.
Their consequences, while
not legal, can be equally severe for the community left behind and even for
the league itself.
How the Mighty
Have Fallen
For the UHL to take on
a franchise like the Columbus Stars seems to speak to a certain level of desperation.
The United Hockey League
used to be one of the premiere leagues in minor hockey. As its competitors
have grown in both market size and stature, the UHL has not kept up.
If you ask people at
the more progressive minor leagues, it takes years and millions of dollars
to bring a stable franchise to market. Partial or total losses on operations
for up to five years are not uncommon. Many well-planned and executed franchises
fail even with great management and organization.
Owners without deep pockets,
lots of passion for the sport, and patience that would rival the Saints',
need not apply.
So what is a nice league
like the UHL doing courting a guy like Joe Milano? Okay, he's cute and personable,
talks a good game, and all that, but he'll never be able to give you the things
that I gave your mother...
Expansion, particularly
given the large number of hockey teams that now occupy the landscape, is a
tough nut. Finding good markets for new hockey teams gets tougher by the year.
Revisiting some of the
cities where minor league sports struggle, such as Richmond, requires long
investments, patience and hard work to encourage the community to turn out.
It even takes more work to bring out the hockey loyal who were burned by the
last bad franchise to blow through.
Leagues have to be smart
about their selection of franchise operators and cities where they place these
teams.
Columbus, in the shadow
of the NHL team, was a long-shot at best. Choosing a franchise owner who has
a known difficulty in financing operations beyond the first few months of
a season, in our opinion, doomed the operation from the start.
Brosal's statements,
up-front, that the UHL would not stand behind the Columbus franchise, weakens
the credibility of the United Hockey League.
When it comes to management,
the UHL needs a horse that can see water for what it is.
To our mind, they also
need to demonstrate far greater selectivity in their partners and cities for
expansion if they want to re-establish themselves as the kind of quality league
that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the ECHL and the CHL.
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For more takes by Sr. Editor Brian Ross, see the NEW "The MAJOR BLOGS of Minor League News": majorblogs.net
