Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sports Ben's Sports Take: So what do you want?
Posted by Ben Bussard on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 1:22 PM
It's that time of year again. The football season has come and gone all too quickly. Baseball players are running wind sprints in Florida and Arizona. The much-too-long NBA season is creeping along. March Madness doesn't begin until March, duh. And the NHL is, well, still the NHL.
Needless to say, this isn't exactly the most happening time of year for sports fans. But it does serve as an ideal juncture to take a step back and discuss what really matters in the world of sports: The future.
On that note, I wanted to gauge the pulse of Atlanta's sports fans by hearing what hypotheticals you'd most like to see become reality before the end of 2011.
Please rank your preferences in descending order starting with the most desired outcome first all the way down to the result that will have the least effect on your heart rate.
Outcome 1: Braves win the World Series
—Okay, so this one has already happened once, but how badly would you want to see it again? It's been 16 years since Atlanta won its lone professional sports championship...isn't it time for another one?
Outcome 2: The NFL resumes play
—The Falcons might be in prime position to make another playoff run—and maybe win a game this time—in 2011, but without a new collective bargaining agreement in place there won't even be a season. Atlanta has shown significant signs of improvement over the past three seasons, but if the 2011 season becomes a figment of our collective imaginations, then we'll have to put that progression on hold for a while.
Outcome 3: Hawks get to Eastern Conference Finals
—Why not an NBA Championship, you ask? Well, we have to set our goals at an attainable level before discussing anything too absurd. The Hawks have been in Atlanta for 43 years and they have zero Conference Finals appearances to show for it. The Atlanta NBA franchise has never won more than one playoff series in a single postseason. So let's just start there.
Outcome 4: Your alma mater wins the NCAA men's basketball tournament
—While Georgia Tech isn't likely to even make the NIT, the city of Atlanta is a melting pot of collegiate graduates from all across the country. So with that in mind, how badly would you want to see your alma mater cut down the nets in early April?
Outcome 5: Thrashers stay in Atlanta
—Despite their above average start to the 2010-11 season, the Thrashers have struggled to get wins recently. But more importantly, they've struggled to attract enough fans to give the Atlanta Spirit any hope that they can keep the team in Atlanta. With rumors swirling around the likely relocation of the city's third-most beloved professional ice hockey team, how much sleep do you lose thinking about an Atlanta sports scene without the Thrashers?
Your turn: Number these outcomes 1-5 on a scale of most desired to least and let's see what sports hypotheticals Atlanta sports fans want to see become reality.
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
5 is all I really care about. I just got into hockey and I'd be really gutted to see the Thrashers go, as would my friend who's getting me into the sport.
At the game versus the Hurricanes, some guy wandered around holding a sign begging Arthur Blank to buy the team.
like
dislike1-4 I don't care about. If the Thrashers are sold and move, I hope that folks boycott all events all Philips Arena as long as the Hawks and the operating rights to Philips are controlled by Atlanta Spirit. If the Thrashers go, then Atlantans should do their best to put Atlanta Spirit out of business and force them to sell the Hawks and the Philips Arena operating rights.
I just a phone call from their season ticket lackeys, who have been pestering me for years to buy a season ticket package and told them took stop call me and remove me from their lists because as long as the current owners own the team and lie to the fans, I'm not buying another ticket (I may just start buying from scalpers......). Yes it does seem counterproductive to not buy tickets in order to keep the team in town, but when you consider that the season ticket holder base has shrunk so considerably in the last few years and the ownership on the surface has done little to mend the fences. The fact is that they've alienated a lot of people that in some cases, canceled their Thrashers season tickets and bought Gladiators season tickets because the Gladiators ownership seems to know what they're doing.
Probably our best chance at keeping the team in Atlanta would be for the Dickey family to buy them. The Dickey family was one of the groups vying for the Braves several years ago prior to the deal Time Warner made with Liberty Media, so there is the interest in sports ownership. Throw in the fact that one of the companies within the family is Dickey Broadcasting, which airs Thrashers games, it's another no-brainer, plus they wouldn't have to worry about having to negotiate the radio broadcast rights.
We have an ownership group that from Day One barely cared about the Thrashers and have been trying to offload them before the ink dried on the contract with Time Warner. I don't see the NHL stepping in and buying the Thrashers until they've got the Phoenix ownership settled. If you want to believe what Gary Bettman said a few weeks back in Raleigh at the All Star Game, then the Thrashers won't be moving anytime sold regardless of the owner of the team. The fans in Atlanta shouldn't be punished again for the shortcomings of ownership. The "informed" hockey fans in Canada think the Flames moved because of a lack of support when the truth is that the owner was desperate for $$$ and this was one of the few assets he could sell and it went to the highest bidder who moved the team (The group that bought the team offered twice what the group that wanted to buy them and keep them in Atlanta.).
It's all about the Braves!
Got my Spring Training trip lined up and can't wait for the season. Sure, Chipper's old and probably won't hold up and the Phillies signed Clif Lee, but there's always a chance in baseball.
Most definitely number 1, although it will probably be the Falcons who bring could bring it all home before that.
I would also like to see the members of ASG literally tarred, feathered, and chased screaming down Marietta Street.
Just to be clear - 1 and 2 are a tie for me, followed by bodily harm and embarrasment to the ASG ownership.
I want the Hawks to keep the best 8 players they have, and add Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.
I'd also like world peace and a great subway system in Atlanta.
(The semi-serious point behind my wish is to suggest how far the Hawks - a good team - are from being an NBA championship team. Without new owners with deep pockets, forget it.)
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