The Columbus sports market: serious business.
Monday, July 16, 2007
The Ohio State University might not be something that a Blue Jackets' fan or the Jackets' organization as a whole has to worry about when it comes to competing for the city's recreational money, let alone recognition. It's a reality that no matter what happens with the Blue Jackets, win or lose, the Buckeyes will continue to reign supreme when it comes to the attention they garner from the city and surrounding community.
However as I watched the final seconds tick down on Saturday afternoon as I -- amazingly -- sat through the full Arena Football League National Conference Championship game, and saw my own Columbus Destroyers beat the Georgia Force, I realized that the Blue Jackets have other competition to worry about ... and they need to start worrying about it soon.
For those not in the know, the Columbus Destroyers have always been a modest draw when you compare it to how the rest of the AFL teams do in terms of attendance figures. Their attendance ever since they arrived from Buffalo has had an average of somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000 ... which isn't half bad for Nationwide Arena, which fills to 17,171 for Arena Football games.
To put into perspective just how big of a deal this is that they've gotten to the ArenaBowl for the first time in their history, keep in mind that they've now run roughshod over the two best teams in the AFL in consecutive weeks: the Dallas Desperados (15-1), and the aforementioned Force (14-2). Now they face the San Jose SabreCats (13-3) two Sundays from now for the championship.
And did I mention the Destroyers finished the regular season with a 7-9 record?
While it's true that due to their seeding not a single one of their three playoff games (their first was against the Tampa Bay Storm) was played in the confines of Nationwide Arena, and it's also true that this is ... well ... simply Arena Football, you can't ignore the negative ramifications this could have on the Blue Jackets, who will most likely be spending this upcoming season trying to stand pat with their current roster, before they might open up the checkbook in 2008-2009 once players such as Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov are off the payroll.
Forgive me if I use the same tried and true excuse that the Red Wings had been beating people to death with during the playoffs as to why they had attendance issues, but the economy plays a factor here in Columbus. People here probably aren't going to have enough money to fund trips to both a mediocre Blue Jackets' team and a Columbus Destroyers team that could very well come back to Columbus with the Foster ArenaBowl Trophy held up proudly over their heads.
There's also the fact that another sports team here in Columbus is starting to bounce back, and with a good push could make their own respective playoffs as well; the Columbus Crew.
Yes, those plucky Columbus Crew, who a good while ago I had just left for dead with an amused chuckle, as they had all of one win, and a plethora of ties and losses. Now, suddenly, they're right behind the logjam in the standings that is fighting for the last spot in the Major League Soccer playoffs.
So suddenly you now have a successful AFL team, an on-the-rise MLS team, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were already King of the Hill in Columbus. Regardless of the fact that the NHL is still a "big four" sports league (though that's up for debate nowadays, sadly), a poor on-ice product isn't going to help bring in those fans, keep that attendance respectable despite how bad the team has been, and help with any sort of rebound when it comes to the Jackets' revenue issues over the past two seasons.
But, hey ... maybe the Jackets will surprise us all, make a strong run deep into the season, and somehow manage to draw the eyes of Columbus sports fans away from the Crew and the Destroyers. Though I'd only expect such a thing if they were still in the playoff running as far as early March. If not? Well, when you add on the news from months ago to expect a lesser renewal rate on PSLs, this could turn out to be one ugly season for Mr. McConnell's pocketbook.
However as I watched the final seconds tick down on Saturday afternoon as I -- amazingly -- sat through the full Arena Football League National Conference Championship game, and saw my own Columbus Destroyers beat the Georgia Force, I realized that the Blue Jackets have other competition to worry about ... and they need to start worrying about it soon.
For those not in the know, the Columbus Destroyers have always been a modest draw when you compare it to how the rest of the AFL teams do in terms of attendance figures. Their attendance ever since they arrived from Buffalo has had an average of somewhere around 10,000 to 12,000 ... which isn't half bad for Nationwide Arena, which fills to 17,171 for Arena Football games.To put into perspective just how big of a deal this is that they've gotten to the ArenaBowl for the first time in their history, keep in mind that they've now run roughshod over the two best teams in the AFL in consecutive weeks: the Dallas Desperados (15-1), and the aforementioned Force (14-2). Now they face the San Jose SabreCats (13-3) two Sundays from now for the championship.
And did I mention the Destroyers finished the regular season with a 7-9 record?
While it's true that due to their seeding not a single one of their three playoff games (their first was against the Tampa Bay Storm) was played in the confines of Nationwide Arena, and it's also true that this is ... well ... simply Arena Football, you can't ignore the negative ramifications this could have on the Blue Jackets, who will most likely be spending this upcoming season trying to stand pat with their current roster, before they might open up the checkbook in 2008-2009 once players such as Adam Foote and Sergei Fedorov are off the payroll.
Forgive me if I use the same tried and true excuse that the Red Wings had been beating people to death with during the playoffs as to why they had attendance issues, but the economy plays a factor here in Columbus. People here probably aren't going to have enough money to fund trips to both a mediocre Blue Jackets' team and a Columbus Destroyers team that could very well come back to Columbus with the Foster ArenaBowl Trophy held up proudly over their heads.
There's also the fact that another sports team here in Columbus is starting to bounce back, and with a good push could make their own respective playoffs as well; the Columbus Crew.
Yes, those plucky Columbus Crew, who a good while ago I had just left for dead with an amused chuckle, as they had all of one win, and a plethora of ties and losses. Now, suddenly, they're right behind the logjam in the standings that is fighting for the last spot in the Major League Soccer playoffs.
So suddenly you now have a successful AFL team, an on-the-rise MLS team, and the Ohio State Buckeyes, who were already King of the Hill in Columbus. Regardless of the fact that the NHL is still a "big four" sports league (though that's up for debate nowadays, sadly), a poor on-ice product isn't going to help bring in those fans, keep that attendance respectable despite how bad the team has been, and help with any sort of rebound when it comes to the Jackets' revenue issues over the past two seasons.
But, hey ... maybe the Jackets will surprise us all, make a strong run deep into the season, and somehow manage to draw the eyes of Columbus sports fans away from the Crew and the Destroyers. Though I'd only expect such a thing if they were still in the playoff running as far as early March. If not? Well, when you add on the news from months ago to expect a lesser renewal rate on PSLs, this could turn out to be one ugly season for Mr. McConnell's pocketbook.
Labels: Columbus Crew, Columbus Destroyers, You Don't Know Jack
