In retrospect it doesn't really matter how poorly ASG and Don Waddell managed that team (and I will give you that they were probably the worst in the NHL at the time), in the end fans didn't show up and that was the main reason why the second team Atlanta has had is in Winnipeg right now - not so much the ownership. There were plenty of teams with horrible ownership that were still being supported by their fans - granted they were in more traditional markets - but the bottom line is if people really wanted to keep the team in Atlanta they needed to show up and the didn't. They averaged their 2nd lowest attendance the year they were moved - and that was far from the worst team they ever iced - which leads me to believe people largely just didn't care. Interest in the game wasn't a problem from what I recall most of the ice time at those rinks were pretty well booked and the Gladiators seemed to have a strong following. Believe me I really hope I'm wrong because the prospect of a one hour drive versus a nine hour drive to see DCU play live is great - but I really don't see anything to suggest this team will be successful in the long run.
A And the Yankees didn't sellout playoff games in the 2000's.... But, then again, New York is a terrible sports town so you are probably right.
With the description he was giving, I almost don't expect anybody to know the Falcons play there during soccer season. It was sounding like so much of the signage is going to be digital boards, so it could be changed with a computer. With the similar red, black and gold colors, I'm interested to see if I'm right about how far he's going to go to make this look like a shiny penny. I think about the time he said "no football lines" he could've taken Kasim Reed's job from the group assembled. I remember that visual barf on so many fields back in the old days.
i will be shocked if over 800 people sign up for season tickets. this is literally the stupidest thing MLS has ever done. are they bringing in charlie stillitano to consult?
They're up[ to 1400 deposits tonight already. And in MLS history they've had the shootout, the Clash scorpion logo, and the unilateral moving of El Pibe between Miami and Tampa Bay just to name a couple of things. This can't even see the stupidest thing MLS has ever done from where its sits.
a rational counterpoint http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/04/mls...a-arthur-blank-david-beckham-atlanta-falcons/
The statement was ironic because the Sounder's football stadium seating is even less ideal than what the Atlanta stadium seems to offer. It had nothing to do with Sounders fan credibility. Hope that helps.
Atlanta will do okay in their first year and the fizzle out in it's second year. They'll compete with Chivas for worst attendance.
they still won't average 6k in attendance they should merge with chivas usa and become America's first uber-crappy-lame anti-mega club
I think we are at the point where even struggling sides with issues can manage 10K and by 2017 I can only see that baseline improving. While I understand the concerns about Atlanta, the situation as it is now seems like a best case scenario for that city. The owner seems invested and wants to work with the fan base and they have a good stadium location and commitment to not treat MLS like a second class citizen. I could see them averaging 16K in 2017 barring a blunder by ownership in the run up.
And because the APSL/A-League/whatever Sounders attendance was low enough that I probably went to more lower-division Sounders home games (one game in 1995 at Memorial Stadium) than most of the Real Soccer Fans(tm) that attend Sounders games now.