Columbus in Danger of Losing its NHL Team
According to a report issued Thursday by the Columbus Chamber, the Columbus Blue Jackets could leave central Ohio if the team can't turn around its economic prospects. Currently, the Blue Jackets are operating under an economic model that is causing losses of $12 million per year. A deal to keep the hockey team in Columbus and the area around the arena afloat will likely include asking for public dollars, and is likely to happen soon.
The team and the district around the arena generated $30 million in taxes last year. A loss of that magnitude would be devastating to the city.
Ty D. Marsh, chamber president and CEO says explains that there is a sense of urgency, and that they are "looking for a solution or progress by the end of the year." Already into November, that gives the team less than two months to come up with some kind of workable solution.
Marsh says that the goal would be a financial package that would help the team be rid of some significant costs. Included in that could be $4 million in operational losses and $5 million in arena rent per year.
The timeline that the team has wouldn't leave enough time for anything to go to a public vote. Any decisions to be made would thus be made by those at the local and possibly state level. However, they could run into some complications. Two of the three county commissioners said in May that they would oppose any measure that didn't first go before voters.
Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman said Thursday that he agrees that both the public and private sectors should explore ways `to keep the Blue Jackets in Columbus, however he said "we will not use city tax dollars from our general operating fund that are dedicated for basic city services."
It's not clear whether the team would be permitted to leave Columbus without first going bankrupt, considering their long-term lease with Nationwide Arena.
Asking the public for financial support at this time would also be tricky. With the taxes Ohioans already pay, would they be willing to fork over even more to keep a hockey team in town? Residents already rejected a measure back in 1997 that would use tax dollars to build an arena.
Other cities are interested in having their own NHL team. Earlier this year, a businessman tried to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, Ontario, but in the end the league bought the team.
Perhaps the team could strike a partnership with Cleveland, the sports mecca of Ohio, to have a portion of their home games played there. It could attract more of a crowd and build a larger fan base, helping to offset some of the losses. Changing the name to the "Ohio Blue Jackets" would also be a good idea.
Comments
Columbus and dollars
It seems that Phoenix and Columbus are in the same disarray for operational survival. Potentially, more teams will follow unless the NHL decides to put a salary cap on individual player's salaries and does away with multi-years contracts. Besides, do you know anybody who does gets his/her big salary ahead of performance? My performance is evaluated at the end of each year and my salary takes an increase from a base pay, based on annual output, productivity and merit! When do Professional Sports realize that extravagant salaries have to be paid by increased gate receipts... in an economic difficulty time. Wake up!
Get ready Winnipeg
Here we go again. It seems the tip of the iceberg is getting bigger. Florida, Nashville, Atlanta,Carolina are also in similar situations. It won't be long before a smart ownership group cuts their losses in these weak hockey markets and partners up with Winnipegs Mark Chipman to move to a proven hockey hot bed. Times have changed since the Jets left!
COLUMBUS IN DIRE STRAITS
NHL player greed is destroying the league. Who do you suppose pays these multi-million-dollar per annum salaries? The suckers in the seats – whose love of the game is cynically exploited by players, agents and owners who don't give a damn about anything but their own selfish bottom line. The solution is to disband the league and start again with a $500,000 per year salary cap; trim the ticket cost from $100-plus to a still pricey 20 bucks, and give the game back to the fans and players who care about it.
– Al Hooper
Hockey Night in Winnipeg
It would appear that the league will have to face facts, (eventually) Winnipeg is waiting and ready for the NHL in First Class Session, Great new facility, the Greatest fans along with the rest of Canada, let the teams settle where the sport will be enjoyed, paid for and played with Passion. "Just Do It"
I read some of these
I read some of these comments, and I can't believe how dumb some of them are. Columbus voters previously rejected public funding for this private enterprise. So they originally built the arena, purportedly entirely with private funds, albeit they ripped off the taxpayers by getting public funds for the infrastructure surrounding the arena. They said they would never ask for additional public funding.
Well, guess what. They lied. And lied. And lied. And it didn't even take them eight lousy years to fulfill the lie.
Screw them. I live in Columbus. If they think they're going to blackmail Franklin County and/or extort Franklin County and Columbus for more money, then f*ck them. They can file bankruptcy, sell the team and take the damn franchise up to Canada. They ain't getting a vote from me, and they'll be hard-pressed to get this con past the other voters. This is just more of the same. It happens in every city where there is a professional sports franchise.
Cleveland and Cuyahoga County is full of suckers, and that's why they always get away with it in Cleveland. The Gunds, the Gilberts, the Dolans, the Lerners, all of the scoundrels in cahoots with the scoundrel politicians. Columbus is full of suckers and scoundrels, too, but for a bad hockey team without any tradition? Not a chance. Ohio State University is all that matters to these people down here, and another vote isn't going to change this simple fact.
Best comment EVER!
Best comment EVER!
Oh, and one other thing: an
Oh, and one other thing: an NHL hockey team playing some games in Cleveland? You wacky youngsters. How many times does Cleveland have to prove it doesn't give a rat's patootie about hockey and never will?
Post new comment