Sale of the Atlanta Gladiators
- Thread starter Atlantian
- Start date
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Your team website link yielded a blank frame for me; same problem with the link from their "News" list page. Here's the story of the sale from the GDP: Atlanta Gladiators sold to Virginia-based businessman
Always a risk of the franchise relocating when an out-of-town owner takes over. And if reports of the Gladiators' fan support waning are true, it makes a move more likely. I will assume (for hopefulness) that Mr. Olrich has inherited the remaining year on the arena lease. If so, this story has a lot more twists & turns ahead.
One possible purchase motive that popped into my head raises a question: Who currently owns the Infinite Energy Arena? When a real estate developer buys a minor league team, it might be part of a plan to purchase the facility they play in. That way, he's got a major tenant to anchor some dates in his building.
Always a risk of the franchise relocating when an out-of-town owner takes over. And if reports of the Gladiators' fan support waning are true, it makes a move more likely. I will assume (for hopefulness) that Mr. Olrich has inherited the remaining year on the arena lease. If so, this story has a lot more twists & turns ahead.
One possible purchase motive that popped into my head raises a question: Who currently owns the Infinite Energy Arena? When a real estate developer buys a minor league team, it might be part of a plan to purchase the facility they play in. That way, he's got a major tenant to anchor some dates in his building.
Atlantian
Registered User
Through recent years there has been conflict between the team and the arena. Waning fan support could be partially contributed to the fact that the arena has not given the Gladiators as many weekend dates as it has in the past. As far as I know the one year on the lease does carry over.
mk80
Registered User
- Jul 30, 2012
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According to Wikipedia (I know not the most reliable), the arena is owned by Gwinnett County
NSHPreds1835
Glads/Preds
There was also their last playoff run a few years back where games 1 and 2 were played in Gwinnett and then the rest of the series was played in Cincinnati even though the Gladiators were I think the designated "home" team for like game 5 or so.
Atlantian
Registered User
They had to play the later home games in Cincinnati because Disney on Ice was in town. If the Gladiators had made the playoffs in any of the last four years they would’ve had the same problem in the first round. This season Disney replaced circus dates earlier in the year. The Everblades are facing the same problem this season.
NSHPreds1835
Glads/Preds
Fans were none to happy about it, I mean you'd think the primary tenant of the building would take precedent over something that's only in town once a year.
SemireliableSource
Liter-a-cola
Not really. Buildings will take guaranteed dates booked over tentative. Arenas operate as businesses as well and can't hold the arena for a maybe. Also, they can't risk pissing off these shows and losing their slot on the annual schedules. If you say, "sorry, we can't accommodate you," the show organizers will take you out of their rotation and fine someone else.
royals119
Registered User
Exactly. The team likely has the option to reserve those dates, but if they do they have to pay the arena to use the dates, even if they don't have games. Nobody is happy about it, but it happens in one city or another almost every year. Teams can't take the risk of booking the dates far enough in advance, because they don't know if they will make the playoffs, or if they do, what dates they will need. Arena operators can't take the risk of leaving dates open that they have the option to fill, "just in case" the team needs them.
Cyclones Rock
Registered User
- Jun 12, 2008
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The 1973 AHL Calder Cup Champion Cincinnati Swords played all of their final series "home games" in Buffalo, NY due to a conflict with, of course, a Circus which had booked the Cincinnati Gardens. The Swords were affiliated with the Buffalo Sabres.
Sad note. The Cincinnati Gardens is now a pile of rubble. About 2 weeks ago, demolition started on the building which opened in 1949. At the time, it was the seventh largest seating capacity indoor facility in North America.
Sad note. The Cincinnati Gardens is now a pile of rubble. About 2 weeks ago, demolition started on the building which opened in 1949. At the time, it was the seventh largest seating capacity indoor facility in North America.
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This is bad. Real bad. Ted Turner should have bought the team, since his dream of bringing the NHL back to the city failed in the end (and so ECHL would have been the next best thing).
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
I'll ask nicely, before someone else asks otherwise: How did you conclude that an ECHL team would be "the next best thing" to an NHL team for Mr. Turner to own?
