Hawkcott?

[lethalweapon3]

Peppered among the immediate reactions by now ex-Thrasher fans are vows to never support anything related to the members of the A$G, either individually or collectively. A couple 'squawkers have chimed in already in this regard.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, this impacts their already paltry attendance at NBA games. But how much?

I think most Hawks fans assumed that A$G's principal players were not in this investment for the Thrashers, at least not long-term.

Also, I never got the feel that there was any strong overlap amongst us Thrasher fans and us Hawk fans.

Does the Thrashers' abandonment, combined with the management's many NBA-related bungles, erode trust in A$G to a level that significantly drops ticket sales (i.e., far worse than it already is)?

~lw3

Edited May 31, 2011 by lethalweapon3

[Guest]

I'm a basketball fan first and foremost...as long as the Hawks are in Atlanta and have a chance at winning games and being competitive and I can afford the games I'm there regardless of who the owners are. I'm not a hockey fan, the most I've seen of any game is an ESPN highlight. I can't get caught up in the business side of what the ASG is doing for it to affect my enjoyment of the game of basketball. Do I always like what the ASG is doing as it relates to the Hawks? No...but I've got far more important things to worry about.

[Deeman]

Hawks are my favorite team of any sports so no. The Thrashers have always sucked as far as I remember so no big loss for me personally. :cool:

[Seano]

I just simply do not care about the Thrashers or hockey in general, so I'm glad the ASG is rid of that so they can focus their efforts and the entirety of their attention (and hopefully $$$$) on the Hawks. That's my best case scenario anyway!

[Sothron]

First of all, allow me to say with feeling "screw you" to the people who seem to be enjoying the Thrashers being sold out. This is an ATLANTA sports team that we as ATLANTA sports fans could all enjoy and support. Now that option is taken from us by the most inept ownership group I've ever seen in any business.

I will not spend any money on the Hawks or attend anything at Phillips Arena until those traitors are out of the picture. I will sit on my *ss and watch the Hawks on free tv and post here, sure, because that's free. But the tickets I had, the jerseys and merchandise and regular trips to Phillips? All a thing of the past until those bastards are gone.

[Dejay]

First of all, allow me to say with feeling "screw you" to the people who seem to be enjoying the Thrashers being sold out. This is an ATLANTA sports team that we as ATLANTA sports fans could all enjoy and support. Now that option is taken from us by the most inept ownership group I've ever seen in any business.

I will not spend any money on the Hawks or attend anything at Phillips Arena until those traitors are out of the picture. I will sit on my *ss and watch the Hawks on free tv and post here, sure, because that's free. But the tickets I had, the jerseys and merchandise and regular trips to Phillips? All a thing of the past until those bastards are gone.

I'm with Soth on this one. I bought tickets for both teams; hell, my dad took me to see the Flames back in the day. Those Flames' squads showed more heart in one season than the Thrashers ever did.

While folks may agree to disagree in terms of how loyal a fanbase should be when a team has stunk out loud as long as the Thrashers have, the owners do not get a pass from anyone who ever bought a ticket to see hockey. For them to allow a nimrod like Don Waddell, who makes BK look like Jerry West in his heyday, to not only hold onto his job and get promoted is all you need to know in as far as how much stock they put in this product to succeed. If they don't care, why should the fans? Those tickets weren't given away for free.

Count me in as far as having a self-imposed embargo on Philips until the Hawks and the arena's operating rights are sold. I know the Thrashers are a done deal but c'mon, folks; that wasn't right....

[Watchman]

I just simply do not care about the Thrashers or hockey in general, so I'm glad the ASG is rid of that so they can focus their efforts and the entirety of their attention (and hopefully $$$$) on the Hawks. That's my best case scenario anyway!

Surely you're not that naive. The Atlanta Stupid Guys have no intention of providing a championship caliber team for this city, NHL or NBA.

I am just wondering that since McDavid won his lawsuit against Time-Warner, maybe he could now afford to buy the Hawks, without having to resort to borrowing every penny to do it. Maybe he'd be no better than the Atlanta Stupid Guys, but he couldn't be much worse.

[Seano]

Surely you're not that naive. The Atlanta Stupid Guys have no intention of providing a championship caliber team for this city, NHL or NBA.

Nah, I'm not really that naive about those guys. I realize that as owners they're really not all that great. But then again they could be worse, right? I mean they have sunk a pretty significant amount of money into the Hawks payroll, in fact I think we had the 6th highest payroll in the NBA this past season, so at least they're not Donald Sterling-esque cheap. I'm just hopeful I guess.

Either way, I would think that splitting the two organizations up would make it easier for the ASG to be able to sell the Hawks and Phillips if that's still what they're aiming to do.

[CODHAWKSFAN]

First of all, allow me to say with feeling "screw you" to the people who seem to be enjoying the Thrashers being sold out. This is an ATLANTA sports team that we as ATLANTA sports fans could all enjoy and support. Now that option is taken from us by the most inept ownership group I've ever seen in any business.

I will not spend any money on the Hawks or attend anything at Phillips Arena until those traitors are out of the picture. I will sit on my *ss and watch the Hawks on free tv and post here, sure, because that's free. But the tickets I had, the jerseys and merchandise and regular trips to Phillips? All a thing of the past until those bastards are gone.

Sothron,

I gave you the -1 and now that I think about it, I wish I wouldn't have and would take it back if I could. I did it off of impulse and the fact that I disagree with you, so feel free to minus me if you want.

Here is why I disagree with you though, first of all I am not particularly happy to see the Thrashers leave but it is what it is and my sentiments go out to those diehard Thrashers fans who actually supported the team and showed up throughout those brutal seasons, but to suggest that people should be upset about something that they particularly don't care about is just wrong. Yes it was an Atlanta team I give you that, but it was also "Hockey". Not to many people were hybrid fans like you and I (yes i went to Thrashers games as well).

Also think about this, what if the shoe was on the other foot and the Thrashers were competitive in the second round of the playoffs and the Hawks were being sold and moved to ummm lets say Vegas. Do you think Thrashers fans would give a rats a$$ about boycotting Thrashers games and or Philips Arena??? I doubt it, in fact I know about 16 (now) ex-Thrahers fans off hand who wouldn't give a damn, and would be glad to see "those overpaid chumps" out of Atlanta.

That is all find and dandy if you want to stay at home and not support the team by actually showing up or "be a fan from a distance" but with all do respect, that is the problem with Atlanta sports fans now and was the problem that HELPED push the Thrashers along, everyone wants to "support from a distance". I cannot name any team in the NBA who would struggle to sell out 2nd round playoff games against the Bulls other than the Hawks, but you cannot find a seat (standing room only) when the Lakers or Heat are in town :bad:.

Do what you want but I am going to be optimistic this time and hope that things get better with the lawsuit and an asset that was losing tons of money, behind them.

[Guest]

Count me in as far as having a self-imposed embargo on Philips until the Hawks and the arena's operating rights are sold. I know the Thrashers are a done deal but c'mon, folks; that wasn't right....

I am with y'all, but I actually began boycotting after game 6. A$G have screwed up one too many times for my liking.

[CODHAWKSFAN]

Also my prayers go out to those employees that may be losing their jobs because of this situation.

[coachx]

Sothron,

I gave you the -1 and now that I think about it, I wish I wouldn't have and would take it back if I could. I did it off of impulse and the fact that I disagree with you

fixed

[CODHAWKSFAN]

fixed

Awesome thanks!!

[Sothron]

Sothron,

I gave you the -1 and now that I think about it, I wish I wouldn't have and would take it back if I could. I did it off of impulse and the fact that I disagree with you, so feel free to minus me if you want.

Here is why I disagree with you though, first of all I am not particularly happy to see the Thrashers leave but it is what it is and my sentiments go out to those diehard Thrashers fans who actually supported the team and showed up throughout those brutal seasons, but to suggest that people should be upset about something that they particularly don't care about is just wrong. Yes it was an Atlanta team I give you that, but it was also "Hockey". Not to many people were hybrid fans like you and I (yes i went to Thrashers games as well).

Also think about this, what if the shoe was on the other foot and the Thrashers were competitive in the second round of the playoffs and the Hawks were being sold and moved to ummm lets say Vegas. Do you think Thrashers fans would give a rats a$$ about boycotting Thrashers games and or Philips Arena??? I doubt it, in fact I know about 16 (now) ex-Thrahers fans off hand who wouldn't give a damn, and would be glad to see "those overpaid chumps" out of Atlanta.

That is all find and dandy if you want to stay at home and not support the team by actually showing up or "be a fan from a distance" but with all do respect, that is the problem with Atlanta sports fans now and was the problem that HELPED push the Thrashers along, everyone wants to "support from a distance". I cannot name any team in the NBA who would struggle to sell out 2nd round playoff games against the Bulls other than the Hawks, but you cannot find a seat (standing room only) when the Lakers or Heat are in town :bad:.

Do what you want but I am going to be optimistic this time and hope that things get better with the lawsuit and an asset that was losing tons of money, behind them.

I don't give out negs unless its something I find really badly thought out or just insulting so no, I won't neg you.

I'm a sports of all kinds guy. I support every team and every athlete from the state of Georgia. Every team. That means I root for both Georgia and Georgia Tech and when they play each other I have to go neutral-ish which means I usually pull for the team in a better position at the end of the season.

I love hockey on top of that. It is by far my favorite sport. Losing the Flames when I was a kid was bad, losing the Thrashers now that I'm an adult is exponentially worse. I will support the Hawks as I said but I'm not spending anything on them or going to anything at Phillips while ASG owns them. If the teams were reversed I wouldn't go to Thrashers games if the ASG sold the Hawks. I don't support lying jackass bastards who destroy my teams.

[Seano]

It sucks to lose a hometown team, that's for sure. I have been through that myself. As a fan in that situation, you feel totally betrayed and violated and sold out. I took that loss very personally, and I was fricken ripshit pissed about it. All that money I'd spent on memorabilia and tickets, all that time and attention and emotional investment I'd poured into that team ever since I was a boy, none of that mattered or meant anything at all to them- proving once again it ain't about the fans, it's ALL about the damn money. So I don't blame Thrashers fans for feeling the way they do. They have every right to feel upset. It's an upsetting thing to lose something you care about like that, especially when it comes as the result of a cold and calculated business decision.

[thecampster]

I personally think this will bottom line better for the ASG in regards to the Hawks. There were many nights where Phillips looked half empty for the Hawks on a nightly basis. Many of those seats could have been bought by someone spending a $ on hockey instead. Without that option every other night, I could see a few thousand more butts in Phillips for home games. Even 2000 more fans nightly at $50 a fan is 4.2 million in sales by the end of the year and that is without the losses the Thrashers were incurring.

I hate to see the Thrashers go but this is a good business move for the Hawks.

Adding on...just found the numbers

Hawks ticket sales average per home game - 15,648. Phillips capacity 18,729. Average not sold, 3081.

That doesn't include the people who buy tickets and then don't show.

Edited June 1, 2011 by thecampster

[curtmcgirt]

I can't in good conscience give these clowns anymore money. All my Hawks and Thrashers gear is going into a box until they are gone. I still love the NBA so Im switching my loyalties to the OKC Thunder until ASG is gone.

Due to the nature of my job I'm privy to some of the back of the house dealings of ASG and they honestly don't care about winning. They are the kids that think that because they got a car as a junior in high school that they should be prom king. They're just happy to own a team and could care less unless it involves them losing a nationally televised game.

[CODHAWKSFAN]

I can't in good conscience give these clowns anymore money. All my Hawks and Thrashers gear is going into a box until they are gone. I still love the NBA so Im switching my loyalties to the OKC Thunder until ASG is gone.

Due to the nature of my job I'm privy to some of the back of the house dealings of ASG and they honestly don't care about winning. They are the kids that think that because they got a car as a junior in high school that they should be prom king. They're just happy to own a team and could care less unless it involves them losing a nationally televised game.

WOW....Good riddance. :bye:

[AHF]

No love lost for the ASG but I am not going to stop supporting the Hawks. I get the screwjob that just happened to Atlanta hockey but as I was never personally invested in the Thrashers it doesn't affect me like it might otherwise. With the ASG apparently marketing the Hawks right now, I am going to continue supporting the team and hope we get bought by someone with a big list of assets and a highly competitive streak.

[frosgrim]

The issue seems to be:

1) I'm a Hawks fan and I don't care about hockey, so good riddance.

2) I'm an Atlanta sports fan and the ASG completely screwed me and the city out of a hockey team.

I'm squarely in the category 2 camp. I love Atlanta sports and hockey is a great game.

The ASG completely let the Thrashers die on the vine. Just to let everyone know who says hockey doesn't live in the South, I give you that youth hockey in the region is growing by leaps and bounds. If the Trashers had actually been given resources to succeed, attendance would have been significantly better.

As for those who say good riddance, I don't get it. But to each their own.

Frankly, I don't know why anyone would give the ASG money right now. They are completely incompetent and clueless on how to run a sports organization.