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Atlanta Thrashers Blogger •
Sports Illustarted has recently posted their Top 5 Best…and Top Five Worst owners among all professional sports teams in North America…the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA.
In the story, method used to determine the ranking is described as…
"...not scientific but based on numerous factors, some of which are indisputable and some of which are intangible. Among the criteria used to evaluate owners was the willingness to spend money to improve the team; the stability and capabilities of the front office and management; the amenities at the team's venue; and the club's culture and interactivity with fans. Of course, weighing heavily in the decision was the team's success or failure on the field".
Not surprisingly, the Great Octo-Cluster known as the Atlanta Spirit, L.L.C. was listed as the fourth lowest ranked in the NHL. I guess Levenson and the boys are thankful for Charles Wang, Alan Cohen, and Toronto’s MLSE.
Although the same gang also owns the Atlanta Hawks, they are not listed in the articles Five Best or Five Worst for the NBA.
About the Octo-Cluster, SI writes...
"When Time Warner (SI's parent company) sold the Thrashers in 2003, it was to a group known as Atlanta Spirit, LLC. Ironic that it was neither wholly Atlanta (its partners are also based in Boston and Washington, D.C.) nor spirited (they're involved in an in-house feud with Steve Belkin with both sides claiming they have an option to buy each other out). It's a case of too many cooks and not enough direction, as the group has had similar problems with the management of its other franchise, the NBA's Hawks. The Thrashers have been getting steadily worse since their lone postseason appearance two years ago and have squandered talented players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Bryan Little".
The Spirit Boys purchased the Thrashers…along with the NBA Hawks and Philips Arena… in March of 2004 when it was valued at $80 million. Currently, as the article notes, the team is valued right at $158 million. In the four seasons played since being taken over by the Spirit Clowns, the Thrashers have a winning record, 153-142-33...however in the past two season, a more accurate depiction of where the team us under their ownership, they are 69-81-14. They took a team that had shown improvement each and every year for four straight seasons and relegated them back to near expansion-era levels.
In comparison... the Red Wings were bought by Mike Ilitch in 1982 when the franchise was valued at about $8 million and coming off it’s ninth consecutive losing season. Today, that team is worth right at about $303 million. They also have their names stamped on the Stanley Cup quite a few times since Ilitch has been their owner.
But the franchise "value" really does not tell the whole story regarding why this set of owners totally deserve being ranked so low. Since taking over the organ-I-zation, the have run the Thrashers on the cheap. The last few seasons general manager Don Waddell has been given the instruction to operate at or near the cap floor. This is part of the reason why Waddell find it difficult to attract high-profile free agents. They know that the organ-I-zation is not committed to winning and if the guys that actually own the team don’t seem to care enough to invest in it appropriately.
This is the history of the Thrashers under the watch of the Spiriteers, they have lawyers to pay...and they'll pinch pennies in Thrasherville to do so.
And most fans here in Atlanta have known this for the past several seasons...so the Sports Illustrated story comes as very little surprise.
If there was ever a poster child for how NOT to run an NHL franchise...it would have the eight heads of Bruce Levenson, Michael Gearon Sr, Michael Gearon Jr, Ed Peskowitz, Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman, Beau Turner and Steve Belkin.
In the story, method used to determine the ranking is described as…
"...not scientific but based on numerous factors, some of which are indisputable and some of which are intangible. Among the criteria used to evaluate owners was the willingness to spend money to improve the team; the stability and capabilities of the front office and management; the amenities at the team's venue; and the club's culture and interactivity with fans. Of course, weighing heavily in the decision was the team's success or failure on the field".
Not surprisingly, the Great Octo-Cluster known as the Atlanta Spirit, L.L.C. was listed as the fourth lowest ranked in the NHL. I guess Levenson and the boys are thankful for Charles Wang, Alan Cohen, and Toronto’s MLSE.
Although the same gang also owns the Atlanta Hawks, they are not listed in the articles Five Best or Five Worst for the NBA.
About the Octo-Cluster, SI writes...
"When Time Warner (SI's parent company) sold the Thrashers in 2003, it was to a group known as Atlanta Spirit, LLC. Ironic that it was neither wholly Atlanta (its partners are also based in Boston and Washington, D.C.) nor spirited (they're involved in an in-house feud with Steve Belkin with both sides claiming they have an option to buy each other out). It's a case of too many cooks and not enough direction, as the group has had similar problems with the management of its other franchise, the NBA's Hawks. The Thrashers have been getting steadily worse since their lone postseason appearance two years ago and have squandered talented players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Bryan Little".
The Spirit Boys purchased the Thrashers…along with the NBA Hawks and Philips Arena… in March of 2004 when it was valued at $80 million. Currently, as the article notes, the team is valued right at $158 million. In the four seasons played since being taken over by the Spirit Clowns, the Thrashers have a winning record, 153-142-33...however in the past two season, a more accurate depiction of where the team us under their ownership, they are 69-81-14. They took a team that had shown improvement each and every year for four straight seasons and relegated them back to near expansion-era levels.
In comparison... the Red Wings were bought by Mike Ilitch in 1982 when the franchise was valued at about $8 million and coming off it’s ninth consecutive losing season. Today, that team is worth right at about $303 million. They also have their names stamped on the Stanley Cup quite a few times since Ilitch has been their owner.
But the franchise "value" really does not tell the whole story regarding why this set of owners totally deserve being ranked so low. Since taking over the organ-I-zation, the have run the Thrashers on the cheap. The last few seasons general manager Don Waddell has been given the instruction to operate at or near the cap floor. This is part of the reason why Waddell find it difficult to attract high-profile free agents. They know that the organ-I-zation is not committed to winning and if the guys that actually own the team don’t seem to care enough to invest in it appropriately.
This is the history of the Thrashers under the watch of the Spiriteers, they have lawyers to pay...and they'll pinch pennies in Thrasherville to do so.
And most fans here in Atlanta have known this for the past several seasons...so the Sports Illustrated story comes as very little surprise.
If there was ever a poster child for how NOT to run an NHL franchise...it would have the eight heads of Bruce Levenson, Michael Gearon Sr, Michael Gearon Jr, Ed Peskowitz, Rutherford Seydel, Todd Foreman, Beau Turner and Steve Belkin.
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