Snowbears Revival

[rice_web]

The Magic City Snowbears have been gone two seasons and under the flag of a terrible league for one since the collapse of the IBA. Needless to say, casual fans went looking elsewhere, and die-hards were ashamed of the XBA product (I won't go off on a tangent concerning the XBA/MBA, but it fell well short of the IBA).

However, it now appears that there is some momentum to get the Snowbears to enter the CBA. Rumors are merely rumors, but apparently talks are underway.

This begs the question, why?

Though Minot has been beaten down in the minor league scene over the past three years (Snowbears, Muskies hockey, and Greenheads baseball all laid in Minot's graveyards), it is certain that considerable interest still exists for a team. Further, fans understand the difference between an XBA-style league and the well-structed CBA. If the CBA were brought to Minot in a way that exceeded the IBA, fan support would be tremendous.

But would that be enough? It's difficult to say. Minot had a difficult time averaging 1,700 fans a game toward the end of the IBA era. They had begun as a franchise drawing crowds approaching 4,000, but that slowly trailed off. At the same time, however, corporate sponsorship appeared to rise every year, with full rows of sponsors in their last season in the IBA. Further, the CBA is rooted in Bismarck and Sioux Falls, and may soon enter Rapid City as well. This four-team cluster could help to increase the feel of rivalry and in turn generate ticket sales. Beyond this, travel costs would be greatly reduced for this Dakota-based array of franchises.

Yet, it may still fall short. Unless the CBA steps in and gives the Snowbears the same offer it gave after the fall of the IBA: cheap entrance fees. Simply enough, I do not know if Minot can sustain the high costs of the operation of the CBA, unless the other franchises allowed at least one season with a low entrance fee. The reduced rate that was offered a few years ago should have been taken up on, as it may have been the only way to keep the team afloat.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out in the end. I do believe it makes perfect sense to have another Dakota team to round out what could become a northern division, should the western and eastern expansion efforts go well.

I say try it (since it's not my money :D ).

[WIZ Kid]

I remember the days of the HW 83 Battle.
I would love to see it revived. But there are a few things,( From a fans point of view ) That need to be done for the Snowbears to survive at least 1 year.
1.) They need to Either A: Renovate the " Cave ".
Or B: Move to the Minot State Dome.

2. ) They need to get alot more corporate sponsorship then they had in the days of the IBA.

3.) Sign Back some of the players from the days of the IBA. So Fans will know what they are getting. For Instance. " Mac "

4.) Make sure that the Fans know, That they are a startup team.

5.) And finally ! Make sure you have a coach that does not have " Bleach Blonde Hair ". ( It was WAY to much fun when Minot came down to Bismarck. Fans would show up with empty bottles of Peroxide. And Just absolutely RAZZZZZZZZ That old coach .)

All Funny stuff aside. I honestly think that Minot could support a team. Just look at the attendance records for Great Lakes and Gary as of late. Granted ,.... They do have alot of corporate sponsorship. But Minot should have problem putting that together. As I see it, The problem they have is the arena.

Good Luck,.And I hope it's not just a rumor.

[rice_web]

The arena issue is an issue that applies to all sports in Minot.

With baseball, our aging field just feels old, as if built for the 1920's. I don't have any clue as to when Corbett Field was thrown together, but it's certainly reached an age that warrants rebuilding or remodeling. It's entirely possible that we have lost our baseball teams because of the poor arena with its mediocre seating (when bleacher seating is the best available).

Losing the Minot Muskies Junior Hockey team is directly contributed to our lack of a decent, and inexpensive arena. Minot has a terribly expensive, out-dated, and generally poor arena in the All Seasons Arena, and it's bleachers are almost as terrible as Corbett Field's seats. Further, the lighting is an odd green, and one can never picture any serious venture surviving in the building. The Muskies folded after the Arena offered an astronomical rate to keep the ice.

And now, Minot may not be able to support a franchise because of a lack of suitable arenas. The Minot State Dome is almost perfect. It houses 10,500 seats, looks pretty good, and has excellent seating (well, relatively excellent) in the entire lower level. Beyond that, it isn't very expensive. However, it breaks the cardinal rules of a sports franchise, which are beer sales, beer sales, and beer sales. Due to its on-campus location (though that could be argued), no beer sales are allowed.

The Civic Auditorium, aka the Cave, is a pretty crappy arena in desperate need of work to remove its image as the not-so-enjoyable home of the Circus. It is small, has terrible lighting, and is not suited for a basketball franchise catering to corporate sponsors.

However, there is some hope on the horizon. Rumors (again with the rumors) have it that a group of investors that built a new hotel in Minot may be working to put together a 5,500 seat, general-purpose arena, ranging from hockey, to indoor football, to basketball. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out, if it ever does.

[CBAfan]

I would love to see the Snowbears back in Minot. The Wizards-Snowbears games were always a battle. I think the CBA should consider Minot. It would add some rivalry and I bet they would have a better attendance than a few other teams in the league.

[WIZ Kid]

Heck !!!,................. If the team shows up they would have a better attendance than Great Lakes !
Granted I have kept tabs on the GL Team as of late. And Since Webber has bought into the team, attendance figures are on the rise.

But Then again, Yakima ( Last years Champs ) is loosing attendance.

Here in Bismarck, even in the days of the IBA, We have averaged at least 2000 a game. Even in the 1st year when we only won 8 games.
It all depends on the quality of the team you put on the court most of the time in this league. But In fargo, they had great teams with the Beez, But still could not get people in the seats.
So it is a fine line.

[rice_web]

I remember Fargo's situation fairly well. Basically, it boiled down to NDSU being a better value than the Beez. With Grand Forks and Fargo standing as such college towns, Eastern North Dakota isn't primed for minor league sports (except baseball, in which the FM Red Hawks are alive and kicking).

Minot and Bismarck paralleled attendance for a couple of years at the beginning of the IBA, right around that 2,000 mark. If Minot could average that, they might be sitting well (though, I honestly think that at least 2,500 is necessary in most situations). I don't really know why Minot sunk to the 1,700 level in its last IBA season, but I think that the IBA's general tardiness certainly hurt things. Toward the end, the IBA failed to secure teams and venues early, creating scheduling problems and holding back the season ticket sales drive.

If Minot were to get organized soon, they would have no problem next season. But, the rumors of a group of investors are still simply rumors.