columbus challenge

[shaolin]

i am a former season ticket holder for the vipers and the wardogs and i would like to see a change from the people in columbus as far as support goes. columbus has local news(newspaper, news channels) who do not show any support unless they have played a game. the news needs to get more involved to make any professional league work in this city. cover the team thru training camp highlighting players and giving their background and how they came to the city. letting people know they have legit players will bring them. the team itself needs to reach out to local high scools letting their players know that there is professional football right in their hometown. these students have parents that are ready for some great entertainment. numbers is what it is all about columbus is capable of 7,600 people a game that could get pretty loud with a winning franchise that is involved with their fans. i personally challenge columbus(news, franchise, fans) to show some support for your hometown professionals. show me that the stadium can get to at least 3,500 people so the franchise can take a cut home. show me the news can actually cover a professional team better than they cover high school and college. i'll be sitting in the stands in february cheering on the home team and waitng for the city to respond!

[rams80]

Maybe if the team was every any good they might get some coverage. (Didn't the old Wardogs go winless one year?)

[nksports]

Maybe the team needs to market a little better. That's why it takes a little cash to run these things (advertising and all that). Other things teams can do is form a speakers' bureau (getting players and coaches out in the public). Work with advertisers to sponsor player appearances.
Most smaller newspapers and TV stations won't staff out of town games for minor-league teams unless it's nearby or a rival game (it's a budget thing) (they may trade stories or game films for road games). Often a major metro won't staff a minor-league team at all or just put in little briefs.
It's up to a media relations coordinator for the team to hustle and beat the drum. So many of these teams are woeful in their efforts (yes it costs money).

[tony-o]

Believe me, I'll be there cheering on the new Columbus team.

[dogman]

the Columbus group will have some sort of announcement about that 'new' franchise in mid September

[tony-o]

What do you mean by "new"? This team isn't the Valley Vipers, despite what you believe.

[gonzo13]

I think by "new" he means .....uh....New. The fact that they're not the Vipers has been pretty much common knowledge from the beginning.

[Geoff]

Yeah, but a lot of people still insist that it is and will be the Chatahoochee Valley Vipers.