IBL in upstate NY?

[BreakersFan]

Alot of you guys are closer to this stuff than I am, but heard from a contact that the IBL was looking for owners in some upstate NY markets like Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, and Elmira. Purely rumor but I know there are alsot of upstate NYers on this board.

I also remember that Buffalo was listed for awhile as a new team on the league website. What do you guys think? Could a cluster of teams in NY be viable?

[tbayz1]

It would be cool, and I think the IBL should have some teams around here, I havent heard anything though but I dont follow the IBL very closely. In Buffalo, maybe a spring team could do better than a winter team like the Silverbacks because by the time the IBL starts, football is over and hockey and indoor lacrosse is ending, all they would really have to compete with is AAA Baseball

[MJHankel]

That could deffinitely give the NY USBL teams a future.

[mammal]

The IBL works best in small to mid size markets. Not sure if NY is the best place for a new team. Seattle, Portland, Chicago did no draw well. Even Salem, which was a fantastic team, did not draw well.

[Strong Island Sound]

Although New York is viewed as a big market, there are areas throughout the state that can be looked at differently. Especially upstate, and the further north that you go from the five boroughs, the smaller the market becomes.

If an IBL team was placed in an area that did not have a lot of sports options, they could do OK. A small venue in a place where it can be reached by surrounding towns would be the way to go.

A league such as the IBL would have to group a few teams from that general area in a division, which would be interesting considering that the bulk of that league is out west.

[bballnut]

I think Albany would be a good fit. They already had a USBL team. They have a wonderful organization. Good fan base.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

I think Albany would be a good fit. They already had a USBL team. They have a wonderful organization. Good fan base.

Maybe. Just as long as the Patroons stick to one league at a time only. The Patroons did little to no marketing with their USBL team and chose not to participate in the USBL post-season tournament. Fan support wasn't there for their USBL team either, but of course the lack of fans was the media's fault (according to the Patroons organization).

[panchess]

..in the spring. Too much going on, with af2, lacrosse and all. The Patroons didn't cover themselves with glory with their USBL efforts, for sure, but they did put a winning team on the floor and had an established fan base with their CBA team that made the league finals. The results? 150 people a game. I went to three USBL games. It was a dead atmosphere.

Much of Upstate New York is lacrosse country in the spring, like Central New York and much of the Mohawk Valley and eastern New York. If you tried a market where lacrosse isn't as big a deal (Binghamton or Niagara Falls come to mind), spring basketball might work a lot better.

[bballnut]

Just wondering how Gary did this past USBL season with fans? I understand there last couple of years in the CBA was a struggled with fans. Hope thngs were better in the USBL.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Just wondering how Gary did this past USBL season with fans? I understand there last couple of years in the CBA was a struggled with fans. Hope thngs were better in the USBL.

I don't think the Steelheads did well enough with fans this past USBL season (we have high standards in Northwest Indiana, you know 8) )...and I'm not one of those people who blames the USBL for small crowds. Sure, the lack of stability certainly affected revenue--however, the teams weren't putting butts in seats regardless. Additionally, the fans in Gary were a bit confused because they didn't know the Steelheads were playing in the spring. People are still confused about what time of year Gary will hit the courts because of all the confusion the Trinity group generates wherever they go. The time is now to sell suites, season tickets, and the party deck. At least it should be the time, but it's still not official that the Steelheads will be in the IBL. Oh well.

This is from Gary's 2006 CBA championship run. Nice crowds, right? Wrong. This is a photo of a group of people pretending like they have been attending games all season long. Truth is that the crowds only started coming out during the run for the playoffs.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t181/kennethap/DSCI0027.jpg

[MJHankel]

Well I know the lady in the bottom left with the custom steelheads cap is at like every game including the USBL ones.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Well I know the lady in the bottom left with the custom steelheads cap is at like very game including the USBL ones

Yeah, she is one of the hardcore fans that will show-up for games regardless of the marketing (normally, she sits in another section). The lady with the short hair and beige sweater in the same box section used to show-up for all the Steelheads games, but when the ownership group changed and people in that box had to actually pay (I've always paid my way) she hasn't been back. The same for a couple in the Nicholson seats who made every CBA game. They opted to sit in the $10 seats instead for the USBL opener and haven't been seen at a game since. Sigh!

[PRosen65]

The IBL would do very well in Upstate New York. I have spoken to Mikal Dulio, the league commish, and he would like to have a cluster here if the right owners are available. In Rochester there is a lot of competition for the minor league sports dollar in the summer, but Buffalo, Syracuse, Ithaca, and Corning could be interesting plays.


Alot of you guys are closer to this stuff than I am, but heard from a contact that the IBL was looking for owners in some upstate NY markets like Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, and Elmira. Purely rumor but I know there are alsot of upstate NYers on this board.

I also remember that Buffalo was listed for awhile as a new team on the league website. What do you guys think? Could a cluster of teams in NY be viable?

[bballnut]

What is the chance that Albany's USBL team joins the IBL? It would save them tons of money.

[panchess]

..Chuck would know better than me, but I think the attitude of the Patroons to spring ball is "been there, done that." Not only was the USBL bad, but there was no fan base at the games.

[sportsnut2000]

I think it would be a great idea to have teams in upstate New York