Norfolk SharX Fold

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preeths
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Norfolk SharX Fold

Post by preeths » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:24 pm

After one year, the team has called it quits:
//www.oursportscentral.com/service ... id=4431183

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Mon Jun 25, 2012 8:41 pm

I remember when Soccer-Man broke the news on this. Good times.
Old enough to remember when bashing the ABA was fun.

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Post by nksports » Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:58 pm

Team president and minority owner Marcie Laumann wrote:"but getting attendees in the door the first time proved too challenging with limited marketing funds."
Time and time again: limited (or no marketing) funds=no chance for success.

If there ever was a sports business 101 class offered somewhere, the number one rule is if you don't have the money for marketing and advertising, then you don't have enough money to start a pro sports franchise.

Field of Dreams was just a fictional movie starring Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. In real life, it takes real $$$. Take that to the bank.

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Post by dmbishop » Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:32 pm

One of the most unfortunate points is that there are still several viable interested investors out there who understand the connection the Norfolk SharX made to their fans in this area, the economic viability of the team and the value that a professional major league team brings to this area, but unfortunately the clock simply appears to have run out on options for continuance without someone writing a check," said Laumann. "If one of the interested investors was able to step forward today or tomorrow, then perhaps there could still be a 2012/13 season, but without such a commitment, we have to call everything to a close.
Hmmm... Lots of potential investors, none of which are willing to spend any money.

If they did (and wanted to spend money on an already failed venture), we might change our minds.

Very ABA-ish.
Please see: //www.oursportscentral.com/boards/ ... hp?t=20144

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Sam Hill
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Post by Sam Hill » Tue Jun 26, 2012 7:37 pm

Okay, wait...if an investor is both viable and interested, what keeps them from doing it?

If they're not going to do it, they're not interested. If they can't afford to do it, they're not viable. If they're really both, you'd think they'd just do it.

I am left to conclude the potential investors are not actually interested, and I could probably be convinced that they're not viable, either.
Old enough to remember when bashing the ABA was fun.

BlastFan
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Post by BlastFan » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:16 pm

Shocker. Everyone saw this comming.

The sad thing is, I believe, an indoor soccer team could make a "go of it," relatively speaking*, in that market. If there was a more experienced ownership group at hold of the team, I believe they could be playing another season this year.

Instead of a qualified ownership group, it was a woman who owned a woman's semi-pro soccer team who ran the SharX on a low budget. Tickets were devalued by all the promos they did that year (you could buy seats up front for $8, and there was one $8 bogo deal that year too...) I sure feel sorry for those one or two people that may have bought "lifetime season tickets." That was a joke...

And along with devaluing your tickets, there is a certain level of professionalism that is required with running a pro sports team. Playing on a football field turf and having announcers/broadcasters that know little about the game are not two of them.

I signed up for email newsletters from them and I got more emails about what their women's team was up to (they shared contact lists). Easily 3-1 ratio: womens team to SharX.

---
* by relatively speaking I mean they might not be making money but at least be staying alive like the Wave and the other teams that are having financial difficulties.

Take a look at the hockey team in the Norfolk area. There has been a minor league hockey team around for years there. Obviously, they are doing something right and the market would have been a "good one" for indoor soccer. Not to mention, the success of the Norfolk Tides Triple A team...

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