A look around the leagues

by Walter L. Johnson II
June 19, 2003 - NBA G League (G League)

THE ABA IS BACK! On the heels of the San Antonio Spurs winning their second NBA championship, the league that once housed this Texas franchise will undergo a revival for the 2003-2004 season. The "new" ABA will go with franchises in the following cities: Trenton, N.J., Kansas City, Mo., Las Vegas, Long Beach, Calif., as well as Guadalajara and Juarez, Mexico.

There's also the potential for at least one or two expansion franchises to come on board before the 36-game regular-season tips off in November. And with Trenton being the lone ABA outpost on the Eastern seaboard, don't be surprised if cities like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, or St. Louis are mentioned as potential sites before the season starts in less than five months. In the meantime, if you want to relive the days of the old ABA, visit Remember the ABA, at http://www.remembertheaba.com.

ARENA FOOTBALL EXPANSION: With the 17th Arena Football League season drawing to a close with the Arizona Rattlers battling the Tampa Bay Storm this Sunday at 5 p.m. Eastern on NBC, the AFL has enjoyed one of its finest seasons ever, with television viewership increasing from 12 million in 2002 to an astounding 60 million in 2003.

More expansion will be in the works for 2004 and beyond, as the New Orleans Voodoo come on board for next season, while Nashville, Washington, D.C., Jacksonville, and San Francisco are also on top of Commissioner David Baker's wish list. In addition, markets such as Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and even Columbus, Ohio have been considered for potential expansion. In fact, a report in an Oklahoma newspaper reports that the Buffalo Destroyers might be considering a move to the Ohio state capital in time for the 2004 season, or maybe Oklahoma City if things don't work out in Ohio. Apparently, the Destroyers struggled just as badly at the gate as they did on the field, with Buffalo finishing the 2003 campaign at 5-11. Of all the cities considered for expansion, only Columbus currently lacks an NFL franchise, whereas the other markets already have the NFL in place. Having said that, I believe the AFL has potential to grow with this upcoming expansion, and can only the help the league long-term if it's done right.

IN THE "FOLD": Last week's demise of the National Basketball Development League's first two champions, the Greenville (S.C.) Groove (2002), and the Mobile Revelers (2003) obviously shows the pitfalls of the minor league sports business, which, sadly, can be cruel at times. In other words, for all the talk about minor league sports being low-cost family entertainment that anybody and everybody can enjoy, there are also examples like the Groove and Revelers who fail to make the grade at the gate, even if they have a championship season.

You can add yet another casualty to that list, the Arizona-Mexico League, as the fledgling independent baseball circuit ceased operation after less than three weeks of action. Could another independent league, the Southeastern League, be next? The SEL has had share of troubles in its nearly two years of existence, with two of its original franchises closing their doors at mid-season last year, while this year the Selma Cloverleafs were bought by the league, and turned into a traveling team, a la the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the Atlantic League. If that wasn't bad enough, the Houma (La.) Hawks have been kicked out of their own ballpark for a lack of insurance. As a result, it might be just a matter of time before the SEL joins the AZMXL, the All-American Association, and the Big South League, among the growing list of defunct independent leagues. The examples listed just above prove that while minor league sports can be a fun business, the fact remains that it's just that: a business, just as if it were say, a restaurant or a hardware store.

The bottom line is that any business must make a profit in order to succeed. And in the case of minor league sports, one of those ways is to have as many fans as possible fill the arena, ballpark, or stadium. Unfortunately, for fans of the Groove and Revelers and the Arizona-Mexico League, that lesson was learned the hard way.

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