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ABA wish list for expansion teams in 2005

by Derrick Pearson
January 19, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)


I have had the fortunate ability to be able to travel around and see the sights and lights of ABA basketball. I have seen the airport issues, the office troubles, the shady side deals and the bad hotels. I have also seen the astounding play, the enthusiastic basketball fans, the smiles of thousands of children at the games and the proud families of the players who show that basketball is still a game, is still wonderful and is still universal.

That having been said, here are some of the things future ABA players and owners and media need to know to make their ABA experience all that it can be. The names and locations have been changed to protect the innocent and the incompetent.

Owners, please do not kid yourselves, the league, your community or your players. This league requires more than a business plan and $10,000. You will need competent professionals in place to represent the cities, the players and yourselves. Friends and family tend to be a very bad idea, no matter who the friend or family member happen to be. If you want a running ledger of what you need cash wise, lets start with this: $750,000 of expendable cash. Cash that you can afford to lose if you don't sell one season ticket. That's right, LOTS of cash. I am not talking about worth, I am talking about CASH, in the bank and available up immediately. I am not talking about projected cash due to ticket sales or sponsorships, or cash from friends down the road. I mean CASH, now. And most don't understand that coming in to this venture and it ultimately shoots them in the foot shortly after startup. Also owner friends, do yourself a favor and talk to the owners of other teams that have done well. They know the real deal and will help you if you ask them.

Owners, please understand that you can put together a great concept, but your coach should be someone OTHER than yourself. You will have your hands full overseeing all of the business doings and dealings, so leave the game coaching to someone that you trust and that is NOT a yes man. When you get caught up on a tangent, you need someone that will look out for the best interest of the players and the team. You also want a GM that focuses on the business at hand, the business itself. Sales should be handled by a group of salesmen. Cutting back on sales is no way to make revenue. More is better, because it tends to weed out shadiness and slackers, and you can easily identify those that will make you money and those that wont. Public Relations require someone that wants to be in public and is social by nature. Not so much rah rah, but someone that knows how to make sure that everyone in the community has a reason to come and see your team play or be involved in what youre doing. A poor PR person or lack there of can shut down your franchise in a hurry. One last thing owners, make sure that the person handling your money for the team is just that, a professional money handler with no ties to anyone other than you and the bottom line that you have set.

Commissioner, please help me on this. You can not invite owners to a survival camp with no food, lodging, direction, or tools and expect them to succeed or survive. You have to give them some help and it has to be fair. Lets start with who you let in and go from there. And how about equipment and such for all things that are uniform and universal in the league and its game presentation. How about each team having to have a deal in contract form before being accepted that shows how much their air travel will cost to cities already existing. How about making the 3-D lights a part of the franchise package? How about paying the officials yourself wit money from the franchise deal? If there isn't enough, then raise the fees to pay for all things and include everything that each team will need or must have in order to be in the league. How about making sure that the visiting team is fed and provided transportation of some quality so that its not a mish mash of small vans and cars and fast food. All of these things should be dealt with BEFORE a team is accepted. Team and visiting team hotels should be done before a team is allowed in the league. In other words, how about making sure that not only each team is competent and aware of all things required and needed in order to succeed, but that they actually have things as a part of your agreement with them in advance so that there is less risk, less unknown, and a much simpler plan of success for the ABA.

Media, wow now this is one that moves me from the heart. Any product that is worth seeing has to be made available to the masses in order for word to spread. As a part of the original agreement, each team should have the email addresses and phone numbers for all reporters in their area. There has to be media packages pre-made for teams so that they understand that you cant send mass emails to media because corporate email systems prevent those emails from getting through, they are never seen. That most media are skeptics and believe the ABA will fail, unless you include them in as a part of the marketing itself. That each venue must have media friendly accommodation and amenities. Phone lines, data lines, fax lines, and press kits with information on players and the staff and the games themselves are a must before anything else. Internet access in each venue is mandatory and the lack of will guarantee a failed event and publicity afterwards. Radio stations want tons of cash as well to broadcast games, and the new path is for each team to make the games available over the internet, which gives more access to more people around the country and league, and should be a part of the initial ownership agreement. The internet broadcast allows for fans, family, corporations, and the league itself to follow the games and the teams and build some community.

Players really get the short end of things in the ABA. Travel, meals, paydays, contracts, per diems, etc., etc., etc. All of the player contracts should be sent to the league and paid through the league to guarantee that players get paid on time. If the owners have the cash that they should in advance, why not have the league hold that cash and disperse it to players based upon contracts? Or how about a separate trust agreement with PAYCHEX to hold funds strictly for the players payroll? If there is a salary cap, all teams have the same amount of money to set aside to get the teams through its 36 game season. Per Diems are also pre-set based upon travel games and such. Any league worth ink should understand that without healthy happy players, the product itself cant be quality. To make players stay in dumpish hotels, feed them trashy food, to make them ride a full day in cramped cars and play a game that night are all statements of indifference to the league, fans, and players themselves. The ABA is better than that, or needs to be.

Fans, you are the force that keeps this game and league going. Demand what you want, protest when you don't get it, and use your voice to say what needs to be said. If your local media isn't giving you the coverage you want, say so. If your team isn't giving you the access and information that you desire, scream at the top of your lungs until you get it. If players aren't appreciative of your time and support, turn your voice on them to remind them that you are there and you demand satisfaction.

I am sure that I have missed some things and that there will be rebuttals and denials and accusations in both public and private. That's fine I say, because I have broad shoulders and can take it. But ultimately, this was written as a public notice of my support and commitment to the league and the players and staff that make it go. The ABA has a place in the sports world, and unless the powers that be and the powers that pay and the powers that pay get together to make the changes needed, the ABA will become another footnote, another what was, and not the entity that it can be or should be.

I have the foresight to see the best in the ABA. I know my rose colored glasses have been dirtied from time to time this year, but I clean them off and continue to see this league and its players for the best of what it is and not the worst.

So to the Utah Snowbears, Arkansas Rimrockers, Texas Tycoons, Mississippi Stingers, Nashville Rhythm and Kansas City Knights, etal., Bravo, and job well done. To all of those that I have missed, intentionally or otherwise, get better. Do better. The players and fans in your community deserve better. Through no fault of yours you have been left to fend off sharks and misdirection with a butter knife and a matchstick flame. To the ABA, we want you to succeed, we hope that you succeed, we need for you to succeed. We are out here willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. Let us help you, let us be there for you. And please, help us and be there for us. The ABA has its future counting on it.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from January 19, 2005


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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