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Over a Cup of Coffee

by Jerry Hewitt
October 13, 2010 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Billings Outlaws


I've said little on the Billings Outlaws situation. I figured with all that's being said by the Billings media, I had little new to add to the subject. I don't care if $42,000 is a small amount to close up one of indoor footballs best franchises or whether the county or the Outlaws handled this correctly. None of this matters if the team is gone.

Out of the Billings media I heard that the real reason the Outlaws called it a day was because they were losing money and ownership grew tired of the money pit. I don't know if this is true or not, and it doesn't matter except that a team that's drawing 4,000 fans a game shouldn't be losing money. But that same media source also said much of that attendance was unpaid. If that's true and that number is significant, that might be one reason the team was running in the red.

The question I have is if a ten year old team, who appeared to do everything right, including getting great local media coverage, can't make it, what chance do most other indoor football teams have? On the surface it may say others have little chance, but let's explore at least some of the underlying factors that may have contributed to the Outlaws closing up shop.

First there is the ticket giveaway issue. Almost any good marketing agency will tell you that giving away your product will only devalue its worth. Granted, a few samples might entice some to purchase the whole package, but if you give away the product or discount it heavily, the end result is fewer people paying full price. I believe this may have been the case for the Outlaws: there were so many giveaways that walk up ticket sales declined.

Next the Outlaws ownership was driven to build a champion and maybe too much so. They had a facility built specifically for practice where most teams use local facilities already in place, as building your practice facility is no cheap undertaking. This gave the team an edge, no question about that, but with an expense that has to be figured into the financial bottom line.

Rather than house out of area players in local motels or apartments in a trade out arrangement as most teams do, the Billings club purchased a local motel to house players year round. Of course this added to their championship formula for success, as players certainly want to play for a team that offers the best "legal" perks, but again maybe it was just another unnecessary cost.

I've given just three examples of what we see from published reports. These factors alone could cause a high financial burden most teams don't have. It makes no sense to me that the average team with paid attendance of around 4,000 shouldn't at least be able to break even, but when a team starts to think they are more major league than minor, it can ultimately result in more than a championship. In this case, total failure of the team.

This is the minor leagues. Players are only superstars on a small stage. Owners need to understand their markets and the level at which they play. I think players deserve to be treated well, but not like major league players. Owners and fans want championships, but not at the cost of a team's financial viability. I think there may be a lesson here for all teams at this level. Unfortunately that lesson will be learned at the expense of one of the best teams in the game.

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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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