Sports stats



Q and A with John Tyner

by Chris Rouhier, www.ABAsite.tk
July 6, 2005 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Chattanooga Steamers


John Tyner is the President of the Chattanooga Steamers, an expansion team in the American Basketball Association. His interest in doing a Q and A was expressed to me through a Steamers staff member who is active on the forums. Many thanks go out to both of them. Good luck this year to the Steamers!

Why did you join the ABA?

There were several factors which led to our deciding to attach ourselves to the ABA. First, there is my association with Coach Ralph Underhill, and his purchase of several markets within the ABA league. I was fortunate to meet Coach Underhill during a Pro-Am Tournament last year. At the time, I was fully involved in running my sports agency business, and Coach Underhill was interested in a couple of the players I represent. Soon after, I was asked to become involved with a team he was putting together in Cincinnati, and after gaining some much needed experience, he asked me if I would be interested in helping him start another team in Chattanooga. I was happy that he (Coach Underhill) had that amount of faith in my abilities.

A second reason for my involvement in the ABA is that, in comparison with other minor league systems, the ABA would seem to have the best potential for success. I think, for example, that well-run ABA teams attract some of the best players in the basketball world.

Did you explore other minor leagues?

We did check into the possibility of being associated with other leagues; however, the ABA, due in part to its mainstream appeal in the 1960's and 1970's, and some of the rules and traditions it has carried on into its latest incarnation, make the ABA the most logical choice in minor league professional basketball.

What is your background in sports?

I played college baseball at Mercer University. After graduation, I became involved in real estate. In the early 1990's, my wife and I founded a small mortgage lending company. After the business was established, I found that I was still interested in being involved in sports, especially in areas of recruiting and sports management. Mike Gilliam and I established "Opportunities Through Athletics". Our goal was to advise high school athletes who had good chances of taking their athletic careers into the college arena. Later, I founded Team Tyner, a sports agency.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to achieving success with your team?

Well, there are several obstacles, most of which have been expected. One problem is the establishment of a brand-new team in a new city. By this I mean that fans and local governments are not automatically going to extend a huge welcome because you have decided they need a new sports market. Governments, and particularly potential fans, want to see signs that you are serious about locating the team, doing the extensive legwork needed to get the team up and running, and getting quality players that are capable of taking the team to post-season play.

Second, and following the first, is attracting attention of sponsors. Again, the problem is in presenting yourself as a viable organization, one that potential sponsors can look at and see the benefits of investing their advertising dollars.

How will your team approach that obstacle?

We have come up with several approaches to address these issues. The first was to get a competent and dedicated staff. And while each member of the staff understands and carries out their individual duties, they also realize that at this point in the formation of the Chattanooga Steamers club, that everyone involved has an overall responsibility of making the team successful. I prefer that we all see ourselves as marketers of our name and vision, and do everything possible to advance the club.

Community support is an issue that we address daily. At this point, with the upcoming season over four months away, the average fan is not thinking basketball; baseball is in full swing, and college football is just around the corner, so we have to work especially hard to attract attention from the local media, as well as other outlets. Our strategy in this area is to show the community through these various outlets that progress is being made in the formation of the team and outlining our intentions to the public.

While attracting attention from the public is paramount, we also have to take what steps we can to make a profit, if possible. To this end, we have spent the past weeks interviewing local marketing and promotion firms. This is important because we are not professional marketers. To attract sponsors, we have to aggressively pursue every promotional opportunity, and this is best left to professionals.

What will define a successful year for your team off the court?

One of the qualities we are looking for in potential players for the Steamers is their willingness to interact with the people of Chattanooga, particularly children. We have plans to have players visit with the various children's groups in town, including the Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. The goal here is to be as assessable as possible, and in turn, keeping our presence known during the off-season.

How much interest has been generated so far?

Our reception by the City of Chattanooga was very friendly, and city agencies involved in sports, conventions, and tourism were interested from the start by our intention to place the team in Chattanooga. The media (primarily print and radio) have been pretty good to us since we announced ourselves, and the response from players who want to play in Chattanooga has been strong thus far. We're getting several inquiries per day concerning tryout camps.

Have you talked to players yet?

Response from players throughout the southeast has been overwhelming of late. We had planned to have one camp; however, we have had to look at having more tryout camps to accommodate the demand. We've had inquiries from players in Europe, as well. The affect on attracting a coaching staff has been correspondingly overwhelming. I have been fielding calls for the past three months concerning coaching opportunities with the franchise. The response we have received from potential players and coaches has forced us as well to adopt a philosophy of getting players who have chance of moving up to elite levels of European or N.B.A. caliber playing and coaching.

What are your impressions of the new regulations the ABA has implemented?

I think they are a step in the right direction. The new regulations probably do not address all the issues that need to be looked at; however, it is a good sign that things are being looked, and hopefully, followed through.

Are there any you would like to have seen added, but were not?

No, but that falls back to the league addressing problems that crop up from season to season. As the rules put in place are refined over time, there will be fewer problems to address.

How do you view the ABA vs. other minor league basketball (CBA, NBDL, etc.)?

There are several differences concerning the ABA versus other minor league programs. One is that most of the other leagues have fewer teams, which works to the advantage of leagues like the CBA, who seems to be trending toward a more regional presence. The ABA follows this trend as well (playing in divisions as we do), but still could be classified as a nationwide league due to the number of teams and the diversity of locations that franchises are set in.

Another area of difference is the opportunity for year-round play, mostly in the form of overseas tours during the off-season. Some ABA franchises have had great success in sending teams overseas. I see this as a win-win situation. First, there's a better chance that we can retain the best of our players from season to season by reducing the possibility of scheduling conflicts that arise when players have to bounce from league to league. Second, we would get a lot of name recognition at home. I can envision the local fans keeping up with the team while it's on its tour, then welcoming the team back home to start the season over again.

Have you secured a venue for the upcoming season?

Yes, we have reached an agreement and secured dates to play at a 4,100 seat arena in Chattanooga, though we are withholding the official announcement until our press conference is arranged.

Do you have any closing thoughts?

We would like to thank you for the opportunity to answer your questions. It helps to have a forum where opportunities exist to promote our team. We are hoping that we will be playing in Chattanooga for a very long time, and we think the ABA has given us a skeleton outline to be able to accomplish this goal. Finally, we would ask the fans in Chattanooga and elsewhere to give us a chance to prove ourselves.

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.

• Discuss this story on the American Basketball Association message board...

American Basketball Association Stories from July 6, 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.

Other Recent Chattanooga Steamers Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central