Trials and Tribulations of the ABA Continue

by Chris Munson
Published on November 20, 2008 under American Basketball Association (ABA)


Just two weeks into the 2008-2009 ABA season problems have already started to mount for the much maligned league.

The most public issue facing the ABA right now is the legal problems of Chief Operating Officer Quentin Townsend. A civil case was filed against him for fraud and forgery, and he was subsequently arrested on related criminal charges. Townsend has admitted guilt in the civil matter and has agreed to pay Jayhawk Sports, LLC, his former partners in the ABA's Atlanta Vision, $300,000 in damages. To add to Townsend's problems, he has been held in the Forsyth County (Ga.) jail on a $600,000 bond for the past two weeks on the criminal charges.

As a result of the charges, ABA CEO Joe Newman has suspended Townsend from his duties with the league. Newman has said the suspension will be in effect until the judicial process has run its course and Townsend is exonerated.

The charges against Towsend lead to some serious credibility issues for the league, and have caused a ripple effect throughout the ABA. Partially as a result of Townsend's imprisonment, the league's schedule still has not been completed, despite the fact the ABA is two weeks into its season. Some of the fallout from Mr. Townsend's arrest has already started to hit the league. Sources have stated that several ABA teams have contacted the Premier Basketball League to see if they can gain entry for this season.

Another issue the league is facing has to do with its officials. In an email to them, relayed by Head of Officials Tom Chichester, Newman has advised the officials they will have to take a pay cut for at least the first two months of the season. In the e-mail Chichester stated, "After several days of back and forth conversations...the league has taken a strong line with us on officials' fees. Due to recent economic conditions, teams losing sponsorship, the internal bad news of the suspension of our newly appointed league president and the fact that some teams may not even be able to hold on with all of this.... The league has mandated to me that, at least through the months of November and December, that game rates are to be cut to $300 TOTAL for the game...In hopes that after evaluation of things perhaps things can return to the "somewhat normal" range of fees in January."

Things have become so bad that even Newman admitted there are problems with the league. In another email, he explained the reasons for the officials' pay cut, writing, "The reality of the current situation is that the teams are facing extremely difficult times - not only with an economy that has made sponsorships almost impossible due to the cutbacks by local businesses as their business is down 25-50-75% - but also by the negative impact of Quentin (Townsend the newly appointed League President). We are working extremely hard just to keep things going in many cities that were very secure, very well funded. Several teams are in jeopardy. They are asking players to play for less - consolidating travel - and doing many other cutbacks - just to survive."

In addition, the ABA continues to struggle with issues that have plagued the league for quite sometime including the lack of a solid schedule, player pay and shifting opponents.

As of November 20, 2008, two weeks into the season, the ABA still does not have a schedule on its website, nor has a schedule been released to the media. In nearly every professional league, schedules are released months before the start of the season. In the case of the ABA, the master schedule is still being completed and seemingly is done on the fly. How are fans supposed to know when their team is playing and where they are playing? The lack of a schedule doesn't do much for getting fans into the stands.

Out of five scheduled games thus far, one has already utilized a non-league replacement opponent. The Westchester Phantoms, a team that did not complete last season, was supposed to play at the Jersey Express this past weekend. Instead, and with no explanation offered, the Express played and lost to the Eastern Basketball Alliance's Alexandria Avengers.

Other team sources have told OurSports Central that some teams are paying players with a percentage of their gate receipts or based upon how many tickets they sell instead of guaranteeing them per game rates.

Last season the ABA played a mere 38 percent of its scheduled games and returns only seven of last season's squads. With the charges against Townsend and the admission by CEO Newman that many league teams are having serious financial problems, many wonder if the ABA will survive the season.

Chris Munson is a freelance sportswriter based in Jacksonville, Florida. Chris is the former Sports Director for ESPN Radio Vermont and has written for Our Sports Central, US Basket, d3football.com, Varsity Magazine, the Vermont Times and Vermont Guardian.

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.

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American Basketball Association Stories from November 20, 2008


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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