It's not a birthright that Detroit has professional sports teams in each of the four major sports. It's the result of strong corporate support and a loyal fan base willing to pay high prices for tickets.
But those days are over.
The automotive industry as we once knew it is dead. It will reinvent itself with a leaner identity and a more responsible spending philosophy. And that will likely translate into a more conservative approach as it pertains to cutting checks for luxury suites and unlimited entertainment expenses.
It wouldn't be a surprise if Detroit loses at least one of its four professional sports teams within the next 10 years because ownership sells to an outside interest and the franchise moves to an area with a stronger economic base.
If you don't think that's possible, then you're not looking at the current local economic situation with a realistic eye.
Detroit and Phoenix are the only two cities that support four professional sports teams in four separate facilities. That requires four teams capable of finding enough corporate backing for those all-important luxury suites in four different stadiums/arenas to keep the coffers filled without sharing the facility operational costs with another tenant.
That task becomes much tougher for teams in the aftermath of this economic crisis -- especially in Detroit.
The idea of the NFL waiving television blackouts in Detroit has been nationally perceived as the equivalent of a government bailout. But the difference between Congress stepping in to assist the automotive industry and the Lions getting a break from the NFL is that there's no competition for the NFL. It's a monopoly. It possesses full marketing control and can dictate, without competitive challenge, the market price for its product.
That's why it cannot turn a blind eye to what's occurring in Detroit.
There's an obvious reason why the NFL hasn't gotten a new franchise in Los Angeles: It cannot guarantee sellouts in the country's second-largest media market. The NFL's primary business objective remains establishing a premium local value for tickets of home games.
Los Angeles residents have long understood that there's more available to them on a sunny, warm fall Sunday than paying top dollar for an NFL football ticket.
Detroit residents may soon discover there's more available to them on a cold, cloudy fall Sunday, too. That's precisely why the NFL cannot afford to lose a Midwestern stalwart like Detroit.
Detroit's economic base is changing, and the professional sports teams must adapt or else their leagues may soon exist without Detroit.
Contact DREW SHARP at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.
In your voice
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Redpill wrote:
Hey a40oz2yohead do you read the paper? This is not the gas crisis of the 70s. We are looking at Detroit becoming a ghost town like the old steel mill towns of the 70s. It is very probable that 1 or 2 of the big 3 go under and if that is the case how can that not impact our sports market. I hate to break the news that those stadiums aren't built on Joe Fan but on the luxury boxes like Drew said. How many of those luxury boxes are bought by companies with automotive ties? Almost all of them. Time to take you head out of the sand and realize the crisis around you.
11/16/2008 1:04:55 p.m. EDTHey a40oz2yohead do you read the paper? This is not the gas crisis of the 70s. We are looking at Detroit becoming a ghost town like the old steel mill towns of the 70s. It is very probable that 1 or 2 of the big 3 go under and if that is the case how can that not impact our sports market. I hate to break the news that those stadiums aren't built on Joe Fan but on the luxury boxes like Drew said. How many of those luxury boxes are bought by companies with automotive ties? Almost all of them. Time to take you head out of the sand and realize the crisis around you. Redpill
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a40oz2yohead@yahoo.com wrote:
Drew with the obvious static article...No team in Detroit is going anywhere...I don't see any scenario where Detroit loses a pro sports franchise even with a ten year bad economy. The Tigers/Wings will never go, and if so, tell me how in the hell that would happen, and don't give a simple 'Bad Economy' Detroit Fan resilient when the times come they pull together. The Pistons would survive due to how successful the Palace is. The Lions are not selling out because they suck, not because of the economy...they sold out during the first gas crisis in the early 80's and not to mention coming out of a Jimmy Carter economy. Hopefully the Lions will leave on their own and a real pro football franchise comes to town,,,,,that's the only scenario where we lose a so called team
11/16/2008 12:51:01 p.m. EDTDrew with the obvious static article...No team in Detroit is going anywhere...I don't see any scenario where Detroit loses a pro sports franchise even with a ten year bad economy. The Tigers/Wings will never go, and if so, tell me how in the hell that would happen, and don't give a simple 'Bad Economy' Detroit Fan resilient when the times come they pull together. The Pistons would survive due to how successful the Palace is. The Lions are not selling out because they suck, not because of the economy...they sold out during the first gas crisis in the early 80's and not to mention coming out of a Jimmy Carter economy. Hopefully the Lions will leave on their own and a real pro football franchise comes to town,,,,,that's the only scenario where we lose a so called team a40oz2yohead@yahoo.com
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dtw456 wrote:
Neat-o. Not only does the UAW have a hand in taking down the Big 3, putting Detroit's economy in the tank. Connecting the dots from Drew's article, the UAW could also have a hand in running the Lions out of town.
11/16/2008 12:47:38 p.m. EDTNeat-o. Not only does the UAW have a hand in taking down the Big 3, putting Detroit's economy in the tank. Connecting the dots from Drew's article, the UAW could also have a hand in running the Lions out of town. dtw456
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mb1040 wrote:
As Styx said it's "The Grand Elusion".
Pro sports games (all of them) are just the same as a company releasing its financial report, it purely a way to convince your shareholders to invest more. If the report is good (they are winners) and they will rasie prices (so they can stay winners). If the report is bad (they are losers) and they wil raise prices (so they can be winners).
Before I go to another professional sporting event I want to see a law passed that 51% of what I pay goes to education (26%) and a fund to help raise capital to rebuild our countries oil dependent infrastructure (25%). Then my perception will be that my money did something beside buy another Escalade for someone that can run and carry a football at the same time.
Whiie I wait for that, I'll keeping going to the high school next door and watch the games played purely for the fun of and keep helping the kids with their math homework. I would rather help create another Albert Einstein than Barry Sanders...
11/16/2008 12:40:49 p.m. EDTAs Styx said it's "The Grand Elusion".
Pro sports games (all of them) are just the same as a company releasing its financial report, it purely a way to convince your shareholders to invest more. If the report is good (they are winners) and they will rasie prices (so they can stay winners). If the report is bad (they are losers) and they wil raise prices (so they can be winners).
Before I go to another professional sporting event I want to see a law passed that 51% of what I pay goes to education (26%) and a fund to help raise capital to rebuild our countries oil dependent infrastructure (25%). Then my perception will be that my money did something beside buy another Escalade for someone that can run and carry a football at the same time.
Whiie I wait for that, I'll keeping going to the high school next door and watch the games played purely for the fun of and keep helping the kids with their math homework. I would rather help create another Albert Einstein than Barry Sanders... mb1040
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wangster wrote:
Drew Sharp craps in his bed.
11/16/2008 12:31:39 p.m. EDTDrew Sharp craps in his bed. wangster
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