Tech, Money & Sports: Detroit's Last Stand

It's fitting that on baseball's big Opening Day, one of the stories that looms large over today's big day is, obviously, the still-not-hit-the-bottom economic collapse that's shaking America to its foundations. While the American Southwest (especially three states -- California, Nevada and Arizona -- that have been hit hardest by the housing crisis) has a long way to climb out of this mess, no other state in the Union has been hit harder in the totality of this economic crisis than Michigan -- a formerly industry-heavy state staring down the once unthinkable, now very real possibility of fiscal insolvency.

But the real tragedy in this entire debacle is not just the state of Michigan. It's Detroit -- a city that, within the next 15 years, could effectively become a ghost town. This is a scenario that will have profound implications not just for the citizens of this moribund city, but of its sports franchises.

This being said, it's not as if this economic collapse isn't already having a major impact on Detroit's sports scene. This is just the beginning.

The full measure of how desperate the situation is when it comes to sports in Detroit really hit home today with the unsettling revelation that the Tigers have lost half of their 27,000 season ticket base in less than one season. With the auto industry hanging on for dear life and barely able to post monthly payrolls at this point, it's understandable that frills like baseball games are going to take a back seat in a city that posts a shocking 13 per cent unemployment rate. Never mind the fact the MLB has become overly reliant on ticket revenues due to poor planning and bad economic decisions; what does this all mean for the Tigers' bottom line?

Economics aside, this is not a happy time to be a professional sports fan in Detroit. Aside from the permanent success that is the Red Wings (more on that later), you don't need to be reminded anymore of the jaw-dropping disaster that is the Detroit Lions or the non-contending nature of the Detroit Pistons. Professional sports -- as has been argued by yours truly on this blog, no less -- are a form of escape from the harsh realities we all face everyday, but what happens when the malaise in your 'real life' ends up in the sports world too?

(Aside: oh, right. Well, at least there's growth here).

In terms of background, it's important to understand why Detroit in particular is in the condition it is. For the city of Detroit proper, this economic collapse and automotive crisis have only helped to speed up an urban decline that has been ongoing since the 1970's. As the surrounding suburbs of Detroit have actually flourished as more families migrated out of the city to escape growing crime rates (or at least, the perception of growing crimes rates, as well as a certain unspoken topic in Detroit's less-than-pretty recent history) , the city's overwhelming dependency on the Big Three automakers has created a perfect storm for a metro area that is analogous to a donut: economically diverse, low crime rates and successful on the suburban fringes and a hollowed out urban mess at the centre. While Detroit has been encouraging new forms of economic growth -- Information Technology and Biotechnology to name a few -- the city of Detroit proper has, in recent years, been forced to go to two options that no economically healthy city would dare touch as primary sources of city revenue: legalized casinos and heavy duty promotion of tourism. I don't know about you, but since when would you ever go to a city now known more for this rundown, detritus-filled public image than this nostalgia-fueled one?

While it's generally verboten to talk about this in 'post-racial America' -- a strange, very false point of pride many American commentators have used in the Age of Obama -- and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew here, but it's nearly impossible to not view all this distressing economic and sports world problems through the prism of race. White flight to these suburban zones aside, there's a real sense that in spite of a post-racial President and the fact no one from any nationality is truly safe in America now in light of this economic collapse, it's hard to ignore how race and racism in America remains very much alive. It's not spoken about often enough, but it's something to ponder when it comes to both the economic and sports decline of Detroit.

Sports is a window into a lot more than just fun and games. As I've said here before, it's a business too, and the business is not healthy in Detroit.

In spite of the fact sports is ultimately about money in the end, the pro sports franchise is a community bond that very few public works projects, art galleries or museums enjoy. It's one of the few places where everyone of all walks of life (sorry, but if you believe an art gallery is where 'all walks of life' go, you haven't spent time at the Art Gallery of Ontario recently) go and enjoy themselves. Detroit can ill afford to lose these institutions. It's a clear sign, once a pro sports team leaves, that something profound and truly tangible has been lost.

One interesting final, somewhat uplifting point: in spite of pro sports' troubles in Detroit, college basketball is doing surprisingly well. There's the news that tonight, at the cavernous Ford Field (talk about sad irony), the underdog University of Michigan State will square off for the NCAA national title against the favoured North Carolina Tar Heels.

It's fitting that Michigan is the underdog. After all, the state and the city of Detroit have been underdogs many times. Right now, both of them are staring down odds of survival that are even at best right now.

Let's hope they beat the odds again.

Battling for Airtime: oh, what a weekend!

This weekend was made of the stuff that sports fans dream of, the entire weekend was a case study in why sports compels so many!

In Junior Hockey the Canadian squad started off strong in exhibition play all weekend long, providing excitement to the masses eagerly anticipating the start up of the tournament in just a matter of days.

This weekend's Football ticket was nothing short of intriguing, confusing and exciting all at the same time as the playoff picture become nothing short of muddier - the perfect compliment for the action that began the night before. Saturday night, the historic last game played at Texas Stadium, provided both a defensive showdown early with an offensive explosion in the final quarter, coming virtually right down to the wire to decide the outcome and close down the hallowed field.

While on the ice the professional ranks shone on Saturday night with two Canadian teams winning in dramatic fashion in OT, while another played the uncommon role this season of a dominant winning side for a change! There was also some Curling thrown into the mix as well as North America squared off against a World team, which was broadcast throughout the weekend (for those interested, I came back to it from time to time).

And in the world of Footy the FIFA World Club Championship (for those following) came to a close with Manchester United on top while an undermanned Arsenal drew Liverpool, once again giving Chelsea a chance to move atop the EPL - whether they take the bait or not is another issue altogether...

Suffice it to say, it isn't hard to assume that basketball was pushed to the side this weekend by many, even before Friday night's rather embarrassing Raptors loss to the worst team in the Association (well, those with TSN2 had that choice on Friday night anyways).

The Toronto Raptors may not have been the sports fan subject of choice on Saturday night, but if that is the case it's rather unfortunate because if one had been flipping back and forth they would've seen a flawed (yes) but spirited effort on the part of Toronto facing off against perennial giants the San Antonio Spurs. Yes, the holes were still apparent, but the desire was also apparent too - something missing the night before. An effort like that would have earned them a win on Friday night in Oklahoma City. Once again the team continues along on its common theme of the season thus far: hope is rekindled that the team can put it together after a more inspired effort against a top flight team, but then of course that one last point still lingers on - the game was still another loss.

Overall, a sports fan couldn't have asked for a better weekend - well for the most part, of course for the Raptors fans out there things could have been better! As football winds down and hockey picks up twofold it's likely basketball will take a seat over the next little while for many Canadian sports fans. Every once and a while though try and throw some hoops into the mix, you never know you may actually get a good game out of it!

McCown, Brunt and Mitchell on the AFL's potential demise

Bob McCown and Stephen Brunt discussed the AFL's potential collapse and its implications for the CFL on their radio/TV show Prime Time Sports this afternoon with Hamilton Tiger-Cats president Scott Mitchell, and there were plenty of interesting points made. Several of them were in line with my speculation yesterday, but there were some unexpected questions and responses as well. The audio file of the interview can be found here on the Fan 590 home page. Some of their key comments are after the jump, along with my analysis.

In the opening segment, McCown and Brunt discussed the AFL for a while, and both seemed to come to the conclusion that its demise would probably help the CFL in some way. As McCown said, "The presumption is that it probably would be a good thing for the CFL". Mitchell disagreed, though, arguing that if the AFL cancelled its season, the impact would probably be "negligible." He thought that the relatively small crossover rate between the two leagues meant that most AFL guys weren't cut out for the CFL and vice versa. "It’s a different skill set, a different type of player," he said. "Even without that league there, I’m not sure you’re going to see a large migration of players up here."

I don't buy that argument, though. Yes, the game is a bit different, but there are certainly those who could play in either league. As Montreal Alouettes general manager Jim Popp told The Globe and Mail's David Naylor yesterday, there are probably three to five players on each team who would attract some CFL interest, representing 51 to 85 players total by my calculations. Popp is also actively involved the football operations side, while Mitchell primarily oversees the business end, so I trust Popp's evaluation more here. There's also some good talent in the league: check out this list of some notable arena football alumni who have made it to the NFL.

Furthermore, the historical lack of players transferring between the two leagues does not mean that situation would hold if one league collapsed. The salaries are quite similar for many players, so the AFL was a chance for Americans who couldn't crack the NFL to stay in the U.S. and still play football. If it goes under, there's much more incentive for them to come to the CFL (and less alternative options as well). Thus, you'd probably see more Americans willing to come north. As McCown said, "If that option is removed, now where do these guys go?" His conclusion was that a bunch of them would come to Canada, and that seems plausible from here.

The next subject of discussion was Arena League quarterbacks in particular, as the league's known for its quarterback play (the Arizona Cardinals' Kurt Warner got his start in the AFL). Mitchell admitted that quarterback is "one area that could be interesting," but then dumped a little cold water on it by suggesting that "it’s a very quick pass league and arm strength isn’t the prerequisite for the quarterback." Well, arm strength is great, but many NFL and CFL teams have proved that it isn't always necessary; just ask Bill Walsh, Jon Gruden and Chad Pennington. Reading the defence and making good decisions can be just as important.

Another interesting point that was brought up was the idea of suspension versus completely dissolving the league. Mitchell seemed to think that a one-year suspension wouldn't kill the league, but Brunt made an excellent point to the contrary along my own lines of thought. "It seems to me that if something goes away right now, the notion of trying to bring it back 12 months from now in what's probably going to be a worse economy is a non-starter," he said. Personally, I don't see how the AFL could expect to come back after sitting out a year; you'd lose all of your players and contracts, and not all of them would come running back if they found a better situation. You also lose your TV deals, your corporate sponsorship and a good deal of your fan base. It would likely be extremely difficult to revive the league after a year-long suspension.

Brunt also raised the issue of the AFL folding potentially strengthening the CFL's negotiating position vis-a-vis the NFL, as the NFL would still need to develop their players somewhere and investing in the CFL might make more sense than trying to start their own league again. As he said, "The NFL is loathe to put money into developing leagues in general." Mitchell downplayed this idea as well, though, saying, "The European league, that going out of business was probably more advantageous for us than the Arena League [going out of business]."

Next, they discussed how the absence of the Arena League would make CFL scouting more difficult. McCown said "The downside to this is that it makes it more difficult to find those guys who kind of fall off the radar," and there was pretty much consensus on that point. It makes sense from here, too, and means that the CFL would probably have to focus more of their efforts on nabbing potential players when they come out of college. From here, though, that's a pretty small drawback compared to the gains that could be in store in other areas.

Also interesting was their discussion of the idea of a new American league arising, such as the "New USFL". I'd heard rumours about this before, but hadn't really considered what the AFL's demise could mean. It certainly could pave the way for a new American league, though, as the AFL's existence (and that of the old USFL) has shown that there's an appetite for more pro football in the States, especially in the spring. That kind of a league might be problematic for the CFL, especially if they go with a relatively high salary cap and draw CFL players away. As Mitchell said, "If there was a league that came out and was operating at a 30 million dollar cap, that would be the one that’s going to affect us and concern us the most." I'm not sure that any of these leagues will ever get off the ground, though; it's awfully hard to try and launch a new professional sports entity during an economic recession.

The last point raised was a discussion of if the absence of the AFL would allow the CFL to reduce player salaries due to a lack of competition. As Brunt asked, "If you’re the only game in town other than the NFL, shouldn’t that allow you to operate at a less expensive level?" Mitchell replied that the current bargaining agreement locks the players' cut in at 65 per cent of revenues, so that wouldn't change for the moment. However, the lack of an alternative might help the owners' bargaining position in the next negotiations.

Overall, it was a very interesting segment. McCown and Brunt have obviously put some thought into this, and most of their conclusions seem logical. Mitchell seemed reticent to read too much into this, but a good part of that may be his position. It would be bad form for a top executive to gloat publicly about the demise of a competitor, especially when the competitor isn't quite dead yet [Duane Rollins, this blog]. Thus, the impact on the CFL might be more profound than he's willing to admit at this juncture.

What the AFL's demise could mean for the CFL

According to owner Casey Wasserman of the Los Angeles Avengers, the embattled Arena Football League is set to call off its 2009 season [Sam Farmer, The Los Angeles Times]. The league's official statement says a firm decision hasn't been reached yet, but it also doesn't deny outright that the league may suspend play for the 2009 season. We'll see what happens, but the future certainly doesn't look bright for the league.

This may signal the complete demise of the AFL; once you suspend operations for a season, it can be tough to bounce back, especially if the reasons are financial. Lockouts and strikes are somewhat easier to recover from, as the league itself was never really threatened; it's usually just a question of when things will get back to normal. With a somewhat-fringe league like the AFL, though, and financial issues being cited as the biggest factor, you have to wonder if they'll ever be able to return. A season away will likely alienate a lot of fans, and more importantly, quite a few players. Corporate sponsors also will become leery of associating themselves with a league that doesn't appear strong, and it becomes a vicious cycle; the league is perceived as weak economically, and thus receives less investment and attention, so it necessarily becomes weaker. Regardless of if this is a temporary coma or the final curtain for the AFL, there may be some interesting effects on the CFL.

David Naylor of The Globe and Mail had a good story yesterday about the talent that could be freed up for the CFL. His quotes from Montreal Alouettes general manager Jim Popp are quite interesting:

"There's a small pool of players who, if the Arena League didn't play, would be interesting to teams in the CFL," Montreal general manager Jim Popp said. "At best, three to five players per team that would attract some interest."

That's actually quite a potential influx of talent. 16 different teams are currently listed on the AFL website, and Naylor's article adds that a 17th folded this off-season. Using Popp's estimate, that would be between 51 and 85 players currently in the AFL who would be attractive to CFL teams. That translates into six to ten players per CFL franchise, which could change the makeup of their rosters significantly. Salary isn't much of an issue; Naylor reports that AFL pay is similar to the CFL.

Even that estimated talent influx perhaps doesn't show the whole picture. What could be bigger for the CFL is its position if the AFL folds. All of a sudden, it's now the prime developmental league for the NFL outside of college football, thanks to the demise of NFL Europa last year [Wikipedia]. The CFL would now be a primary option for players who can't crack NFL rosters, and that could lead to even more new talent.

The largest potential long-term impact goes beyond talent, though. The NFL needs at least one player-development league somewhere. With NFL Europa gone and the potential disbanding of the AFL, the CFL is now the main alternative. Moreover, it's already rather popular and thus wouldn't need dramatic cash infusions to keep operating. That might rekindle the NFL's interest in taking an equity position in the CFL, as it's now more in their own interest to ensure the survival of the Canadian game. It's tough to see the NFL doing that at this exact moment given their recent massive job cuts [Judy Battista, The New York Times], but it might be more plausible down the road.

Regardless of if the equity interest plays out or not, the NFL would have a more compelling rationale to keep the CFL around if there was no AFL in the picture. That might lead the league to be more cautious with the Bills/Toronto idea; not necessarily canceling the games (highly unlikely) or outright ditching the idea of a NFL team based in Canada (also unlikely), but ensuring that their moves would not kill the CFL. In any case, it will be interesting to watch in the months ahead.

Update: The league is not dead yet! As Duane writes, the owners voted to carry on Tuesday night. Still not the most optimistic of times, considering that at least one owner publicly said they were suspending operations for a year before this and also that that option wasn't ruled out. Despite claims to the contrary, I'm not sure that they're getting better.

A Dolphins Fan in Toronto

I am a diehard, lifelong Miami Dolphins fan, I presently live in Toronto (but grew up not that far from the city anyways), and I will not be attending the game this Sunday by choice.

You'd likely be surprised by just how many Miami Dolphins fans there are in the Southern Ontario area. The numbers are likely buoyed by the airtime Miami received on National Television down south by being a top team for such a long period of time. It's likely also assisted by Dan Marino, the most prolific pivot upon his retirement and arguably one of the all time greatest QB's (definitely tops among the QB who never won a ring crowd). And I'm sure the heated rivalry with Buffalo helped win over a few anti-Bills supporters in the area too.

Whenever I would head down on a bus trip to Buffalo for the Bills-Dolphins game with my fellow Miami supporters, to have everything that can be bought at a concession stand thrown in my general direction every time I stood to cheer a score or a big play by Miami, I always had a great time! Whether Rich or Ralph Wilson, those cross-border trips will always remain great memories. But now that it's here in Toronto....well, honestly part of me wanted to see them fall short but I am glad it sold out just before blackout deadline so I could at least watch the game this weekend.

I don't want to see the NFL come into town, first off (although I'm sure the lack of a franchise in L.A. will ensure that should the Bills move anywhere it won't be north). So luckily the way the event was presented it made certain that my team allegiances did not get the best of me - I certainly don't want to pay an arm and a leg for ridiculously overpriced tickets, which the corporate sector has reluctantly picked up the tab for. And while some may see this as too idealistic, possibly a betrayal to my team (how many times will Miami play a meaningful game in Toronto - realistically, this may be my only shot!), when push comes to shove I'm not just going to cave in to what amounts to a cash grab in hopes of snagging a much larger cash grab, which will in turn eliminate something I really care about in the end.

Of the people I know who are going they either got a good deal presale, won the tickets via contest or (which is what is happening more often than not), got them handed out to them from work. I know many more people not interested in supporting this, and if they're not hoping to see the game fail to succeed, they would at least suffer a little in the stands.

I do hope my team does well and wins the game, continues along this incredible bounce back season and keeps their slight playoff hopes alive, but I will be doing so from home...or possibly a sports bar. But to make it known a devout Dolphins fan from Toronto will not be participating in this event. And it should also be known, I'm not alone...

No Lights Go! OR The NFL is STILL human

Alright so I've been M.I.A for a while but I am back, and thankfully have been catching enough sporting events (Raptors preseason tilts, CIS and NFL games) to provide some content around the site. The first thing to touch upon however is quite a unique experience that I experienced this past weekend.

As everyone knows by now balloons got the best of the Buffalo Bills this past weekend. I heard that the television coverage was very spotty, I was fortunately there at the game so luckily I didn't miss a snap. And while there were a couple short delays, for the most part the Buffalo-San Diego game was just played for the most part with a bipolar scoreboard. Well, they also lacked a game clock for a period in time as well - there was a couple bursts of anger from Phillip Rivers, the Chargers QB, on a few Delay of Game calls when they was no clock countdown but rather just the ref yelling, "5...4...3...2...1...", which was obviously drowned out by the fans (rather easily too).

It wasn't really that bad though - well, alright, having the lights go out in an overpacked washroom TWICE was less than favourable, but beyond that the overall game experience was not really hampered too much. But what struck me was that this happened at an NFL game, and while it's unavoidable and out of their control does it not seem unacceptable for something as large as an NFL game? It was for this reason I was very excited to be in attendance!

For starters It DID make me feel a lot better about a gaffe during a playoff game at University Stadium a few years back in the playoffs, where Laurier's scoreboard went on the fritz for the entire second half. I shook my head thinking "man, this is so bush league!", but you know what we DID have a working time clock, so we were instantly one better than an NFL franchise!

I am fully aware that this isn't the first time a power outage has come into play, although it is more suited to arena sports - which is, yes, far more troublesome since there's no option of playing at that point in time period! But I did enjoy the setback because it made even the most powerful and successful sports league in the world seem a bit more human. While outages happen every now and then in the NBA and NHL, they NEVER happen in a football stadium really. So in celebration of the momentus event I instantly went and bought an overly priced beer in celebration of my new found companionship with the National Football League! (sadly that overly priced beer was still better priced than the ACC, but that's another matter altogether...)

It was a great game on the field, the Bills re-establishing themselves as AFC contenders, and Trent Edwards reaffirming his MVP contending status. It was also exciting to partake in such an odd and random happenstance as that of an on-again, off-again football stadium. And as long as the guy peeing in the corner missed your shoes as you exited the washroom, an overall fun experience not to be forgotten soon!

Football Upsets: A New Hope

Alright it's not nearly as shocking as it would have been had Tom Brady not gone out with injury, but the Miami win today was justification for any Dolphins fan - much like myself - who have watched their model of consistent success really for the past 30+ years, tank and struggle to regain the franchises former glory these past few seasons (last year especially!).

There's still work to be done but something appeared, and really that's what has been missing thus far - something, anything! The first 2 weeks of the season revealed very little promise AT ALL for success so thankfully a strong performance was put in by Ronnie Brown, and units on both sides of the ball actually appeared for a nice change, which does give Miami fans a reason to believe in this rebuild. And so it would be that yet another team in a tailspin of hopelessness regained some sense of worth this Sunday - it really seems to be a common theme in the gridiron world this season.

It feels like a massive case of deja vu, with parallels being drawn from the Ti-Cats - Argos game from Week 2 of the CFL season. That's the game where this writer partied it up in the stands at the Rogers Centre with the other pockets of Tabbies fans who had made the trip up the QEW for the showdown. It was also an unexpected win and while my fellow Steeltown fans truly did not believe it was a sign that our team was about to make a serious run for the Grey Cup, we loved that we had silenced our rivals in their own house. I guarantee you'd be hard pressed to find a 'Phins supporter who believes that since Miami won today they're now clearly playoff bound, but considering the manhandling they received at the hands of Kurt Warner and the Cardinals last weekend you better believe this win helps a bit in recovering from that horrid experience.

But even more importantly wins like this are a sign of hope for the disheartened, or maybe they can be termed the "cheering deficient", those who really have had nothing to get excited about from their teams. It's awful seeing fans lose all hope in their teams, for both the fans of the troubled team in question to fans of the opponents destroying the hapless franchise. To witness a massacre in a sporting venue is never an enjoyable experience, I'm sure you can ask anyone in attendance for Western's 71-0 trampling of the York Lions this weekend and you'll find they'd prefer to not have had to sit thru that experience.

So what is sure to be the biggest story of this week of NFL action is not just something for Dolphins fans to celebrate but also fans of football in general. However, as a Miami fan, I get the feeling that I've been celebrating a bit harder than many others at this point, but that's alright allow me to pick up the slack for any of you who aren't enjoying this as much as maybe you should right now, it's cool.