Welcome to Augusta! If it isn't free, people won't go. People here say they want more things to do.. but when those things are offered, they refuse to support them.
The Big Three automakers want a bailout to cover their bad decision-making and fat union benefits over the years.
The Augusta Lynx organization is far more deserving of a bailout than the "too big to fail" corporate behemoths -- and we're not aware of any bad decisions they've made to put them in need of one.
Owners Dan Troutman, Robert Burch and Jan Hodges Burch did everything possible to keep the Lynx on ice for area fans, but there was just no way they could afford to continue propping the team up without some kind of bailout from new investors.
Sadly, in the current gloomy economic climate, there were no new investors to be found. And so after more than 10 years of professional hockey in Augusta, the owners had to shut down operations this week and return their membership to the ECHL, formerly the East Coast Hockey League.
"I am deeply saddened by the news," said Mayor Deke Copenhaver. "The team ... has been a key component of our city's growing reputation as one of the premier minor league sports markets in the nation."
He's right about that. Losing the Lynx deals a sad blow to a great sports town. It's not just the loss of prestige, revenues and jobs, or that the James Brown Arena has lost its anchor tenant and now has a lot of new dates that will be difficult to fill.
As Chronicle sports columnist Scott Michaux points out, it's also the intangibles:
"The Lynx made Augusta a more interesting place to live. They provided an entertainment option that not a lot of other southern cities have. They made the fabric of the community more diverse... They improved the quality of life of some of our citizens, and that in turn improved the quality of life for all of us."
Indeed, many in the Augusta area realized the Lynx's importance. The team always enjoyed civic and local government support and attracted plenty of corporate sponsors, as well as a core of loyal fans. The problem is there wasn't enough of the latter. Attendance this season was averaging 2,722 fans a game, about 1,600 below the league average.
It's not just hockey that fails to draw enough crowds to the James Brown Arena, either; in recent years a number of big entertainment events have also lost money there.
Why won't more people come to see real live events? Surely there's a way to lure them from their TVs, DVDs and computer games.
That's a job all of us interested in boosting Augusta as a fun city need to work on. We can ill afford more disappointments like this.
Comments
Welcome to Augusta! If it isn't free, people won't go. People here say they want more things to do.. but when those things are offered, they refuse to support them.
Let's be positive. The ice floor is still there. Learn from our mistakes and field a team in the Southern League. It makes sense to let a hockey team use the arena without cost. Work to improve concessions as the Greenjackets did. Hawkers should actually come to the fans instead of the bureaucratic way you have to buy a beer down there.
The investors tried to start a difficult business without many customers. It failed. Why is this a surprise? Most small businesses fail. There was little support for this fringe sport in Augusta and the surrounding area. Operating costs were high. Sounds high risk to me.
The dramatic downturn in auto sales is ultimately to blame. Jan owns a General Motors franchise in Thomson and like every dealer i know, is fighting for survival. Most likely she had to make the choice between her dealership surviving or the Lynx surviving and unfortunately for Augusta, the Lynx lost.
Put a woman behind the wheel and it's bound to crash sooner or later.
How about just open up the ice rink to the general public for free skating on certain days?
Strange how the Greenjackets are surviving. And you guys are pushing for them to move their operations downtown where in my opinion it would kill their business too.
ICmurray, Not strange at all given the mentality of our commissioners. Remember they sold us a bill of goods on the judicial center. Claiming the monument should be built close to the jail, and now they want a new jail out in the county. They do this sleight-of-hand actions because they know Augustans forget everything, except race, when it comes to election time.
Why is Deke just now commenting? If he thought it was important he should have been at the forefront begging for help like the owners. He must have been off on some PR junket like always.
It's hockey, people. Put a roller derby team down there and watch the crowds.
losing the lynx just plain sux. i just don't understand why the states 2nd largest city is just so inept in so many ways. nothing stays in augusta for very long and the turnover for businesses is astronomical. i just don't understand how savannah and columbia do it. what is wrong with augusta? there is so much potential but i don't think those that run the city push the envelope in order to make it a better place.
they wouldn't come out for roller derby either. r u kidding me? they won't even go out for an indoor football game! INDOOR FOOTBALL doesn't attract much of a crowd! its the most crowded during Disney on Ice!
The Civic Center sold out years ago for a Bill Gaither Homecoming concert. It was packed a few years ago each night for a Greg Laurie (a California evangelist) crusade. It seems that Christian events with the mammoth support of area churches are the only events that can pack out the JB Arena.
One reason for the downfall of the Lynx has to be the economy. People's entertainment dollars are drying up. This is but the beginning of all sports having financial difficulties. NASCAR is stumbling too because of the bad economy.
Talk about government bailouts! Why didn't the Augusta government bailout the Lynx since they are such an important ecnomic part of the community? They could have offered free rent or given the motel/hotel tax to the Lynx to get them through this tight spot until another investor stepped forward or until these hard times ease up a bit.
pt proves once again that she is the most ignorant poster of all on these forums.
People still seek entertainment in bad times, and the Lynx are definitely entertainment, not to mention their work with youth hockey. Augusta can ruin a wet dream. The first concert at the Civic Center was intended to be Aerosmith. This was in their heyday. The concert was canceled because of poor ticket sales. The more this town changes, the more it stays the same.
For those who didn't read the profile on him, PT is male.
The Lynx were a "AA" team. Augusta is not a "AA" town. Our one week a year major league can't even pull us out of the Bush Leagues. The Greenjackets are a "Low A" team, two levels below "AA". That is not to say we don't have the quantity in this town to be a "AA" town, we do, we don't have the quality. The Chronicle says, "they are not aware of any bad decisions they've made". There were plenty of them. The Lynx were a bad product that started under the ownership of Frank Lawrence and their own Billy Moriss. The current owners did not either have the know how or the capital to turn that around. As far as the population's quality, it is far worse than the Lynx.
GAC- What? If that is true, I have even less respect for he/she/it.
sjgraci, I try to type real slow, sorry if you don't seem to be able to follow along.( Print my comments and try to decipher them when you're off line.) The problem with the Lynx wasn't the population of Augusta, it was the product the population didn't want to spend money or time on. Fringe sports are high risk. (I typed this with one finger.)
When will Augusta learn that the residents of Richmond
county won't support events downtown? I'm really surprised
that hockey lasted this long in Augusta. Untill Augusta smartens
up and builds a civic center in the County and far away from
downtown Augusta, anything brought to Augusta is doomed
to fail.
Only ignorant backwoods hicks like you who have never seen ice think hockey is "fringe".
PT-I think your confusing ICE hockey with unicycle hockey or air hockey.
hockey is not a sport, just an excuse for grown men to beat up each other. not a very good role model for children. they need to leave.
HillGuy...your are so very right. Everyone wants something for nothing and it is only getting worse. So many believe they are "entitled" or "owed" and therefore deserving....No one owes any of us anything and we should all pay to enter the movies, hear a band play, view a performance, see a game, etc. - Show your support and pay your own way. The Lynx will be missed.
Parents need to be role models for their children, not hockey players.
HillGuy wrote this: "How about just open up the ice rink to the general public for free skating on certain days?" How in the world will this help the Coliseum Authority get its budget in order. They need people willing to PAY to get into the Arena.
So now we have a civic center with an ice maker that must be routinely serviced and no team! I agree with one of the posts above, open it up for public skating!
I have an Idea, Have an event and let everyone IN for FREE, Free Parking, Free dinks, Free food, everything FREE....... Then charge $50 dollars a head to leave. That'll get the revenue up. Or instead of charging $30 for admission, charge $15 to enter and $15 to exit, $50 to stay overnight. Maybe The Obam can send us a Hurricane like Bush did for New Orleans and then send us 50 Billion to get over it.
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