Can NLL be 5th Pro League?

[RockyNY]

After reading this article - http://www.cnbc.com/id/28580131

I would like to bring up serious discussion. This league has managed to outlast several professional leagues such as AFL (suspension of this season), WUSA (Women's United Soccer Association), and several start up football (USFL and XFL come to mind) and soccer leagues.

Could NLL leave the label as SECOND TIER SPORTS to become 5th Pro League like MLB, NFL, NHL and NBA? I believe NLL can be 5th League if things are done right.

1) Stable the franchise. Thats important. Im tired of folding franchise year by year like Chicago did at the last second. Thats bothersome.

2) Franchise finding one arena and stick with it for long term - NY Titans, for example. You know the story

3) Get major tv contract. No more tape delay BS stuff. Get one network to show us GAME OF THE WEEK once on Saturday or Sunday.

4) Promote franchise player per team. Promote Dan Dawson if you are living in Boston. Promote Casey Powell if you are living in NY. Promote Blaine Harrison if you are living in Torotno. You get the picture. Promote players.

5) One final thing - promote dancers. That would get guys to the game. :-D

Any other suggestion that league should do in order to become 5th Pro League.

Roy

[RyanP]

I hate to say it...........

NO

If you do the things you suggest the league can be maintained and expand into a flourshing buisness. You suggest 5th pro league as if the NLL could surpass professional, Golf, Tennis, or even bowling, fishing, and rodeo, all of which make money.

[PhillySoldier]

Originally Posted by RockyNY

2) Franchise finding one arena and stick with it for long term - NY Titans, for example. You know the story

yet another thread...

[rnsykes]

Who the hell is Blaine Harrison?

[DrewDog]

Originally Posted by PhillySoldier

yet another thread...

leave it alone.

Its not the main point of his thread, its a supplementary point used to support his thesis, which is perfectly valid in the context of the thread.

frankly, all this whining by other people about Rocky's opinion on this topic are getting more and more tired every freaking day


Now, back to the main question, I think the potential it won't come any time soon because the sports market in the US is already super saturated with football, basketball and baseball.

[Wingsfan9042]

Originally Posted by rnsykes

Who the hell is Blaine Harrison?

Kyle Manning's brother....

dont you know ANYTHING?

[Hollywood42]

without a major tv deal and full time salaries
the answer is


NO

[Bandits37]

Sorry but not gonna happen, Too much of a regional sport. And honestly its only the big 3 because hockey is a minor blip in the USA. Basically if you're not on ESPN you're not a major sport here unfortunately

[rnsykes]

Originally Posted by Wingsfan9042

Kyle Manning's brother....

dont you know ANYTHING?

I was thinking maybe George Harrison's grandson, but I guess I was wrong.

[BCD]

Sorry, but small arenas (compared to football and baseball) + tiny schedule does not equate to a top tier professional sport.

[Bandits37]

Originally Posted by BCD

Sorry, but small arenas (compared to football and baseball) + tiny schedule does not equate to a top tier professional sport.

But basketball plays in the same arenas as the NLL and football only plays 16 games as well so not sure if these reasons work even though i agree with the point you're making

[BCD]

Originally Posted by Bandits37

But basketball plays in the same arenas as the NLL and football only plays 16 games as well so not sure if these reasons work even though i agree with the point you're making

A cursory rough count shows the NBA's 76ers with 37 home dates not counting preseason and playoffs. (?)

[chuckster]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

without a major tv deal and full time salaries
the answer is

NO

I agree. And right now, with a franchise lost just before the season started and their commissioner resigning, they will be lucky to hold on to what they have.

[rnsykes]

Originally Posted by BCD

A cursory rough count shows the NBA's 76ers with 37 home dates not counting preseason and playoffs. (?)

He never said that basketball only plays 16 games. But I agree with you. Won't happen within the next 20 years if ever.

[Hollywood42]

the sixers have 41 home games

[RockyNY]

NBA has 82 game schedule and NHL has 84 games schedule - I think. NHL almost went for 86 but was rejected by players union.

What Im saying is this - I do see potential for NLL to become 5th Pro Sports League if they can correct some of the mistake that they are making. And get some serious business done. For example, get major tv network contract. Have revenues tied up with franchise's salary cap.

I know players dont make much but that can be change if we get revenus up. It would be nice to see NLL become 5th Pro Sports League.

Who say NHL isnt part of big league? NY Rangers always get packed every night even if they charged one of the highest ticket prices. Even Islanders, in which Im fan of, and Devils do get decent crowd of over 10,000 people. Thats isnt that bad.

So, what should league do to improve to become vaild 5th Pro Sports League?

Roy

[bontasaur]

No matter what the league does, in the end the sport is what makes the league. Lacrosse is just not as popular in the US as hockey, baseball, basketball, and football. Look at MLS. They probably had a better shot at making it, and they still haven't. So I have my doubts.

[Hollywood42]

Originally Posted by RockyNY

NBA has 82 game schedule and NHL has 84 games schedule - I think. NHL almost went for 86 but was rejected by players union.

What Im saying is this - I do see potential for NLL to become 5th Pro Sports League if they can correct some of the mistake that they are making. And get some serious business done. For example, get major tv network contract. Have revenues tied up with franchise's salary cap.

I know players dont make much but that can be change if we get revenus up. It would be nice to see NLL become 5th Pro Sports League.

Who say NHL isnt part of big league? NY Rangers always get packed every night even if they charged one of the highest ticket prices. Even Islanders, in which Im fan of, and Devils do get decent crowd of over 10,000 people. Thats isnt that bad.

So, what should league do to improve to become vaild 5th Pro Sports League?

Roy

the nhl has 82 games they ditched the 84 game format back in the early 90s

the nhl ranks 4th in line of big league sports in this country
NFL
MLB
NBA
NHL

id rank it third above the NBA but they have the better tv deal and higher salaries

what the NLL needs to do is go ATLEAST 2 years without expansion and stablize the 12 teams it has WITHOUT LOSING ANY OR ANY MOVING
set a goal to get leaguewide average attendence up over 11,000 we have been in the 10,000s for a few years now on average
it wont be easy but that is where they need to start
because looking at the franchise history charts its almost comical to see in how many cities this league has flopped

[Metalhead]

You can't be a major sport if not one player can make a living with his salary.

[Hollywood42]

heres a list of nhl attendance figures for this season
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance?year=2009

the top 15 play on or over capacity

then the bottom 15 do not

[releblax]

Lacrosse had it’s chance when there was no hockey for a complete season and they for whatever reason squandered the opportunity if there really was one… now today… no TV national coverage in Canada or the U.S…. failing franchises… No Commissioner… good riddance… under J.J. you had failing franchises, unpaid bills, inflated attendance numbers, murderer owner… etc… etc…

What happened to you can only get a franchise if you partner with an NHL / NBA Team… The NLL is in shambles and what was promising dream 4-5 years ago is now just a nightmare… Time to cut the League back to just the profitable Teams… and cut the rest… before the whole league collapses… better to have a Strong 6 team league rather than a Weak 10-16 Team League… but that won’t happen…. because the only thing holding some teams in this league is expansion fees and the divided spoils that each team receives when someone buys in… You will see more expansion and more failure because that’s the only money some of the owners are making… too bad… because the players are great, the product is great, the fans are great… but the people running the asylum are idiots.

[PhillySoldier]

If lacrosse does make it to the big 5, I will still attend but have to wonder how many current fans it would lose once lacrosse is charging prices similar to the big 4.

[twillms73]

Can it happen? Sure. Not for the next 20 years though. Ya got your top 4 (NFL,MLB,NBA,NHL). I'd say a distant 5th is MLS then WNBA then the NLL, then MLL and at the bottom are the various indoor soccer leagues (I'm not counting non-team sports like NASCAR, PGA and Tennis or AFL because they're not playing).

To get to 5th, they need stable franchises in major cities, a national LIVE TV deal, all or most teams having local TV and Radio deals, and players who make their living playing the game.

I really think that the hardest part is getting people to even recognize the game. You show a random person on the street a lacrosse stick, they wont have a clue what it is. It isn't like that is any other sport in this country.

Another thought is that there are new start-up leagues starting including the WPS, UFL, and USFL. The NLL may drop below them. But who cares?

I personally don't care if I becomes a "major" sport. How many things in the world have been ruined in the interest of being more popular? American Idol is popular, it doesn't make it good. I love the niche factor.


Just my random thoughts.

[RockyNY]

American Idol is on tonight for the first time since last May. Thats something that majority of deaf people wont enjoy. I like American Idol because I like the way SIMON TALK. Without him, this show would have flopped.

Onto 5th Pro League, we can look at MLS and NLL. It seem that MLS has better shot of becoming 5th League, but hey, remember the heyday of NY Cosmos. That league, I forgot, and if someone remember it, please fill in, was booming.

I have DVD tape of - ONCE IN A LIFETIME - The Story of NY Cosmos - made by ESPN. It was interesting video that talk about Pele and the booming success of NY Cosmos and its league.

My question was this - when Gary Gait was in prime, playing in MILL, at the time, before it became NLL, how come league couldnt do anything to make this sport skyrockted like soccer did with Pele and NY Cosmos. What was problem back then? How did they managed to drop the ball on this?

We have major NLL star players that I believe, if it hype correctly, we can see big thing about this. For example, John Grant Jr. Come on, people, here know about him. What about his 25 points game that left me shocked? How about John Travens who broke the NLL scoring record?

Like I say, each team has star player but it puzzled me why they couldnt market it correctly.

Roy

[Hollywood42]

the MILL had games of the week on the Deuce

i dont think a tv network wants to put a professional sports game on thier network when theres more empty seats then fans visable

and grant had 15 pts in the game vs NY for that record