Philson graduated from high school and is planning his departure to SMU residence. I totally support his decision to move into residence to get the full experience of university. I am sure he will come back home on weekends to fuel up with food and to do laundry. Oh, and maybe to see us!
The fact that I have a child who is now a man makes me think of my own mortality. I have to face the fact that I am actually middle-aged, something my body has been telling me for a few years, but my mind refuses to acknowledge.
Meeting my Grade 10 science teacher the other day made me think about my place in my life. He informed me that I am the same age as he was when he was my teacher. Huh. That really put things into perspective for me. I didn't think he was really old back then, but I remember that I considered all of my high school teachers to be quite aged at the time. The fact that there are probably just as many still working as there are retired should tell me something: they weren't as old as I thought they were.
I guess I still have some viable years left. However, watching one child -- and next year another -- fly the coop is making me take stock of my life. Am I where I want to be? Am I as happy as I can be? What are my regrets and can I do anything to make sure I minimize any future regrets? These are questions a man asks himself as he stares the age of 39 down the barrel.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Rainmen join PBL but will we see any familiar faces?
The Rainmen have made some announcements lately regarding their league status as well as the whereabouts of some of the marquee players from last season.
As expected, we are now part of the Premier Basketball League (PBL). Unfortunately, none of the stars from last year will be returning.
Getting paid is a real issue with these guys. They really aren't paid a lot and they have bills just like the rest of us. Expecting someone to drop everything for a 3-month, 20-game season may prove difficult. At least with the 36-game season, there was a longer time frame to drop your life and move to Halifax.
I guess we should remember that minor leagues are stepping stones for athletes. Our team was in a league that is just like many other leagues around the world and I get the feeling that players tend to bounce around, depending on the schedules of the various leagues. They are just trying to make a living and have to go where the jobs are.
I would be surprised if we see anyone come back from last year's team and until we get into the D League (and maybe not even then), we probably won't have many returning players who aren't Maritimers.
Unfortunately, Lewis has proven that he cannot develop young players, so local talent may decide to go elsewhere rather than waste time sitting on the bench.
In my opinion, we need a local coach who has ties to the universities that will draw recent grads to our team. Once we get our version of "Coach K" who is a draw for athletes to play for him, then we might be able to count on having some consistency to the roster.
As expected, we are now part of the Premier Basketball League (PBL). Unfortunately, none of the stars from last year will be returning.
Getting paid is a real issue with these guys. They really aren't paid a lot and they have bills just like the rest of us. Expecting someone to drop everything for a 3-month, 20-game season may prove difficult. At least with the 36-game season, there was a longer time frame to drop your life and move to Halifax.
I guess we should remember that minor leagues are stepping stones for athletes. Our team was in a league that is just like many other leagues around the world and I get the feeling that players tend to bounce around, depending on the schedules of the various leagues. They are just trying to make a living and have to go where the jobs are.
I would be surprised if we see anyone come back from last year's team and until we get into the D League (and maybe not even then), we probably won't have many returning players who aren't Maritimers.
Unfortunately, Lewis has proven that he cannot develop young players, so local talent may decide to go elsewhere rather than waste time sitting on the bench.
In my opinion, we need a local coach who has ties to the universities that will draw recent grads to our team. Once we get our version of "Coach K" who is a draw for athletes to play for him, then we might be able to count on having some consistency to the roster.
Monday, May 26, 2008
The Great Scientific Experiment To Prove God Exists
The scientific experiment to prove God.
The experiment is to abdicate your internal throne.
The result is when one either enters Heaven or doesn’t enter Heaven.
The time frame of the experiment is our life, until the point of death when our soul goes to enter Heaven or not.
Abdicating your internal throne is truly giving up, not asking what alternatives one can take to resolve a problem.
By merely asking about alternatives, one assumes that one keeps reign over one’s internal throne. How can I get results to this problem while not giving up power over my self?
Not giving up power over one’s self is a very thinly defined state.
We can deceive ourselves by thinking we are giving up, but we really aren’t. God knows our hearts and minds, even if we don’t.
Our motivation is the key. We can feel good about ourselves when we do good for others – altruism. Like a balloon (or virginity), one prick and it’s gone. Again, God knows our hearts and minds. He knows our motivation for our actions as well as our feelings. Why do we do things for others? Why do we do good works? Is it for the glory of God our Father in Heaven? The minute we think that we are better than someone else because of our good works, we have wasted the eternal gift that God has given us. Our faith is not true, because our works are for our personal good feelings about ourselves, and not given in thanks to God.
Scientific experiment: Giving up and giving to God, i.e. Dropping a drinking glass.
Dropping a drinking glass is when we accept Jesus. By living a “good” life, we still drop the glass. Whether the glass drops and hits the table or continues further equates to going to Heaven or continuing lower to Hell. Until the glass stops falling, both experiments appear (to our narrow view, both in width and depth of time due to our finite wisdom, scope of vision and lifespan) to having the same result: the glass is dropping, much like the law of gravity. Both a person who has given up their life to Christ and a person who leads a “good” life can have an enjoyable life here on earth while they are alive.
It is only when we die, i.e. the glass lands, that we discover the result of the experiment. If we truly abdicated our internal throne, the glass lands on the table (Heaven). If we did not truly give up our life, the glass does not land on the table and our soul does not enter Heaven.
Is God provable by science? The scientific experiment is our life. We cannot know the result before we die. As we cannot know what happens after someone else dies, we cannot know their result of their experiment. Science is proven by repeatable and quantifiable results from testing. The test is our internal life, not our external works. The external works are the glass falling, which can be the same for someone who has truly abdicated control over their life or someone who has not and who judges themselves as “no worse” than the other guy.
When we judge ourselves relative to other humans, we are erroneous, since all humans are fallible and all fall short of perfection.
The Beatitudes tell us of a typical person who abdicates their internal throne. People who are humble and meek, etc. do not typically receive rewards on this earth. Jesus said they will receive their reward in heaven.
Is Heaven full of “vagrants”? Maybe. Those who have nothing may be less prideful of themselves, rather than those who have many possessions or who have achieved many “things” in this life. The recognition that we receive from other people can cloud our judgment of ourselves and may cause us to re-take our internal thrones.
Pride is the sin.
Remember the young prince who asked Jesus how he may follow Him and was given the response to give away all his worldly possessions and follow Jesus. The love of money and possessions was greater than his love for Jesus, and so he did not abdicate his internal throne. His pride of his possessions and achievements got in the way of giving up his throne.
We may not think we are prideful, but it is that last little bit of internal pride and judging oneself against other imperfect humans that is the example of pride. One may have self-esteem, but like the Pharisee thinking he is better than the tax collector, we can fall victim to our own pride. The tax collector’s view of himself as a sinner who is not worthy is the correct example of abdication of one’s internal throne.
The vast majority of the time, we find God when we are plumbing the depths of despair. This is when we have used up our resources and our personal power and we do not get the results we want or expect. This is when many of us ask for help or guidance from God our Father. This is equivalent to worldly children who seek assistance from their worldly parents. As parents, we give our children life and we teach them rules to live by. Then we set them off to live their lives, with their free will. We hope that our children make the right choices and honour their parents and themselves. At some point, the children fail, usually spectacularly, and then they ask for help from the parents. Any advice or answers that we may give as parents may be either accepted, denied, ignored or misunderstood. These 4 responses are what we as God’s children give to God when we pray to Him and ask Him for help.
We may hear and understand His message to us and then choose to ignore the advice. We may hear and understand and choose to heed His words to us. Thirdly, we ignore his message because it doesn't fit in with what we want. Finally, we may not understand His answer to our pleas or we may not hear what He is saying to us because we don’t take the proper amount of time to listen.
If we do not hear or listen to God, we may still choose a path that leads to the same result during the experiment, i.e. the glass still falls during our lifetime, the same as it would if we obeyed His commands, but when the glass hits, it will not hit the table (Heaven). Our result of the scientific experiment is a failure, but we don’t know it until the experiment (our life) is over. People living a “good” life may not exhibit any worse results, either in material wealth or outward appearances, during their life than someone who has given their life to Christ, but the final result of the experiment is drastically different.
If we do not abdicate our internal throne, then we are not truly conducting the experiment in the proper manner and we cannot expect the final result to be duplicated from someone who has given their life to Christ. Remember, the experiment lasts from when we are given the chance to surrender our life to Jesus until the moment our souls arrive at the Pearly Gates and we stand before St. Peter to see if our name is on the eternal roll of names.
The experiment is to abdicate your internal throne.
The result is when one either enters Heaven or doesn’t enter Heaven.
The time frame of the experiment is our life, until the point of death when our soul goes to enter Heaven or not.
Abdicating your internal throne is truly giving up, not asking what alternatives one can take to resolve a problem.
By merely asking about alternatives, one assumes that one keeps reign over one’s internal throne. How can I get results to this problem while not giving up power over my self?
Not giving up power over one’s self is a very thinly defined state.
We can deceive ourselves by thinking we are giving up, but we really aren’t. God knows our hearts and minds, even if we don’t.
Our motivation is the key. We can feel good about ourselves when we do good for others – altruism. Like a balloon (or virginity), one prick and it’s gone. Again, God knows our hearts and minds. He knows our motivation for our actions as well as our feelings. Why do we do things for others? Why do we do good works? Is it for the glory of God our Father in Heaven? The minute we think that we are better than someone else because of our good works, we have wasted the eternal gift that God has given us. Our faith is not true, because our works are for our personal good feelings about ourselves, and not given in thanks to God.
Scientific experiment: Giving up and giving to God, i.e. Dropping a drinking glass.
Dropping a drinking glass is when we accept Jesus. By living a “good” life, we still drop the glass. Whether the glass drops and hits the table or continues further equates to going to Heaven or continuing lower to Hell. Until the glass stops falling, both experiments appear (to our narrow view, both in width and depth of time due to our finite wisdom, scope of vision and lifespan) to having the same result: the glass is dropping, much like the law of gravity. Both a person who has given up their life to Christ and a person who leads a “good” life can have an enjoyable life here on earth while they are alive.
It is only when we die, i.e. the glass lands, that we discover the result of the experiment. If we truly abdicated our internal throne, the glass lands on the table (Heaven). If we did not truly give up our life, the glass does not land on the table and our soul does not enter Heaven.
Is God provable by science? The scientific experiment is our life. We cannot know the result before we die. As we cannot know what happens after someone else dies, we cannot know their result of their experiment. Science is proven by repeatable and quantifiable results from testing. The test is our internal life, not our external works. The external works are the glass falling, which can be the same for someone who has truly abdicated control over their life or someone who has not and who judges themselves as “no worse” than the other guy.
When we judge ourselves relative to other humans, we are erroneous, since all humans are fallible and all fall short of perfection.
The Beatitudes tell us of a typical person who abdicates their internal throne. People who are humble and meek, etc. do not typically receive rewards on this earth. Jesus said they will receive their reward in heaven.
Is Heaven full of “vagrants”? Maybe. Those who have nothing may be less prideful of themselves, rather than those who have many possessions or who have achieved many “things” in this life. The recognition that we receive from other people can cloud our judgment of ourselves and may cause us to re-take our internal thrones.
Pride is the sin.
Remember the young prince who asked Jesus how he may follow Him and was given the response to give away all his worldly possessions and follow Jesus. The love of money and possessions was greater than his love for Jesus, and so he did not abdicate his internal throne. His pride of his possessions and achievements got in the way of giving up his throne.
We may not think we are prideful, but it is that last little bit of internal pride and judging oneself against other imperfect humans that is the example of pride. One may have self-esteem, but like the Pharisee thinking he is better than the tax collector, we can fall victim to our own pride. The tax collector’s view of himself as a sinner who is not worthy is the correct example of abdication of one’s internal throne.
The vast majority of the time, we find God when we are plumbing the depths of despair. This is when we have used up our resources and our personal power and we do not get the results we want or expect. This is when many of us ask for help or guidance from God our Father. This is equivalent to worldly children who seek assistance from their worldly parents. As parents, we give our children life and we teach them rules to live by. Then we set them off to live their lives, with their free will. We hope that our children make the right choices and honour their parents and themselves. At some point, the children fail, usually spectacularly, and then they ask for help from the parents. Any advice or answers that we may give as parents may be either accepted, denied, ignored or misunderstood. These 4 responses are what we as God’s children give to God when we pray to Him and ask Him for help.
We may hear and understand His message to us and then choose to ignore the advice. We may hear and understand and choose to heed His words to us. Thirdly, we ignore his message because it doesn't fit in with what we want. Finally, we may not understand His answer to our pleas or we may not hear what He is saying to us because we don’t take the proper amount of time to listen.
If we do not hear or listen to God, we may still choose a path that leads to the same result during the experiment, i.e. the glass still falls during our lifetime, the same as it would if we obeyed His commands, but when the glass hits, it will not hit the table (Heaven). Our result of the scientific experiment is a failure, but we don’t know it until the experiment (our life) is over. People living a “good” life may not exhibit any worse results, either in material wealth or outward appearances, during their life than someone who has given their life to Christ, but the final result of the experiment is drastically different.
If we do not abdicate our internal throne, then we are not truly conducting the experiment in the proper manner and we cannot expect the final result to be duplicated from someone who has given their life to Christ. Remember, the experiment lasts from when we are given the chance to surrender our life to Jesus until the moment our souls arrive at the Pearly Gates and we stand before St. Peter to see if our name is on the eternal roll of names.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
All-Star game and possible league merger
Here is a good article on the All-Star game. While Eric didn't get the MVP that he was hoping for, it sounds like he played very well. Good job Eric!
The end of the above article mentions a few possibilities for next year, including a PBL/CBA merger and the handful of Northeast teams who may join it, including Vermont, Manchester, Montreal and the Rainmen. I guess this is assuming the attempt to join the D-League doesn't work out for us right away. I am somewhat surprised that Quebec wasn't part of the list of teams that may go to the merged league. Maybe the author forgot about them.
The end of the above article mentions a few possibilities for next year, including a PBL/CBA merger and the handful of Northeast teams who may join it, including Vermont, Manchester, Montreal and the Rainmen. I guess this is assuming the attempt to join the D-League doesn't work out for us right away. I am somewhat surprised that Quebec wasn't part of the list of teams that may go to the merged league. Maybe the author forgot about them.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Good luck to Eric and a potential Moncton rival team?
Congrats to Eric for still having the opportunity to show his stuff at the ABA All-Star game, even after the Rainmen have officially left the ABA. I am happy that he is going to see some of his family. They are really supportive of him, as evidenced by the fact that his extended family actually commented on the Herald website a few months ago when it had a story about Eric. I thought it was pretty cool that Eric's family keeps track of his career here in Halifax. Have fun Eric, I hope you get selected as the game MVP!
In other ABA News, Joe Newman is looking at the silver lining around the cloud of the Rainmen leaving the league.
In this news story, Newman is quoted as saying that this "opens the door for an ABA team in Moncton."
While I agree that Moncton is probably the right-size market for an ABA team, I shudder to think that another Maritime entrepreneur might get involved with the ABA. If our D-League hoop dreams don't work out, maybe a Moncton PBL franchise would work well for us, as a ready-made rival for Halifax. You heard it here first!
In other ABA News, Joe Newman is looking at the silver lining around the cloud of the Rainmen leaving the league.
In this news story, Newman is quoted as saying that this "opens the door for an ABA team in Moncton."
While I agree that Moncton is probably the right-size market for an ABA team, I shudder to think that another Maritime entrepreneur might get involved with the ABA. If our D-League hoop dreams don't work out, maybe a Moncton PBL franchise would work well for us, as a ready-made rival for Halifax. You heard it here first!
Short post about the Rainmen
I like Mr. Levingston’s plan to approach the D-League to see if we can join, with the fallback position of joining another league if it doesn’t work out with NBADL. In my previous post, I laid out a SWOT analysis of the Rainmen joining the D-league.
I read somewhere on OSC that PBL and CBA are merging and that the ABA team from Texas has already been playing as Dallas in the CBA, so it sounds like the scenario of the Rainmen joining another league other than the D-League is quite likely. However, I agree with the ambitious plan of talking with the D-League, because you don't get anything if you don't ask.
The NBADL will be impressed with Mr. Levingston and his organization, but if the league doesn't have plans to expand to the Northeast and if there are no other teams in the area that are ready and/or willing to join the D-League for next season, then we will probably join the new PBL/CBA merged league. The bottom line is the Rainmen need other teams in the Northeast to be part of whatever league we eventually join, to make it viable in the long-term.
I read somewhere on OSC that PBL and CBA are merging and that the ABA team from Texas has already been playing as Dallas in the CBA, so it sounds like the scenario of the Rainmen joining another league other than the D-League is quite likely. However, I agree with the ambitious plan of talking with the D-League, because you don't get anything if you don't ask.
The NBADL will be impressed with Mr. Levingston and his organization, but if the league doesn't have plans to expand to the Northeast and if there are no other teams in the area that are ready and/or willing to join the D-League for next season, then we will probably join the new PBL/CBA merged league. The bottom line is the Rainmen need other teams in the Northeast to be part of whatever league we eventually join, to make it viable in the long-term.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Wow! Big news for the Rainmen!
In his press release, Mr. Andre Levingston announced that the Rainmen have left the ABA effective immediately and are not participating in the playoffs. This was great news and the timing was a bit of a surprise, although not really when one thinks about the expense that travelling to Quebec for the playoffs would have been, especially when it was pretty much written on the wall that the ABA had let the Rainmen down so many times that it would be almost absurd for us to stick around.
Furthermore, Mr. Levingston informed the press that the Rainmen would be looking into joining the NBA D-League. You don't have to go too far into my blog to see that I have been hoping for this for some time.
I really think the Rainmen will be a good fit in the D-League, despite some potential obstacles. Why? Here is a quick SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis:
- Erie, Pennsylvania was just announced as the latest D-League expansion team for the 2008-09 season. The Erie metro area has a population of 281,000. The Halifax metro area has a population of about 385,000. I think we can support a D-League team if the owners in Erie think they can make a go of it, in a much smaller city than Halifax. Ron Sertz, the director of basketball ops in Erie, seems to be the man behind minor-league sports in Erie. From what I can tell, Mr. Levingston seems to be making connections with guys who are the Ron Sertz’s here in Halifax that are obviously crucial to a professional team’s success in a small market like ours. STRENGTH. The Rainmen front office has learned a lot from this year’s experience and the population of Halifax can and will support a brand name like the NBA.
- To get a sense of what ticket prices may be like in the D-League, here is a link to the Erie franchise.
The prices look to be about 50% higher than what our tickets were in Halifax this season. Erie will have eight different seating packages available, from “Hollywood Seats” and “Courtside Suites” to “Endzone” and “Corner” seats. I think slicing up the arena in so many categories is a smart way to provide the opportunity for fans of all economic means to enjoy the game. OPPORTUNITY. Here is a chance to really fill up the Metro Centre, with a variety of price points which create demand for premium seating and give more people a chance to afford bringing their whole family to a game with the lower-cost seating choices.
- I really like the Season Ticket Holder Privileges part of the Erie ticket price program and I really hope the Rainmen have something along those lines next year. OPPORTUNITY. There is so much that can be done in terms of promotion next season. While ticket prices may be higher than when we were in the ABA, the product will be better.
- I just realized that the Rainmen intro montage with the piano music and shots of the Rainmen is the same music and concept that the NBA used in their Where Amazing Happens campaign. Coincidence? Can’t be. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. STRENGTH. The NBA will have to be impressed with the Rainmen organization.
- In terms of players returning next year, that will likely depend on a few factors such as which league we will be in, who the coaching staff will be, how many roots the players have made here i.e. girlfriends, and of course pay levels. We can’t expect the players to put the rest of their lives on hold if the pay is not commensurate with the commitment to come to Halifax to work. THREAT, assuming we want at least some of our players to return. I think we know who we want back!
- NBA Commissioner David Stern stated in 2005 that he planned to expand the league to 15 teams and to develop it into an NBA farm system, with each D-League team would have 2 NBA affiliate teams. Recently announced expansion teams in Reno, Nevada and Erie, Pennsylvania make it 14 teams. WEAKNESS. If the NBA is not receptive to opening up the Northeast, we can’t make them. The NBA already closed down 2 of its teams in the southeast when they decided to expand the league westward. Does the Northeast fit into their plans?
I figure the NBA will not expand too quickly, they have a very valuable product and diluting it too much by expanding the D-League without strict control over who gets a team is risky for them. This ain’t Joe Newman’s ABA! A total of 11 D-League teams have either folded or moved in the league’s 7 seasons. Considering the nature of minor league sports teams, this is a pretty respectable retention rate. By comparison, here is the Wikipedia entry for the ABA.
Check out how many teams are in the league this year and how many are defunct or have left for other leagues. Interestingly, the Rainmen are already off the list of this year’s teams.
- I will repeat my concern over the lack of D-League teams in the Northeast US. Erie is only 93 miles from Cleveland, who appears to be their NBA affiliate. Erie will be the closest D-League team to Halifax and it’s over 500 miles away from Boston, let alone Nova Scotia. Unless the D-League expands into the Northeast in a meaningful way, our team’s travel costs will be exorbitant and so will our competition’s.
WEAKNESS. This may or may not be a problem, depending how many other Northeast teams are able to make the jump to the D-League. However, the answer to that question may be that no other teams can or will do it.
- A lack of nearby teams and therefore higher costs will translate into higher ticket prices. What is the magic price point for Halifax fans? I don’t know, but I’ll bet that a price any more than $20-25 for an average seat will be perceived as too expensive. THREAT. If prices are too high, the fans won’t come.
Hmmm, pretty even SWOT so far, with 2 of each category. The Strengths and Opportunities seem to be fairly well-identified items that relate to the Rainmen’s existing organization, while the Weaknesses and Threats arise from unknown factors such as what will happen with ticket prices, who will be our competition and can we afford to travel beyond the US Northeast to play? If details on these latter issues become known, then this analysis can be firmed up to show whether or not the D-League is viable for the Rainmen.
Furthermore, Mr. Levingston informed the press that the Rainmen would be looking into joining the NBA D-League. You don't have to go too far into my blog to see that I have been hoping for this for some time.
I really think the Rainmen will be a good fit in the D-League, despite some potential obstacles. Why? Here is a quick SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis:
- Erie, Pennsylvania was just announced as the latest D-League expansion team for the 2008-09 season. The Erie metro area has a population of 281,000. The Halifax metro area has a population of about 385,000. I think we can support a D-League team if the owners in Erie think they can make a go of it, in a much smaller city than Halifax. Ron Sertz, the director of basketball ops in Erie, seems to be the man behind minor-league sports in Erie. From what I can tell, Mr. Levingston seems to be making connections with guys who are the Ron Sertz’s here in Halifax that are obviously crucial to a professional team’s success in a small market like ours. STRENGTH. The Rainmen front office has learned a lot from this year’s experience and the population of Halifax can and will support a brand name like the NBA.
- To get a sense of what ticket prices may be like in the D-League, here is a link to the Erie franchise.
The prices look to be about 50% higher than what our tickets were in Halifax this season. Erie will have eight different seating packages available, from “Hollywood Seats” and “Courtside Suites” to “Endzone” and “Corner” seats. I think slicing up the arena in so many categories is a smart way to provide the opportunity for fans of all economic means to enjoy the game. OPPORTUNITY. Here is a chance to really fill up the Metro Centre, with a variety of price points which create demand for premium seating and give more people a chance to afford bringing their whole family to a game with the lower-cost seating choices.
- I really like the Season Ticket Holder Privileges part of the Erie ticket price program and I really hope the Rainmen have something along those lines next year. OPPORTUNITY. There is so much that can be done in terms of promotion next season. While ticket prices may be higher than when we were in the ABA, the product will be better.
- I just realized that the Rainmen intro montage with the piano music and shots of the Rainmen is the same music and concept that the NBA used in their Where Amazing Happens campaign. Coincidence? Can’t be. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. STRENGTH. The NBA will have to be impressed with the Rainmen organization.
- In terms of players returning next year, that will likely depend on a few factors such as which league we will be in, who the coaching staff will be, how many roots the players have made here i.e. girlfriends, and of course pay levels. We can’t expect the players to put the rest of their lives on hold if the pay is not commensurate with the commitment to come to Halifax to work. THREAT, assuming we want at least some of our players to return. I think we know who we want back!
- NBA Commissioner David Stern stated in 2005 that he planned to expand the league to 15 teams and to develop it into an NBA farm system, with each D-League team would have 2 NBA affiliate teams. Recently announced expansion teams in Reno, Nevada and Erie, Pennsylvania make it 14 teams. WEAKNESS. If the NBA is not receptive to opening up the Northeast, we can’t make them. The NBA already closed down 2 of its teams in the southeast when they decided to expand the league westward. Does the Northeast fit into their plans?
I figure the NBA will not expand too quickly, they have a very valuable product and diluting it too much by expanding the D-League without strict control over who gets a team is risky for them. This ain’t Joe Newman’s ABA! A total of 11 D-League teams have either folded or moved in the league’s 7 seasons. Considering the nature of minor league sports teams, this is a pretty respectable retention rate. By comparison, here is the Wikipedia entry for the ABA.
Check out how many teams are in the league this year and how many are defunct or have left for other leagues. Interestingly, the Rainmen are already off the list of this year’s teams.
- I will repeat my concern over the lack of D-League teams in the Northeast US. Erie is only 93 miles from Cleveland, who appears to be their NBA affiliate. Erie will be the closest D-League team to Halifax and it’s over 500 miles away from Boston, let alone Nova Scotia. Unless the D-League expands into the Northeast in a meaningful way, our team’s travel costs will be exorbitant and so will our competition’s.
WEAKNESS. This may or may not be a problem, depending how many other Northeast teams are able to make the jump to the D-League. However, the answer to that question may be that no other teams can or will do it.
- A lack of nearby teams and therefore higher costs will translate into higher ticket prices. What is the magic price point for Halifax fans? I don’t know, but I’ll bet that a price any more than $20-25 for an average seat will be perceived as too expensive. THREAT. If prices are too high, the fans won’t come.
Hmmm, pretty even SWOT so far, with 2 of each category. The Strengths and Opportunities seem to be fairly well-identified items that relate to the Rainmen’s existing organization, while the Weaknesses and Threats arise from unknown factors such as what will happen with ticket prices, who will be our competition and can we afford to travel beyond the US Northeast to play? If details on these latter issues become known, then this analysis can be firmed up to show whether or not the D-League is viable for the Rainmen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
