Is letting an ownership group own/control 3+ teams sustainable?

[Atlantian]

My question for this thread: Is letting an ownership group own/control 3+ teams good for overall league health? This is not about Soskin because the Fed will always be the Fed, but it is about Zawyer, Spire, and formerly Deacon who each have operated three or more teams in the ECHL at one time. With the collapse of Deacon it really should be a bigger question. Dean MacDonald was using money from Newfoundland to support the other two struggling franchises in questionable locations which ultimately led to the sale of two and the folding of Newfoundland. I could write an entire book about the shady things Zawyer is doing behind the scenes. I know the AHL has a rule against it, and the SPHL until this season was very much against it. I just wanted to consult the experts about this question

Click to read more...

 

[VaCaps Fan]

No, the Norris owning multiple teams situation in the nhl set back the game in America by decades by that alone.

 

[JMCx4]

Speaking as a non-expert (with no fear of "experts" becoming a part of this conversation) ... At some level of hockey organization, the scales tip from maintaining team autonomy to maintaining a League's livelihood. That tipping point is League & circumstance unique, so you can't set a numerical limit & apply it to all business situations. In the end game, it's a business decision to be made - intelligently and/or emotionally - by the parties who own the product. But it might behoove the lower level hockey leagues (minor pro AND juniors) to consider setting guidelines for future team ownership decisions based on lesson's learned ... presuming corporations will ever learn anything beyond short-term profit schemes ...

 

[jabberoski]

I point you to Minor League Baseball and Diamond Baseball Holdings, which currently owns 34 different teams, including several instances of owning multiple teams in the same league.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Went to their operation in Norfolk tides today.

 

[wildcat48]

Meh... It is what it is in the age of the minor league sports. With the NHL having greater control over the on-ice product there is less incentive for local owners to step forward. Groups owning more than one franchise is a way for these organizations to form synergies and lowering its cost overall.

I point to Diamond Baseball Holdings as an example. They purchased the Portland Sea Dogs, and yet maintained local management. They have saved money because they use similar food vendors, ticketing products etc. It's just the way business is done today.

As for Deacon, he got himself overleveraged when bought Iowa, and never recovered. If he maintained Newfoundland and Trois Rivieres, he would have been fine in the long run.

 

[sabremike]

I point you to Minor League Baseball and Diamond Baseball Holdings, which currently owns 34 different teams, including several instances of owning multiple teams in the same league.

View attachment 877714

Major League Soccer goes "Hold my beer"...

 

[PCSPounder]

Major League Soccer goes "Hold my beer"...

While it’s still an LLC with certain rules that favor collective over individual clubs, I’m of the understanding that there are no longer investors that control multiple teams. And yet we can’t get rid of Merritt Paulson in Portland.

It was my understanding that Diamond is up to 41 teams now.

An aside, which has come up on the sub-board before. Eugene had a 68% vote against a new ballpark for the Emeralds last month. The hype is now about moving, but unless the Northwest League is getting shut down, where the frack are they going when there’s nobody else plotting a new ballpark?

 

[sabremike]

While it’s still an LLC with certain rules that favor collective over individual clubs, I’m of the understanding that there are no longer investors that control multiple teams. And yet we can’t get rid of Merritt Paulson in Portland.

It was my understanding that Diamond is up to 41 teams now.

An aside, which has come up on the sub-board before. Eugene had a 68% vote against a new ballpark for the Emeralds last month. The hype is now about moving, but unless the Northwest League is getting shut down, where the frack are they going when there’s nobody else plotting a new ballpark?

The joke was that MLS is a single entity and therefore the league actually owns every team.

 

[PCSPounder]

The joke was that MLS is a single entity and therefore the league actually owns every team.

Evolution has rendered the joke rather stale, even if there’s no mold.

Entertain me better!