So try this one: What do sports teams have to do?

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:50 pm

Consider this, for a professional sports team, there is one thing they must do, ahead of all other considerations. What is it?

It applies to football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, or anything else that a professional sports team does, that it must do this ahead of anything else.

You guys seem pretty bright, so lets see how fast you can get it.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 12:59 pm

Score more points than the opponent!

NAILED IT.

The Happines Engine · Post by **The Happines Engine** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:39 pm

Make money. SIGH.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:40 pm

Kick ass?

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:44 pm

The Happines Engine wrote:Make money. SIGH.

He got it. Your team can be the winningest in history, but if it consistently loses money, eventually it will be history. But have a team that consistently makes a profit even if it's always in last place, it can basically keep operating forever!

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:13 pm

Tdarcos wrote:
The Happines Engine wrote:Make money. SIGH.
He got it. Your team can be the winningest in history, but if it consistently loses money, eventually it will be history. But have a team that consistently makes a profit even if it's always in last place, it can basically keep operating forever!

Not really. Franchises dramatically appreciate in value every single year. A team that was bought for $25 million in 1980 could be sold for $800 million in 2011. So even if they were losing a bit of money each year, they'd still make an enormous fortune if the owner wanted to sell.

That is why you can never believe an owner of one of the four major North American sports teams. Oh, and because to a man they're almost always patriots of Satan.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:35 pm

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:
Tdarcos wrote:
The Happines Engine wrote:Make money. SIGH.
He got it. Your team can be the winningest in history, but if it consistently loses money, eventually it will be history. But have a team that consistently makes a profit even if it's always in last place, it can basically keep operating forever!
Not really. Franchises dramatically appreciate in value every single year. A team that was bought for $25 million in 1980 could be sold for $800 million in 2011. So even if they were losing a bit of money each year, they'd still make an enormous fortune if the owner wanted to sell.

You just proved my point, Jonsey. I'm including all forms of potential revenue. So the fact remains that, since the franchise has a long-term investment value, it can make money for the owner.

Were this appreciation not possible, my statement as it was would be correct on its face. But it still is true, if the team didn't have long-term appreciation value - and that's only going to be for the top of the sports heap, e.g. NFL football, MLB, NBA and whatever is #4 - and it lost money, sooner or later it would close down.

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:54 pm

Have cheerleaders.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:02 pm

Tdarcos wrote:You just proved my point, Jonsey.

No, I didn't.

I'm including all forms of potential revenue. So the fact remains that, since the franchise has a long-term investment value, it can make money for the owner.

What? IF a team wasn't making any money, the league in question would purchase it. This happened with the Phoenix Coyotes and New Orleans Hornets in basketball. The league buys the team and runs them until the economy picks up and they can sell the franchises to a corporation or ownership group for a gazillion dollars.

So it is possible for a team to make no money and still not fold.

Tdarcos · Post by **Tdarcos** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 2:48 am

Ice Cream Jonsey wrote:
Tdarcos wrote:You just proved my point, Jonsey.
No, I didn't.

I'm including all forms of potential revenue. So the fact remains that, since the franchise has a long-term investment value, it can make money for the owner.
What? IF a team wasn't making any money, the league in question would purchase it. This happened with the Phoenix Coyotes and New Orleans Hornets in basketball. The league buys the team and runs them until the economy picks up and they can sell the franchises to a corporation or ownership group for a gazillion dollars.

So it is possible for a team to make no money and still not fold.

That's only going to work because the league itself has a revenue source and is able to subsidize it. We didn't see this happen with the USFL, did we? That league had no money, and when its teams failed, it couldn't bail them out, nor would the team owners bail it out.

Sure, a league can subsidize a failing team, but they can only do so because they are making money. Thus my original point holds. No money, eventually the team folds.

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:03 am

Tdarcos wrote:Sure, a league can subsidize a failing team, but they can only do so because they are making money. Thus my original point holds. No money, eventually the team folds.

That's a league not a team. You are saying that what a LEAGUE needs to do is make money. We've established that individual teams can fail and fail brilliantly.

So I think there should be a new thread that goes, "What do sports leagues have to do?" And your conclusion can be there as the opening post. The second post can either be by modemjane or someone else with a tight ass.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 4:12 am

So the sportsmanship thing is second to the profit motive? You mean to tell me that all these years teams like the New York Yankees were only there FOR THE MONEY??

BALLS! I guess I won't buy me a season seat now. I suppose all the merchandise that they have out there is not to promote team pride but to provide a revenue stream? Hmmmm, I did not know that. If that's indeed the case I won't be buying me an oversized flat-bill with the sticker and price tag still attached anytime soon. And it was gonna be my new look for 2012 too...

Getting back to reality, Unless a sports team is sponsored, like bar softball, profits are a must. Can't pay professional athletes unless there's ticket sales. Or sponsors with deep pockets anyway.

THE
CAPTAIN
AXIOMATIC
AARDVARK

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 6:00 am

Coordinate dances for when they score?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Mon Dec 26, 2011 9:47 pm

Eat canoli?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:49 pm

Get vasectomies?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 6:01 pm

Get black guys?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 7:20 pm

Record PSAs?

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:21 pm

Develop oozing infections?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:40 pm

Talk in the locker room about how the Oklahoma City Thunder are currently #1 in the Western Conference at 3-0?

Flack · Post by **Flack** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:43 pm

Do a little dance? Make a little love? Get down tonight?