Are you sad the Thrashers left?

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by plessthanpointohfive

No...some of this sentiment is because it's hockey and not football or baseball. This is The South and for nearly 100 years only 2 sports have ruled. It's going to take some time for other sports to get a foothold.

Let's look at soccer. Don't laugh.

People have been saying, nearly all MY life, that soccer won't ever be anything in the US.

But, look how HUGE it is in youth sports now.

OK, let's back up.

I am ~37 years old. When I was a kid soccer was just starting to get a foothold into youth sports. It was what the kids who weren't big enough to play football but who were bored by the slowness of baseball played. Not much came of it. Not a lot of soccer scholarships. Not a big investment in pro soccer.

But, this same generation now has kids. And THOSE are the tons of kids you see playing soccer. They play it. They WATCH it on TV.

THESE are the kids who will go on to get noticed by the colleges or get picked off right out of high school by the European pro teams.

Soccer is coming to America in a big way.

But, it took a couple generations.

Maybe. I won't say it'll never happen. But I think football, baseball, and basketball are pulling some of those kids away from soccer. Unless the talent to play soccer doesn't translate to other sports. I know when I was in high school, students interested in soccer were mad because the soccer coach was also the football coach and would use soccer to condition his football players. So they got all the playing time. Nothing special about soccer but it gave the coach a chance to get his football players in shape for the more important football season.

So, I think it will be the same with hockey in the South. Afterall, we don't grow ice here. We have to manufacture it. So it's not like pick up games of hockey can happen like pick up games of soccer...or football and baseball.

If hockey is going to take a foothold here in The South it's going to take persistence.

But, in my opinion, we'll see soccer overtake baseball and maybe even basketball before we see hockey become prominent in The South.

Again, I lived in the north too and in winter we were much more inclined to ice skate than I did in the south. I mean we could find a pond to skate on or even a patch of ice. No chance of that in Georgia. Have to pay to go to the ice rink.

[toll_booth]

Atlanta Thrashers sale: Ownership to blame for team's failure - ESPN

I've been actively discussing this issue of the Thrashers' move on some hockey forums. Even though they have a sizable minority of Canadians, they agree that ASG was a far bigger problem than the lack of fan support. These guys ran the team into the ground and did absolutely nothing to convince the average Atlantan that he or she should show up at a Thrashers game.

However, I'm also worried that we could become the next Los Angeles of professional sports. Fans here are just not as passionate about pro sports as they are in cities such as Dallas, Boston, Chicago, or New York. Sometimes when I go to games around here, I swear it's louder at a funeral. How does this tie into the Thrashers' demise? Because ASG also owns the Hawks--for now. Who knows if they won't pull the same stunt with them? And Arthur Blank wants a new stadium. What happens if we don't cave in and give him $$$ for it?

I know it's a worst-case scenario, but if this city doesn't step up to the plate, there's an outside chance that the Braves will be left as the only major league team in town.

[kayrob]

What are the Thrashers?

[MathmanMathman]

Originally Posted by kayrob

What are the Thrashers?

That's useless information for you now.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by aries4118

Yes there is...

Bye Bye Thrashers???

Bye Bye Thrashers??? (Further in...)

Bye Bye Thrashers??? (Even further in...)

Bye Bye Thrashers??? (The last page as of early mornin', June 1, 2011)

And the last post was me as of 11:56 PM last night.