No Love for the Coyotes (Phoenix, Glendale: transplants, home, layoffs)

[magnum0417]

I drive home from work today at 3 and all that Doug and Wolf discussed on 620 AM is this new AD for ASU. Really? You are paying more attention to an AD who replaced an inept female AD at a college whose major sports haven't been relevant for years ? What about the Coyotes ? I am an Islanders fan from NY and am a hockey fan as well. You have a team owned by the NHL that has persevered despite apathy and ownership chaos. They may very well move to Quebec or KC after this year. This team is fighting to win a division and make the playoffs and it gets overshadowed by a new AD of a bush leagued major college as far as major athletic sports go ? Come on ! You better enjoy what is left of the Coyotes season. Once they leave, Phoenix will NEVER get another NHL team. I despite being a diehard lifelong Giants and Islanders fan who has seen 4 Super Bowls and 4 Stanley Cups in my lifetime hopes to see Phoenix someday win atleast one. I plan on being here awhile but the fandom towards your teams,or lack of, is a disgrace !

[observer53]

So they didn't talk about the Coyotes during the time you were driving home today. Did you listen to the whole four hours? I've listened to them almost daily for quite a while, (didn't happen to today for very long) and they DO talk about the Coyotes, have Tippett and Doan on fairly regularly. The Coyotes have done a very good job of playing through all this uncertainty, and I've heard them say so. If they had huge fan support, there would not be an issue of where they might or might not go. One radio show talking about them more often is not going to change the fact that they are sitting out in Glendale where it is VERY hard to build a fan base from where they are located, along with the fact that there just may not be as many hockey fans, despite all the transplants from tradiitional hockey places, as there are for other sports. Ownership of the team, over the years (yes, that means you, Steve Ellman) have made some bad decisions, as have NIMBYs in the other areas where the arena was proposed.

It is not the job of sports talk radio to build fan bases for any team. You're not an ASU fan, or interested in what's happened out there recently? That's fine, change the channel on your radio, just like you would if any station was discussing things you aren't interested in, (maybe try the other sports talk station) and perhaps they will talk about the Coyotes tomorrow while you are listening. Did you call the show and make the same argument you have here? It would probably have more effect on their programming than discussing it here.

[Bondurant]

There's more Yotes fans than you may think. There's also the transplants who support other teams but still appreciate the local team. I went to 4 games this season and talk hockey every day with people at work.

The Yotes are at the bottom of the sports chain here and ASU is near the top. More coverage of ASU is justified.

I would also like to point out that your beloved Islanders are not the talk of the town in metro NYC. The most I hear about them is on the Stern show. The most I've heard about them in years is when thousands of Nordiques fans showed up to an Islanders game last season.

[Finger Laker]

620 will not every discuss the coyotes ....... they aren't the flagship and it's not what they are founded on ...... their money is suns, cardinals & asu

however, i will continue to discuss them as long as they are here

Mike Smith is playing out of his mind right now ...... 54 stops last night for another shuthout ..... if they pick up a point or if dallas drops a point they are in the playoffs again (and dallas closes tough with nashville & st. louis)

san jose is a point behind LA (coyotes tied but losing tiebreak due to ROW) - however, SJ play a home and home with LA to end the season (who is also playing really well and jonathan quick is also out of his mind)

will be a fun finish and a fun playoffs again

[azriverfan.]

Phoenix may never get another NHL team again but it's not because the Valley couldn't support one. Had one been located in a more central location which was more accessible to people AND had an owner who would spend money to make the team competitive, people would have supported the team. People in Phoenix are very passionate about sports and people who are passionate can't stand mediocrity. Right now, the NHL is barely keeping the team alive, and the city of Glendale isn't doing enough to maintain the team. I'm sorry but I don't blame the fans in Phoenix for turning their back on the Coyotes. At a time in which money is tight and there are people who can barely afford to put food on the table, asking them to foolishly spend their money to support a mediocre team like the Coyotes is unfair. If you want support then you need to invest in your product to make it worthwhile for people to come out and watch it...not the other way around. And it's sad that some professional sports owners want to be cheap and still expect robust fan support. Sorry that is the very definition of insanity.

And I'm sure the Coyotes will be successful in Kansas City. Unlike Phoenix, they will put the stadium in a proximal and accessible location. The owner of that team will invest in it to make it successful. And the reality is there isn't a lot to do in KC or Quebec so hockey will be big. You could put the Coyotes in downtown Oklahoma City in Bricktown and it will be successful there too for the same reasons.

Sorry but unlike most people who bash Phoenix sports fans, I am one of them and actually attend games and go to bars to watch them and this is a GREAT sports town that gets a bad rap. The sports fans here are passionate. They don't get into fights or call in on radio shows because they are educated and employed but I guess you have to be like Philly fans to be considered a "real sports fan"

[Finger Laker]

Coyotes are far from mediocre right now .... they are a very competative team and have been despite very obvious contraints

Just hard to really rally behind uncertainty

[Sco]

The reality is the Coyotes could leave tomorrow and most people in the Phoenix area wouldn't even notice. ASU sports will always be a much bigger deal locally than any NHL team.

[observer53]

KTAR does provide some Coyotes coverage, even though they are not the flagship for that team. Is 910 the Coyotes "flagship" or whatever term you want to use?

And yes, there are far more people here who have some level of interest in ASU athletics than the Coyotes.

[Finger Laker]

910 is the flagship

however, the station where you can actually discuss coyotes is 1060

btw, this really isn't local ........ hockey in general isn't something that is discussed over the other sports as a rule (there are some exceptions, but even when I was living in MN the vikings & twins dominated the airwaves)

620 is tied to espn - which explains the lack of hockey coverage and for the most part having the entire station be overproduced garbage

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

Coyotes are far from mediocre right now .... they are a very competative team and have been despite very obvious contraints

Just hard to really rally behind uncertainty

Mediocre doesn't mean bad, it just means they are not contenders and that is true. They had a great February and went undefeated and then had a horrible March. Now they are playing decent again. No real hockey fan who understands the game expects the Coyotes to do anything the postseason should they make it because they simply don't have the talent to truly and sincerely contend. They are overachieving. It's hard for a lot of people to get hyped about a team that at best will lose in the first round due to their lack of talent. It's like the Cindarellas in the NCAA tournament; they upset some people in the early rounds but their weaknesses manifest in later rounds and ultimately they lose. It's the same with the Coyotes, they will play well now, get some hype, get into the playoffs and lose in the first round. And the same will repeat itself because with no real ownership, the team will not spend money to contend and will lose quality players in the offseason. And you can blame Glendale for its incompetence in handling this situation as they should have partnered with the Native American tribe to help purchase the team which last years prospective owner Matt Hulsizer stated he would welcome to be co-owners with.