Tue Oct 06, 2009 4:58 pm EDT
Glendale works overtime to get fans back into Coyotes
Visitors to the Phoenix Coyotes' official Web site are greeted with an advertisement for Saturday's home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets; one proclaiming that the dramatically reduced-priced tickets are sold out for the lower bowl, but that $15 seats remain upstairs.
Everything we've heard is that they're closing in on a sellout, and choosing "best available" seats through Ticketmaster gives you two in the end zone upstairs. The Coyotes expect a stout walk-up crowd for the game, too. But let's face it: Teams hovering near a sellout -- one that, from a public relations standpoint, they need to have -- are going to report a sellout in the end. It's just an NHL fact of life for many buildings.
That "White Out" home game, which the team announced will be televised, is part of a slow trickle of positive momentum for the beleaguered franchise after a summer of bankruptcy litigation crippled it.
The City of Glendale is working harder than ever to convince an apathetic fan base to support the home team again, unleashing a PR blitz leading up to this weekend's game. Will it work?
The ownership mess affected every facet of the franchise, on and off the ice: From personnel to marketing plans (or lack thereof) to ticket sales (or lack thereof) to the perception of the team in the community. For example, the Coyotes' merchandising was as inert as its managerial operations. From the Phoenix Business Journal:
A number of retailers, including sporting goods stores, had not ordered or stocked Coyotes gear while the team went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings that could have led to the team being moved to Canada.
Salespersons at Dick's Sporting Goods and Just Sports stores at Arrowhead Towne Center said they had not ordered Coyotes gear because of the bankruptcy. Glass Cage Sports at the same West Valley mall did have some Coyotes merchandise, but it was in the far back corner along with jerseys of the now-defunct minor league hockey team, the Phoenix Roadrunners.
Yikes.
Fighting that wave of apathy, Glendale has created a week of celebratory activities around the home opener on an unprecedented scale for the hockey team. "Given what's been going on, there are a lot of fun things to get people focused on the team and the season starting," said city spokesperson Jennifer Stein.
"White Out Week" in Glendale includes the following Coyotes-centric activities and events:
Fans showing their support by wearing Coyotes apparel Oct. 7 and 8 will receive special shopping discounts at select shops in downtown Glendale. Shoppers can stop by the Glendale Visitor Center to pick up a map and list of participating merchants.
Arrowhead Towne Center have staff circulating the mall to spot fans wearing Coyotes gear, and will hand out Westcor gift certificates and free Coyotes merchandise as part of the "Random Acts of Kindness" promotion. This will take place all day Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Howler will make a special appearance at the Glendale Main Library, 5959 W. Brown St., to read with kids during story time at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 8.
On Oct. 9, Coyotes fever ramps up with "White Out" Day throughout the city. City staff will be wearing white or Coyotes gear to show support for the Coyotes, and schools and businesses are encouraged to do so, as well.
Landmark Middle School will have a Coyotes pep rally at 11 a.m. Oct. 9, which will include a visit from Howler, Coyotes Pack dancers and giveaways for students.
On top of that, there is also a downloadable poster on GlendalesGotGame.com. (It's the image at the top of the post.)
Stein said the "White Out Week" campaign was put into the planning stages when it became apparent that the Coyotes wouldn't be relocating for the 2009-10 season -- so it's not as if it was created on the fly after Judge Baum tossed the NHL and Jim Balsillie's bids from the auction for the team.
The city's worked with the Coyotes before to promote the franchise around Glendale, but Stein said the stakes were raised because of the tumultuous summer. "Maybe more so this year, just to get the fans refocused," she said.
It won't be easy. The attendance will likely plummet after the home opener's bargain prices. The team still only has about 51 games on local television (although Steve Lepore of Puck The Media points out that's only five fewer games than the Predators have televised). There still isn't a strong, viable local owner at the forefront of negotiations with the NHL, although the Ice Edge group is firmly in the picture.
"White Outs" and discounts and plush Coyotes posing with kids at a pep rally are nice ways to bring a positive vibe back to the franchise. But there's only one thing that's going to bring the fans back, get the media's attention and make the franchise viable in the desert ... and it's up to Dave Tippett and his players to provide it for the first time since 2002.
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Greg Wyshynski
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48 Comments
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Your motives for deciding at the last moment to attend a $15 NHL home opener, seem to be consistent with the majority of Phoenician hockey "fans" - that maybe, probably, you'll fork over as much money as you readily spend on a Jon Favreau rom-com. You, sir, are a true fan of the sport.
@ Wysh
"to the perception of the team in the community" (or lack thereof)
/fixed
When I drove down from Vegas on April 30th, 1999, I arrived in Phoenix pretty late. I set out from my hotel in Tempe in search of a sports bar, before the third period was over. I never found one, but along the way, exactly 14.3% of the locals I asked knew who the Coyotes were (though not that they were about to clinch their playoff series against the Blues).
Ten years later, all I hear from American pundits, is that a winning team is the panacea that will turn the franchise around.
Be honest with yourself, if not your readers - on a night when the Coyotes were to win their first playoff series, after playoff appearances in their first two seasons, only one out of seven locals in the highly coveted Tempe/Scottsdale demographic even knew that the team existed.
Fans in Denver knew who the Avs were, after three successful seasons. Maybe if the Coyotes win it all, they can attain a similar level of success. The trouble is, as much as the OTL point tries to disguise it, the league is a zero-sum equation.
So even in this league, only about 75% of teams can claim to have winning seasons. If every market was as apathetic as Phoenix, we'd see a half-dozen franchises failing every year. You can try to blame that apathy on the summer's bankruptcy proceedings, but that's like saying people stopped buying GM cars this year BECAUSE of Detroit's failing economy.
There is one constant in your coverage of this story - that you will afford people like Jennifer Stein more credibility as a hockey business expert, than you will ever attribute to writers at the Globe. Where's the snark? Do you always print government spokespersons' (under)statements without your signature sarcasm, or is this Stein woman a hottie?
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On the other side though the Coyotes have no tradition and are a fairly young franchise if you omit there time in Winterpeg. Cut the losses now and bring back the struggling franchise up North where it WILL sell out every night.
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Dude, hockey is NOT working in Arizona. And yes, Calgary and Edmonton (and Ottawa) were almost moved. The differance here is that when we almost lost our teams, we got off our asses and supported them. It's no coincidence that all the sales talk ended as those three teams tore up runs to the cup finals but regardless, we ended up supporting them and I'm not sure about Ottawa but Calgary and Edmonton are both sporting pretty impressive sell out streaks right now. If americans knew anything about hockey, the Yotes would be hugely popular, few teams have the kind of young promising talent that Phoenix has, yet nobody gets out to games. its pitiful. I say pull all the struggling american teams out and put them in Canada, where hockey is appreciated and watch the NHL revenues rise.
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Fiction. But expected from you, as always. You came up with an idea of what my coverage was several months ago, and you stuck to it after example after example of why it's based in fantasyland. If you believe Ms. Stein is in this article as a "hockey business expert," then you need to watch more CNBC.
"Ten years later, all I hear from American pundits, is that a winning team is the panacea that will turn the franchise around."
Because that hasn't happened in places like Tampa or Columbus or Washington or Carolina or ... eh, what's the point? You have a story, you're sticking to it.
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Why do you title articles "Glendale works overtime" and title other articles "Winnipeg's NHL Fantasy"?
I don't think your readers need me to point out your obvious bias. As for how many months ago it was that I came to the conclusion that you were unreasonably nationalistic on this issue, I assure you that it came at least two dozen months after I started reading your refreshingly unbiased articles on a regular basis. It also came roughly twelve months after the first of your repeated denunciations of the legwork done by Globe writer Shoalts and company about how Phoenix was facing impending bankruptcy.
My point about Ms. Stein was simply that she says things like, "the White Out Week campaign was put into the planning stages when it became apparent that the Coyotes wouldn't be relocating" and you graciously conclude that it's "not as if it was created on the fly after Judge Baum tossed the NHL and Jim Balsillie's bids".
What's your point? That Ms. Stein's incredibly sophisticated marketing plan was months in the making? Which part, the handing out coupons or the Mascot reading to children?
So yeah, calling her a hockey business expert and attributing it to you was inaccurate. You were simply pointing out how her months-in-the-making plan made her a sort of hockey marketing expert, whose White Out Week campaign could be the first step in revitalizing the fanbase. No argument here.
Also, no argument here that winning would serve the same purpose, as it did in "Tampa or Columbus or Washington or Carolina or" even Denver (the example I cited). My point was that not all 30 teams can be winners, even with the OTL point, so relying upon consistent winners for financial security is no way to run the league.
Paint me as stubborn. I certainly have no proof to dispell that opinion. And I'm flattered that you remember me, after not posting a single comment for over three months, and only handful in the past six months. I will continue to defend you to my less open-minded Candian peers because you are a genuine talent who displays uncanny impartiality. If this blog was equipped with better search functions, I would challenge you to find anything negative I have ever said to or about you that was not contained in a Coyotes article. On this issue, you are clearly biased and every month or three I point that out.
Just answer me one question and I promise I'll try to keep an open mind:
Why is Al Strachan's assertion that Winnipeg is working hard to make NHL hockey viable in their market called "Winnipeg's NHL fantasy", when Ms. Stein's assertion that her government is doing everything in its power with the reading to children campaign deemed "working overtime"?
Either that's your famous jingoism shining through like a FoxNews correspondant, or it can be chalked up to your famous love of the gentler sex. Admit it. This is a pure fluff piece, with no snark at all aimed at Ms. Stein's lame plan.
Now that you've made me defend Strachan, I need a shower. Keep up the good work, otherwise.
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Is that scenario more to your liking?
@ Wysh
I'm sorry, but I keep going over and over Ms. Stein's list that you describe as, "a week of celebratory activities around the home opener on an unprecedented scale".
I honestly thought that if I sobered up a little, I might see something that I had previously missed. Correct me if I haven't listed every single item that caused you to use the words, "unprecedented scale".
- some discounts for those wearing jerseys, today and tomorrow at some stores
- mall employees handing out coupons and gear (wear a jersey, get a jersey? I doubt that. Prolly a hat) to those wearing jerseys today (probably could have been folded into the first bullet)
- city employees wearing white (a bold change for the blue-collar workers, at least)
- Howler the mascot reading to young kids at a library (aw, shucks)
- Howler also finding the time to visit one middle school (if only Howler had Santa's powers, he might be able to make a third appearance at a different mall)
Then, as if that list weren't impressive enough, Greg informs me that, "On top of that, there is also a downloadable poster (It's the image at the top of the post.)". And all I have to do is print this poster out on my 8.5 X 11 inch paper, and it's mine?
Whatever Greg. You produce hundreds of articles a month. They can't all be winners.
But this article is weak. Real weak.
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