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| Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and NBA legend Dominique Wilkins fight to keep the Hawks in the ATL. Photo credit: CBS Atlanta |
The majority ownership stake of the Atlanta Hawks is up for sale. The city of Atlanta has lost two professional teams in the last two years. Will the Hawks be next?
by +Rodney FisherAtlanta mayor Kasim Reed, along with the city council, have stated they will put up the money needed to keep the Hawks in the city limits. This same strategy did not work to keep the Atlanta Braves from moving to the more affluent suburbs. The decision of the new 50.1% owner of the franchise will be rooted in future profits and the lack of current support is seen as a hindrance to the potential to make money.
Although Bruce Levenson's email pointed the finger at black fans majority attendance and minority corporate sponsorship crossed the line of racial bigotry, the fact remains that the Atlanta business community does not want to spend money with the franchise. The NBA is a global game and judging by the interested parties that lost bidding wars for the LA Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks there will be stiff competition to buy the Hawks and move them.
The Hawks had the third worse attendance record in the league and listed as "average" for sponsorship revenue for the 2013-14 season.
HOFer Dominique Wilkins may be the saving grace for the team to stay in it's namesake city. Wilkins, who will have a statue erected of him this upcoming season outside the arena, has not been bashful about taking majority ownership. He will be involved in the sale no matter what as a key adviser with the mayor and his six potential suitors. The fact that the deal is only for 50.1%, not 100%, would work in Wilkins favor. The price for NBA ownership theses days can be daunting, even for an average franchise.
For the NBA to have so many ties to the Hip Hop/Entertainment community support should not be a problem, but rappers in the city seem more susceptible to spend their dollars at the Magic City VIP versus the suite level at a Hawks game.
Destination cities for the next NBA team include Seattle, Louisville, and the international basketball hotbed of Beijing. Hopefully Wilkins and the support of the community will be enough to keep the Hawks perched in Atlanta.
Follow me on Twitter @RodneyFisherNBA
