In Memory of the Atlanta Thrashers

Описание: To anybody who blames the people of Atlanta for the loss of the Thrashers:

What do you think the attendance for the Blackhawks in Chicago was in 2006-07? In Chicago, the third largest city in the entire country, a metro area population of 10 million people? They were second to last. Under 13,000 people a game in Chicago, the allegedly great hockey town with the Mad House on Madison and all. Why did nobody go to the games in Chicago then? The team sucked and people don't want to spend money on a crappy product–I don't care if you're in New Jersey, D.C., or Boston (the Thrashers were above all three of those markets in attendance in the mid 2000s). It's not because hockey doesn't work in Atlanta, it's because the management consistently put the NBA team above the Thrashers, deteriorating the product, and leading to a mediocre team that didn't win a single playoff game in ten years of existence. It's not the fans; there are plenty of potential fans in Atlanta, including numerous transplants from the North who'd be willing to go ... if the team didn't suck so much.

By your logic, the Blackhawks, Bruins, and Capitals all should have been relocated a long time ago, to a more apt hockey market like Saskatchewan maybe. But they weren't. They were given time and rebuilt by knowledgeable owners, won championships, and now sell out their stadiums every night. It's that simple. It's not Atlanta, it's not the south, it's not the weather, and above all: it's not the fans. If the Thrashers had consistently won, Philips Arena would be packed night in and night out, and the rest of the league would be pleasantly surprised how popular hockey had become in the southeast, instead of cluelessly insulting the fans who devoted their time, money, and heart to a team and a sport that obviously do not care in the slightest bit about them. It's a sad conclusion, especially for me, an Atlanta native, who started skating when they were three years old. But that's how it goes in modern sports, where money is number one, and the the decisions of the people in charge are founded upon unadulterated ignorance about an entire city and its people.