Put sports back on the city's agenda
by Tony Basilio
Hope springs eternal in downtown Knoxville that things are going to change with the new administration. When it comes to the local sports world, things could never get worse. The Ashe reign when it came to local sports franchises was one of terror.
Those involved with these local "minor league" franchises will tell you that they all knew the rules coming in. In Knoxville and East Tennessee, UT sports are the 10,000-pound gorilla. What they didn't know was that it wasn't UT that ruled, but Victor Ashe.
Face it. Ashe treated these franchises as if they were crumbs on his bow tie. The money lost by owners of professional hockey in this town is staggering. Why can't anyone make it go?
A dilapidated building is one thing. Refusal by city leadership, particularly the mayor himself, to work with these fledgling hockey franchises was unacceptable. The Knoxville Civic Coliseum is a dinosaur. No one, not even someone who is entrusted with it on a daily basis, is going to argue that point.
The Coliseum sight-lines for hockey are atrocious. Sit behind the goal and see how a quarter of the surface disappears. Still, the Knoxville Cherokees made quite a run in that building. Believe it or not, the Cherokees called the Civic Coliseum home for close to a decade from 1988-1997.
Truth be known, they would be working on their 15th anniversary in the Coliseum this year. I remember having the team's ownership group consisting of Warren Payne and Dr. John Staley on my radio show six weeks before they announced that they were moving to Florence, S.C. They were pleading with the city to meet them halfway on concessions, parking and a few other issues. The ownership group was local. They had no interest in moving that team. They were taking hits from all sides at the decision they were being forced to make. It was truly a financial decision. It was a time the city had a chance to put its arms around a decade-long business partner and throw them a puck.
Of course, Payne, Staley and rest of the ownership group got nothing from King Victor and were off to greener pastures where they became something called the Pee Dee Pride. That team is annually turning a profit in Florence, S.C. Knoxville should never lose anything to Florence! The reason hockey is working there is simple. Florence values its relationship with that hockey team. A brand new 7,000-seat arena at the time of the team's arrival back in '97 didn't hurt the club's chances for success.
I knew Payne, Staley and the rest of the ownership group were losing some serious money on the Cherokee hockey team at that time. It is an expensive proposition to put a quality professional product on the floor every night. Years later I learned off the record from one of the owners that their losses were staggering. Somewhere between $4 and $6 million. All the while, others in comparable cities in the ECHL were making it go in similar buildings. Of course, those franchises were operating in cities where they were valued.
It wasn't as if the Cherokees put a miserable product on the ice. Their game presentation was excellent, and they won, twice putting the winningest teams in the league on the ice. And people responded! They had a fierce, loyal following that would've allowed them to do business for years to come in Knoxville.
Some will see this as a cheap shot on an outgoing mayor who did many wonderful things for the city. Admittedly, Victor Ashe did have a very good run as mayor. However, when it came to sports, this guy was a living, breathing nightmare. There is no reason under the sun why a heritage treasure known as Knoxville professional baseball should have been allowed to get out of town. Why aren't the Smokies currently playing in close proximity to the Old City? Imagine how truly vibrant summer nights would be in downtown Knoxville. Mayor Ashe couldn't help himself in this one as he had an ugly public battle with Dan Rajkowski, then GM of the ball club.
Just like the Cherokees before them, a neglected franchise with a history in downtown Knoxville and a loyal following was forced to take its product elsewhere. Only the Southern League itself called Bill Meyer stadium home from 1964 until the team left the city limits. Generations of Knoxvillians literally grew up watching baseball in Bill Meyer Stadium.
It's funny how Sevierville was able to find the funds to build a multi-purpose facility when the chance to land the Smokies presented itself. Of course, Sevierville is getting the last laugh at Knoxville's expense. Over 70 times per summer, thousands of would-be Old City patrons travel right past the heart of downtown Knoxville on their way to see top quality baseball in a beautiful brand new ballpark.
Let's also mention the terrific concerts that have come to Smokies Park as well.
The irony as Bill Haslam takes the baton in a few short weeks from Victor Ashe is that Haslam's family now owns the Smokies. One must wonder where the team would be playing had Victor's term expired four years ago. As it is, Haslam has an opportunity to learn from Ashe's mistakes. As a sports fan, here's hoping he will.
October 9, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 41
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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