NLL franchises discover greener pastures by locking up NHL owners and their resources
Dec. 30, 2005. 05:41 AM
DONOVAN VINCENT
SPORTS REPORTER
In an attempt to shed its reputation for one-night stands, the National Lacrosse League is cozying up to a partner with its own relationship baggage.
The National Hockey League.
Five of the NLL's 11 teams are now owned or operated by NHL teams or their corporate parents. Another two NLL franchises have marketing or revenue-sharing partnerships.
Encouraging the trend is NLL commissioner Jim Jennings, who wants to bring stability to a league with a fly-by-night past: 11 NLL franchises have shuttered or moved since 1999.
Last summer, the Anaheim Storm suspended operations after averaging about 4,800 fans.
Jennings' efforts may be starting to pay off: last month, Reebok signed a multi-year sponsorship contract that could be worth $3.5 million (all figures U.S.).
Jennings called it the "biggest deal in the history of lacrosse.''
Reebok senior vice-president John Frascotti says the NLL's links to the NHL played an important role in the new deal. The company was already the exclusive jersey supplier for the NHL and is taking a similar role with the NLL. Reebok's new lacrosse jerseys (and other gear) will be on display in tomorrow's season opener between the Colorado Mammoth and the Philadelphia Wings.
Piggybacking with NHL teams helps the NLL in several ways:
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There are long-standing ties between the two sports, which are similarly fast-paced with a lot of body checking.
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NHL clubs are proven pro sports operators.
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Infrastructure, including marketing resources, can be shared.
"When you're trying to support a (lacrosse) organization with only eight home (games), you can't afford to keep quality people around. There's just not enough work for people," says Dan Dipofi, COO of Hockey Western New York, which owns both the Sabres and Bandits in Buffalo. That was the first NHL-NLL pairing, and the only one to predate Jennings, having joined forces in 1997.
And a lacrosse team brings fans and money into an arena that would otherwise be empty for eight nights, Dipofi said.
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