I know timelines are tight, but its pretty tough to get the excitement up for a bunch of strangers, when the home town team's only played two home games this season.
For a regular game that gets 10K people, from the season ticket numbers its pretty plain to see that 6K are walk ups. Its a good time out, sure, but for most, its a night out that maybe isn't planned weeks in advance.
I hardly see hosting the NLL putting us back on the international map...not to be a spoil sport, but who watches NBC Sports anymore anyways (I know, they'l have the NHL contract next)? Last week they put Arena Football on on Sunday. They have no football other then Notre Dame, and no Basketball.
A less then sellout won't embasrass Calgary in any way, shape or form. This is, and always will be, an obscure (yet entertaining to many) sport on the North American level. Other than the Gait brothers, and 4 or 5 Roughnecks, I couldn't name another NLL player....and I think I am in the minority with even knowing 6 names.
A premier market in Vancouver can't properly support a team, but I don't think their hanging their heads in shame out on the coast because the team's gone, or the city is getting lambasted and the image tarnished for losing an entire Lacrosse team, let alone a possibly lower then anticipated all star game.
They'll get a good walkup crowd, but I don't think the panic button has to be pushed.
Bannister has sunk a lot (too much?) of the teams money into this and is starting to get the sweats from a business persepctive for over promising, and so far, in his mind, underdelivering to those who backed him and/or chose Calgary as the site.
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