Quote:
Originally Posted by Resolute 14
Atlanta's new owners wanted the arena and basketball team only. They were pretty much unwilling owners of the Thrashers. They didn't want the team gone, per se, as another tenant for their arena paying a lease would have been good, but in the end, nobody wanted to own a hockey team in Atlanta.
And that, frankly, is the sole difference between Atlanta and Florida (and Phoenix, for that matter). If someone is willing to own a team in Miami/Sunrise, the Panthers will stay. If nobody is, they will go.
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But what it really comes down to is money. If the team was making money (or at least not losing more than the increasing value of the team), finding an owner wouldn't have been an issue. Money is always the first domino. Florida might not be where Atlanta was yet, but the preliminary conditions are there.