Quote:
Originally Posted by Nacre
I can only say that this has not happened in Seattle. When the NBA team left people simply shifted their purchases to other sports events: especially Seattle's new soccer team that draws 43,000+ per game.
Additionally it is worth noting that Seattle's arena went from running at a loss with the NBA to making a profit without it thanks to the elimination of the arena's debt servicing. A modest renovation of the Saddledome to make it a better concert venue should enable the arena to operate at a profit even without the NHL.
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That's the difference. In a city the size of Seattle, there are other similar choices, facilitating a simple transfer of revenues from one venue to another.
In Calgary, that simply wouldn't be as true. This is a one horse town when it comes to major sports. And for many people in northern (one sport) climates, the obvious substitute is travel.