The National Lacrosse League has had a very busy year. Their oldest team relocated, they set up new broadcast deals, and they returned to the New England market. We discussed these things and more with the league’s commissioner, George Daniel, in this latest exclusive interview.
1. What are your thoughts on how New England as a market has responded to the Black Wolves so far?
We are very pleased to have the NLL back in New England. Mohegan Sun is an ideal owner/operator. Local press coverage has been outstanding and the fans appear to love the action. Fans seem to be learning more about the sport and really embracing the team.
2. What are the developments, if any, with a Philadelphia team return?
The league has retained the name “Wings” for the sole purpose of bringing a team back to the Philadelphia market. We are having a number of productive discussions and hope we to have the Wings back soon.
3. What other expansion markets are you looking at? Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Long Island, and Saskatoon have been mentioned in the past.
The league is examining a number of potential expansion cities. We have no timetable for expansion. A key element for our consideration will be the financial strength of ownership and quality of the facility lease.
4. Are there concerns about MLL season extending now into NLL season?
Since NLL players don’t report to their MLL teams until the NLL season is complete, it really doesn’t impact us very much. Both leagues are playing at the time of the year when we each feel we can maximize our ticket sales. In a perfect world, there would be no schedule overlap but that isn’t realistic.
5. How does the league feel about situations like Logan Schuss when a player has to hold out sometimes?
That’s just the nature of professional lacrosse at this point. The players are part-time seasonal employees and have to balance full-time work. There’s always been a dynamic in both lacrosse leagues that work or school commitments can prevent a player from participating during the season. Logan Schuss did end up reporting to his team so I think it’s encouraging that guys do want to be on the floor.
6. How do you feel the launch of NLL Live has gone, and how has the reception been for the TSN broadcasts?
We’re very pleased with NLL LIVE overall. There were some capacity issues due to the popular demand from fans during the free preview. Our provider wasn’t prepared for the high volume of fan traffic that we had. The system has been upgraded and it’s since performed well. We look forward to continue showcasing the league on there.
The league is thrilled to have such a great media partner in TSN. It’s tremendous for the NLL and big for the sport of lacrosse as a whole. Having a national television deal with TSN in Canada is really putting the NLL into the mainstream.
7. There has been a trend of teams going to smaller arenas, such as Vancouver and NE. How do you feel about this?
I wouldn’t say it’s a trend or strategic decision. Certain franchises have sought out the best arena deal that makes the most sense for them. As for Vancouver and New England, both of those organizations now have a strong relationship with their arena operator. Whether it’s 17,000 or 7,000 seats in the building, our objective is to find the best fit for each franchise.
8. Do you think the NLL needs to have Canadian teams as its primary market to succeed?
We need a strong presence in both the U.S. and Canada. We have great relevancy across Canada with teams in four major cities and a national television deal. That being said, our biggest attendance numbers are in Buffalo and Colorado. All in all, we want more cities and fans on both sides of the border.
9. Going into this season the league announced a 3 game playoff series for the championship. How do you envision this going after the league has been single game or two game since 1998?
We have continued to expand the playoff format after seeing such positive results from last year’s postseason. During the 2014 NLL Champion’s Cup Finals, the two-game attendance average was 12,865. The overall attendance for the entire 2014 NLL postseason averaged 10,821 fans, which marked a 62% increase from 2013. By way of comparison, the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse tournament (including the Final Four and all rounds) only averaged about 6,300 fans per game.
The 10-minute tiebreaker game is very exciting and thus we have kept it in place for the 2015 NLL Division Finals. For the Champion’s Cup Finals, we felt a full best-of-three series was the way to go.
10. Where do you envision the NLL in five years?
We have a great opportunity in front of us to grow the game in the digital age. Players with box lacrosse experience are coveted at every level of the game. NLL players have dominated in the NCAA and junior ranks and had an incredible showing at the World Lacrosse Championships this past summer. Box lacrosse is the big ticket.
The NLL ranks third in average attendance for professional indoor sports worldwide behind only the NHL and NBA. With such a dynamic product, there’s still an enormous potential for growth.
We hope to grow with our existing sponsors, a diverse portfolio that includes the likes of Under Armour, New Era, Western Union and Pinty’s. And when you add that in with our broadcast partners in TSN, WatchESPN and Universal Sports, there’s a recipe for continued success.
