Today Minnesota Swarm owner John Arlotta posted a message to Swarm fans on the team website, and the message seems ominous. The message can be seen here, and we highlight a few important things.
The Swarm need your help, and we are writing this letter today to explain why, and what you might do to help. WHY DO WE THINK YOU SHOULD HELP THE SWARM? Simply put, we believe we have earned your support and your help. Here are some of the reasons why.
First, as we enter our 10th Season as Minnesota’s Professional Lacrosse Team, and finish our 5th year of ownership, we are told by fans of all ages and backgrounds that we have one of the most entertaining and competitive professional sports teams in Minnesota. A few examples include: • For the 2nd season in a row we reached the Division Finals of our league playoffs • Swarm Players received 17 NLL Weekly Awards in 2013 more than any other team • The Swarm tied for the best home record in the NLL • The team became the first since 2005 to score 20 goals in back to back games • Franchise records were set for most goals in a season (219) and a single game (21) • The Swarm had the youngest team in the NLL in 2013 and added top prospects through this year’s Entry Draft including Logan Schuss (#1 Overall), Jason Noble (#2 Overall), Cam Flint (#4 Overall) and Scott Jones (#7 Overall).
A third reason that we’ve earned your support is that we have never asked for handouts or gifts. On the contrary, we have worked diligently to change our business model in many different ways rather than expect others to fix it for us. We recognize that not everyone understands what we have done and why we have done it, and we are willing to accept the criticism in order to give this team the best chance to survive. Unfortunately, our success on the field and our assistance with the growth of lacrosse in Minnesota has come at the price of tremendous financial losses that are not sustainable over another 5 years of ownership. We want to be clear on one point….. this is not about making a profit. We would be happy to merely lose less money than we have in the past. We are passionate owners that have invested heavily because we love the sport of lacrosse, want to see the sport grow in Minnesota, and want desperately to win a Champions Cup for our players, our fans, and our organization. However, we have learned over the past 5 years that despite our best efforts, we can’t do it on our own. We don’t need gifts or handouts, but we do need the support of the fans that know and love our sport and our team.
To some this call for help might seem like just another sports franchise looking for help at the expense of the fans. That is definitely not true in this situation. We have invested our time and energy as well as millions of dollars in this team and this city, and we want to be realistic and upfront with where we stand. It is hard to say exactly how causes get supported. We are sure the answer to that varies with each individual situation. However, we think the Minnesota Swarm is a cause worth supporting. We aren’t asking for giveaways or handouts. We are just asking you to help us reach our goal of 4,000 season tickets for the 2014 season. The owners of those season tickets will have an experience that is undeniably the best that a sports franchise has to offer. In any business this is called value, and we are confident that a Swarm season ticket has tremendous value for anyone who owns it.
On the front this just seems like there is more trouble than we knew about. The Swarm are a young franchise (on the field and off) and one of the most exciting in the league to watch. Every team faces financial issues and we pretty much know that but this seems like the future might actually be in doubt. Or, as some people have suggested on social media, a ploy involved in the CBA negotiations but seeing that will be resolved soon that seems doubtful.
In fact, former Swarm player Ryan Benesch said on a Buffalo radio station last week that the negotiations are almost over. Obviously the quote “help this team survive” just has an ominous ring to it. It would not be fair to speculate on what is going down without details, so below is attached season ticket information. If you are in Minnesota, make sure to contribute!
To order Season Tickets or learn more about how you can help please contact our Ticket Sales Staff at 888-667-9276 or email [email protected].
If we can obtain any quotes from the team, this post will be updated immediately.
