Of course, the Goldwater Institute, who failed at a restraining order, could have some push still-- as while they did fail to get the vote stopped, did learn that the City of Glendale could be held in contempt of court for violating a previous court order to show the meetings that the city had with any buyer.
According to a study, Glendale would pay Jamison $203 million during this lease while bringing in $45M in revenue because of it, while it would take $177 million and cost many of jobs to buy out the lease should the Coyotes move.
To be honest, I'm sick of this ordeal-- as I'm sure many hockey fans are because this has dragged on forever. Leave, don't leave-- who cares at this point, it's beyond exhausting. Though, someone in the TSN comments section (crazy, I know) did offer up some kind of food for thought.
If the NHL was so concerned with the city of Winnipeg actually getting the support from the city when it comes to their new hockey team-- why wouldn't they at least see if they can sell a set amount of number of season tickets to not only show the city of Glendale they're fighting the good fight, show Jamison that he's actually going to have a good investment, and give the other NHL cities and pundits who hate the Phoenix fiasco a reason to shut-up because the Coyotes would have a solid crowd for their games rather than empty seats we see game-in and game-out from the Getty Images after the game.
Plus, it would give the fans the chance to show that they aren't a bunch of ham-and-eggers and really give them a reason to be proud of their team and themselves for actually putting up a fight...and long fight....and succeeding and then having a reason to stay around for a while and support the team they emotionally fought for. It would assure their team stays around and won't get chirped by anyone else.
Sure, the Jobing.com Arena is in the middle of nowhere, despite the city trying to build up the area-- and I get that it could be difficult for people in outer-lining areas to access the arena, but at the same time-- why did the team do that knowing the difficulties they would have had to get people out there. It's almost like this whole thing was a set-up for failure.
That said, the NHL just wants the Coyotes off their hands. The fact of the matter is that the quicker Gary Bettman gets this off his hands, the quicker he can get onto more pressing matters-- like if anyone would get to play next season in the NHL. A ticket drive for Phoenix is not on the horizon, though it might be a good rallying cry to the fans to actually show this fight wasn't for naught. Plus, it'd give something for Bettman to hang his hat on if they actually fill all the spots. Yet, if it doesn't fulfill, it'd be egg on the face of Bettman, Phoenix, Jamison, and everyone involved.
It's just a shame that one fan base who actually craved a team after it was taken for him have to prove their support and dedication to a team (and did it in quite a rapid fashion), while another area is just allowed to keep the team because they're already there and it's easier than trying to move to another locale that's not ready.
And honestly-- the same should be done for other teams in financial straits. If the fans want to keep their team, they'll be able to buy the tickets to show the support, or they'll have to support another team. Just because you have the building doesn't mean you deserve the team.
Good luck to all involved, but if this drags on any longer-- I can bet I won't be the only one to flip tables in anger.
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