The job of a professional sports commissioner can be sometimes like a fireman's, trying to keep the flames from spreading out of control. George Daniel, the commissioner of the National Lacrosse League, has a good-sized blaze on his hands right now.
The Calgary Roughnecks are in danger of folding in the middle of the current season. Owner Brad Banister says the team has enough money to play next week in Philadelphia, but can't go on past that. The franchise needs $500,000 to finish the season.
"We're certainly doing our due diligence and trying to understand everything about the situation, trying to understand what role we can play in coming up with a remedy and a solution," Daniel said. "We're working very hard. We hope we can find a solution over the next week to 10 days, to stabilize the franchise. That's our goal. I'm optimistic that we can come up with something."
Time is the major issue with the Roughnecks. A midseason folding of a franchise in a sports league causes all sorts of problems, including scheduling. Daniel agreed that losing a franchise in a 10-team league right now would be a nightmare.
"We are under a tight deadline to get things stabilized," he said. "Whether we can find a long-term solution that quickly is another story. The key thing is — what can we do to stabilize the situation to make sure that the games are going to go on? We're working very hard on that. I'm optimistic that there's a solution out there. ... We have to exhaust all possibilities."That's not the only problem for Daniel and the NLL — only the most immediate one. For example, Washington, the league's defending champion, is averaging fewer than 4,000 fans per game. Rochester's attendance has dropped noticeably this year, in part because the Knighthawks are playing five games in a row at home.
To read the rest of the story by Budd Bailey from the Buffalo News click here
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