It's the $4-million question. How did the Renegades manage to lose that much money in their first two years?
That was the figure, according to insiders and quoted by Sun colleague Don Brennan the other day.
It just doesn't make sense to this typist, who, admittedly, once achieved the sparkling grade of 29% in CEGEP calculus, and to some readers who, like myself, did the math.
The Renegades have averaged 22,290 fans a game so far this season (that's the announced crowd, anyway).
If we assume a modest $40 average ticket price and project that over 10 home games, that's ticket revenue of more than $8 million.
We're not even working in how much the Renegades get for suite rentals, all those advertisements on the field and in the stands and their broadcast rights.
The salary cap is less than $3 million and the Renegades are an organization (maybe the only one in the league) which attempts to adhere to the cap.
Can front-office expenses, rent and travel be $7 million a year?
That doesn't sound likely. Sure, there must have been some startup costs with a new franchise. But if the owners are incorporating the cost of getting an expansion team into their losses, that wouldn't seem to be fair, since they now have the asset. Maybe they had to foot some of the bill for Hamilton's and Toronto's problems last year.
But that still doesn't seem like enough to translate into $4 million in losses the first couple of years.
But then again, I only took the most rudimentary accounting course.
I think I did pass that one ... barely.
BAD SELL JOB: Randy Gillies, the man who owns a big chunk of the Renegades, says he hasn't really thought about selling his stake in the club. "(Selling the team) is not something I've been preoccupied with," he told the Sun. Dunno about you, but I don't hear a denial in there. Nor did I hear an emphatic "I'm-here-for-the-long-haul" statement. The best we got was a "I'm not looking to sell." None of which is going to deter the whispers that after reaping the profits of the Grey Cup in November, one or more of the people who own the Renegades will join Kevin (15%) Kimsa in looking to sell and get the heck out of Dodge.
THE BUZZ: Welcome back to the 'Spin after a summer hiatus. Let me be your caddie, carrying the golf bag of knowledge and helping you avoid the bunkers of disinformation. Together, we will find the flagstick which marks the truth. Or something like that ... Manotick's Brad Fritsch was named the Canadian Tour's most improved Canadian player this year, a deserving honour for the 26-year-old. He shaved about a stroke off his scoring average from last year, jumped to 19th on the Order of Merit ($30,774) and got himself into contention in a couple of events (three top-10 finishes including a T2 at the Players' Championship). "It's nice. My goals this year were to get a couple of top fives and get into contention. (Winning most improved player) was on the list," said Fritsch yesterday. He'll be off to the first stage of qualifying for the PGA Tour in a couple of weeks.
HEAR AND THERE: They're saying this is it, really, this time we're not kidding: A deal to move the Montreal Expos to Washington is almost done. Just get it over with already. There could be an announcement Wednesday, which just happens to be the day of the Expos' last game at the Big Owe ... Former Senators Alexandre Daigle, Andre Roy, Jason Doig and goaltender Patrick Lalime are among 40 locked out NHLers to join La Caravane McDonald's, a barnstorming tour in Quebec to raise money for charity. Organizers are hoping to raise $2 million. Tickets are $20 each. A 16-game schedule has been finalized with a stop in Gatineau set for Sunday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. Maybe the fans will turn out if the money is going to a charity other than the fund for poor, locked out players.
REVELATIONS: Now I know why we hardly ever see NHLPA chief Bob Goodenow in front of a camera. He comes across as a guy sitting on a very pointy salary cap ... Renegades DB Bo Rogers might have gotten the worst of his scrap with WR Darryl Ray (it's debatable), but you gotta love a guy like Rogers giving away five inches and 23 lbs. still standing in there and mixing it up ... So Renegades GM Eric Tillman liked to burn the midnight oil. Big deal. Who really cares when he works, as long as he gets the job done?
SPECULATIONS: If the Americans are going to get competitive at the Ryder Cup, they need the players who are playing their best. Selecting the team based on points accrued over two years is ridiculous. Too many guys (Jim Furyk, who missed most of the year because a wrist injury) make the team based on their play 18 months before the Ryder Cup ... Better yet, get rid of the points system all together and make them all captain's picks. Let the captain choose the 12 guys with which he wants to go to battle.
JUST WONDERING: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said there haven't been any talks between the league and the players' association because they need some time for "sober second thoughts." Maybe what both sides really need is to go out and talk over a few beers. Isn't that how everybody else is solving the lockout?
LEMME SAY THIS ABOUT THAT: One of the disappointments as a result of the NHL lockout (and there are a few) is this would have been the 50th year for he Montreal Gazette's Red Fisher on the hockey beat. Not exactly the way to celebrate a golden anniversary, huh?
chris.stevenson@ott.sunpub.com
