Professional sports teams find fans in Corpus Christi
Hockey, football, baseball, basketball; there’s something for every type of fan
By: Andrea Duper | Foghorn
If he could do it all over again, the Southwest Basketball League (SBL) commissioner and owner of the SBL’s Corpus Christi Sharks – a team that lasted just 22 days in October of 1997 – said he would have done things differently in the league’s inaugural season. However, this is not the first time Corpus Christi had seen a professional sports team come into town and fail.
In 1997, a group of investors purchased a hockey team to bring to the city that would become the Corpus Christi Ice Rayz. It was a novelty, a financial success and perhaps the investment that made footprints for all professional sports teams in Corpus Christi.
Since the arrival of the Rayz, the city has become home to a AA-affiliated baseball team, two arena football teams and a new professional baseball team.
What’s the recipe for success in a city that has seen little economic growth in the past decade and which these pro teams now call home? How have the teams continued to survive and more importantly make money?
Doug Frank, owner of the Corpus Christi Rayz, Marc Solis, General Manager of the AmericanBank Center, JJ Gotsch, President of the Hooks and Larry Linde, all have distinct and varying ideas on how to be successful.
The Ice Age in Corpus Christi In 1997, Corpus Christi is introduced to the idea of ice hockey. The Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) and its 14 teams take a strong hold in Texas and the Ice Rayz (who would eventually become the Rayz) make their debut in Memorial Coliseum.
The fans who pack the Bayfront Coliseum are not much different than the citizens of Ancient Rome who filled the Coliseum for barbaric entertainment. The Roman gladiators suited up in armor to battle for a win and forthe glory of Rome and the Rayz promote the reputation of Corpus Christi using their bare knuckles. At the time the Rayz arrived, all Corpus Christi residents knew about hockey was how brutal the fights were and some had memories of the 1970's Flyers who were nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies.”
However, the fans packed the arena much like the Romans to looking to quench their thirst for violence and action. Hockey is the sport of gladiators, entertaining the crowd with each punch, jab and knockout.
Pre-game activities included such things as C- 101 radio station personalities outside with Geoff “Bummer” Bumstead taking slap shots against a fan’s car for $100 and autographing the dent left by the puck that traveled at speeds upwards of 40 miles per hour.
Inside anyone who was old enough (and even some that appear questionable) held a beer in each clinched fist and children were dragging their parents to every vendor table in the arena. Ice Rayz shirts, jerseys, hats, fan fingers, seat cushions, noisemakers even trading cards are available for this novel sport.
A distinct bellow of excitement filled the air as fan favorites like enforcer Bumstead (who in the 1999/00 season served 135 penalty minutes), Kurt Wickenheiser the Praznik brothers Jody and Tobin and Brad Wingfield took to the ice. Many of the 3500 fans who were packed to the rafters had never seen an ice hockey game. Many don’t know or understand the rules of the game and many don’t care – they’re there to be entertained.
They came to watch their favorite “gladiator” throw down the gloves and pummel the opponent and if the Rayz win, that’s an added bonus. It was glorified violence at a cheap price. By January 1998, the Ice Rayz had sold 900 of the 1200 season tickets available. The organization players made 26 public appearances and the team maintained a visible headquarters in Sunrise Mall.
With the team’s first game still ten months away, the Rayz appeared to have a very promising future and during their first five years, the Ice Rayz packed the Coliseum to maximum capacity. The building designed to seat 3200 people and attendance records for the new franchise averaged 3500 plus per game.
The two owner groups were in new-franchise bliss, the enthusiasm for hockey was on the upswing and it looked like Corpus Christi was finally going to have a long-term professional sports team.
The good ol’ days
By 2003, the two owner groups were in heated litigation over money. The Central Hockey League (formerly the WPHL) looked to salvage one of the most successful franchise teams in the league with the help of the New Mexico Scorpion’s owner, Doug Frank.
“It was a bail-out,” said Frank, now owner of the Corpus Christi Rayz. “There were pending lawsuits, litigation by the former ownership. The league was unable to fund the team, so they sought out an uninvolved third party,” he said. The league took a chance that the market would grow and that team would be successful, but Frank said, “We added entertainment to a market that doesn’t grow. We added affordable sports to a market that can’t afford it.” Since the move to the American Bank Center (ABC), the team has struggled financially and Frank asks, “Why did the city build a $70-million facility? Why not a $30 million facility?”
The original plan was that the ABC would help in the effort to rebuild Corpus Christi’s Downtown area. However, “We’re left with this state-of-the-art building and its constrictions and higher building costs in a market that can’t afford it,” said Frank.
The Rayz’ “largest competitor is the American Bank Center,” Frank said. “We compete for the same sponsorship dollars in the market.” The Rayz rent averages between $300,000 to $350,000 per year. The corporate dollars brought in through sponsorships total only $400,000-500,000 annually. That leaves between $50,000-100,000 to pay administrative, player and coaching salaries and run the office and conduct marketing for one season.
A passion for the game and not the great business model was what Frank said he invested in. Since he took over ownership of the Rayz, Frank has personally lost close to $3 million. According to Frank, Corpus Christi’s market opposes any economic growth and $6 to $8 billion [in investments] has been sent packing. This ought to be the biggest growing city, but it’s not,” said Frank.
What about the fans?
“Our die-hard fans number in the hundreds, not in the thousands” Frank said. “That fan base can’t sustain the team, but they are the heart and soul of the Rayz.”
The Rayz have lost a lot of their original support and that has forced them to become more dependent on group and walk-up sales. The administration is spending less money on the bells and whistles to entertain people and is trying to develop a better business model.
“When you’re making money, you can spend it trying to promote. When you’re losing money, you conserve.” said Frank.
The Rayz have been branded as a product for years with a “rock-em, sock- em and maybe you’ll get to see a hockey game” mentality. Taking that factor out of the equation and relying on selling a professional hockey game is having its effect, according to Frank.
“We don’t just come for the hockey, we come to enjoy ourselves. Laugh at the intermission games, get excited for the contestants. That’s all missing now. So, we’ll just enjoy the hockey,” said Kim Large, a season ticket holder since 1998.
“We love the game. It was difficult to learn at first, but I’d hate to ever see it leave Corpus Christi… it’s my time to scream and let loose,” Kelly Kimball said about her experience at a recent game.
“The same 10 (people) will complain no matter what,” said Frank. “We sell a professional hockey team.” The “father of professional sports” in Corpus Christi? The Rayz built a franchise in Corpus Christi 10 years ago and that’s longer than any other professional sports team has lasted. Despite tragedies such as a player being killed in a head-on car crash, gladiator marketing tactics and ownership turmoil, the team has survived.
The Rayz’ owner said this franchise gave hope that professional sports would work here and grow. “We now have a AA pro baseball team, two arena football teams and we’re welcoming a second professional baseball team to replace the Aviators,” said Frank.
The American Bank Center
The four-year-old American Bank Center is now home to the Rayz, the AF2 team the Sharks and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Southland Conference Basketball teams the Islanders. The facility is a state-of-the-art arena built by bond dollars approved by Corpus Christi voters. The City has hired SMG, an organization that manages 220 facilities across the US, to manage ABC assets on the city’s behalf.
There’s a no-nonsense air about the office of Marc Solis, general manager of SMG, There are family photos, but they aren’t overbearing. Three hockey jerseys from the San Antonio Iguanas, Rayz and Laredo Bucks, all signed by the players, staff and coaches, are in cases on the wall. Solis was the GM for both the Iguanas and the Bucks. The mahogany desk is free of clutter and a daily calendar is flipped open and sitting on a corner. The Marketing Director for SMG/ABC is sitting at a table in the corner taking notes.
“I don’t necessarily agree with Doug (Frank),” said Solis. “While we can provide permanent building advertising, the Rayz can be creative.” Solis encourages forward thinking by the teams that play here.
For instance, “Let me showcase your product at my games,” Solis said. “It’s easy to sell a program ad, a sign and tickets. I encourage forward thinking.”
In an economy that isn’t growing and has unfinished bond projects like the American Bank Center yet to be paid off, SMG tries to make it work. Solis said the management company tries to help every show and all its tenants be successful. SMG gets paid a monthly fee whether the arena loses or earns money. The bottom line is to cover the cost of the events and all the money goes to the bottom line. “There are very few arenas in the US making any money,” said Solis. “We offer affordable shows and a variety of entertainment,” he said. “The quality of life has improved in Corpus because of this building,” according to Solis.
Corpus Christi is baseball
The Pelicans in 1910, Seahawks in 1926, the Sputters in 1938, Aces in 1949, the Clippers in 1954, Seagulls in 1976 and the Corpus Christi Barracudas in 1994 are all a part of the history of baseball in Corpus Christi.
The Aviators took to the field in Robstown in 2003 and vanished in 2007 and now a new team – the Corpus Christi Beach Dawgs – will take their place, Considering Corpus Christi’s dysfunctional love/hate relationship with professional baseball teams, why would Nolan Ryan and his ownership group want to bring a team into Corpus Christi? There was never any hesitation Ryan and the ownership group to bring a AA affiliate of the Houston Astros to Corpus Christi. “The economic market, the proximity to the Astros and the city’s willingness to play ball, pardon the pun, and CC is a baseball town.” said JJ Gotsch, president of the Hooks. It was a natural recipe for financial success, according to Gotsch. “Economy-wise, the city has refineries, hospital care, a large medical community, a large University and a large military community.” Gotsch said.
Regarding the competition for corporate sponsorship in Corpus Christi, Gotsch said, “The value of the number of people in attendance and the extension of the brand regionally and nationally is what we talk to our sponsors about.” He said the affiliation with the Astros is a huge reason to invest and support the Hooks. That is not the only thing that sells tickets, however, according to Gotsch.
“We market the product well. At the end of the day, we provide excellent customer service [and] guests feel at home,” said Gotsch. “We don’t control the players [the Astros do] so we can find ourselves in the situation where the team sucks,” he said. “We market entertainment.” Even with a sparse income, people want to be entertained and the summer finds Corpus Christi packed with winter Texans and families on vacation from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and other cities. “People respond to good entertainment,” gotsch said. “They are savvy enough not to pay for something they don’t enjoy,” said Gotsch.
The Hooks are in a unique situation. They receive all the revenue, all the corporate dollars and money from the concessions and they don’t have to fight for dates at the American Bank Center.
The Hooks control Whataburger Field. “We supply a good product; supply a good environment- a safe environment,” Gotsch said. The Hooks season ticket numbers have increased every year since their inaugural year in 2005 and they continue to have sold-out crowds and break league attendance records.
Shark Attack
The elevator opens on the second floor and at the end of a long hallway is the Sharks’ suite overlooking the water of Corpus Christi Bay, an appropriate location for a team named after a fish notorious for being a predator of the water. Larry Linde, general manger of the Sharks, calls out from his office to say that he’s available. Linde is a laid-back and casual general manager but no one should ever confuse his laid-back attitude with a lack of intelligence when running the successful sports franchise.
Linde has worked in football, basketball, hockey and baseball and before his move to Corpus Christi, was general manager of the Rayz and GM for the Indianapolis Ice. The move to Corpus and his tenacity for sports made him a perfect fit for the Sharks organization.
“Our largest challenge the first season was the shortness to prepare. We moved into a makeshift office in February 2007 and our opening night was April 7, 2007. We worked out of boxes; there were no desks, no phones,” Linde said. The Sharks are a part of the Texas AF2 Holdings ownership. There are 10-29 teams under the same ownership. The AF2 is affiliated with the NFL, CFL and the AFL.
The Sharks and the AF2 are not direct farm teams. Players come into the AF2, young and talented. They are moved through the ranks as they develop. There is no affiliation with the Hammerheads, members of the Intense Football League (IFL), an independent league started by owner Chad Ditman.
“There was confusion in the market in the beginning,” said Linde. “The flipside is it was easier to sell because of the sport and the ownership,” he said.
“We’re owned by Joe Avezzano (former Cowboys Coach), Doug MacGregor (former Dell executive), Jim Schneider (former Dell CFO) and Glyn Milburn (former NFL pro-bowler and Stanford All-American),” Linde said. After a rough start both on and off the field, the Sharks have made substantial gains. They spent the last year marketing via a strategic marketing campaign during all televised Cowboy games that helped the season ticket holder numbers. The Sharks currently sit in third place for season ticket sales as ranked by the league. They bulked up the office staff and spent the entire off season preparing for the entire 2008-09 season. The Sharks are a team still very much in their infancy that Linde said has “been embraced by the community.”
Whether it’s a love of Avezzano, the game, watching players move up to the AHL or NHL or just being entertained, the Sharks are banking on becoming a steadily successful professional sports team in Corpus Christi.
Whether a people are fans of hockey, football, baseball or even basketball, Corpus has a team for everyone. The bottom line is it’s the community support that keeps these teams in Corpus Christi so those looking for some entertainment should consider one or more of the varied sports offering the city boasts.