Post by Banana Cat on Apr 6, 2012 8:49:51 GMT -5
tribune-democrat.com/sports/x611944920/Staying-optimistic-Team-s-leaders-hoping-for-second-half-comeback
Johnstown Generals' owner pleads for fans to help save team
Eric Knopsnyder / tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN — Jeff Bollinger knows that the Johnstown Generals are behind. But the way the owner of the United Indoor Football League team sees it, it’s not even halftime yet.
Bollinger acknowledged Thursday that his players and coaches have not been paid for some time, but said there is still time to save the cash-strapped franchise if more fans turn out for games at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
“I’m reaching out to the community to help me,” Bollinger said. “I’m not asking you for a $1,000 sponsorship. All I’m doing is asking you to buy a $9 ticket.”
While the team has struggled to land sponsors – the padding on the dasher boards that surrounds the field came from Huntingdon, W.Va., and contains ads for businesses there – Bollinger is confident that fans in the region can make the team profitable.
“The passion is there,” Bollinger said. “There are some great fans. The people that support the Johnstown Generals are just as wild and crazy as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans. They’re a fun group.”
The problem, Bollinger said, is it just isn’t a big enough group.
He said that the Generals’ 46-30 victory Friday over the Western Pennsylvania Sting – which he also owns – attracted 1,300 fans, but only about a quarter of those were paying customers. The rest of the tickets were given away in an attempt to build an audience and encourage sponsors.
By the time the Generals paid rent to the arena and covered other expenses related to game-day operations, only $659 remained.
And that was before the players’ salaries of $2,500 and the coaches’ fees of $600 were subtracted.
‘Chose to come here’
All told, Bollinger said, the Generals probably lost $4,000 on the game.
Afterward, tensions boiled over as frustration mounted for players and coaches, many of whom have yet to be paid six weeks into the season.
“This situation is pretty bad,” said Generals coach Quenteen Robinson, who suited up for the team as a player last week.
“I definitely want compensated. I put in months of time. My coaches deserve to be compensated. So do my players. Just trying to stay positive.”
Still, Robinson said the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the rumors that he heard, including one that reportedly had players taking Bollinger to an automated teller machine and demanding money.
“There were all kinds of crazy stories out there,” Robinson said. “It got a little frustrating after the game, but it was a situation that got blown up. Jeff isn’t running from the players. He called a meeting the very next day. He had a meeting. All of the players had an opportunity to come. He showed everybody the numbers. He’s been open with the players.”
Quarterback Andre Coles, who is from Philadelphia, said that Bollinger’s discussion with the players helped them understand the situation, even though many of the promises that helped lure them to Johns-town – including day jobs in addition to their football salaries – have yet to materialize.
“I chose to come out here because of the good things that were promised,” Coles said. “I kind of left home with the idea I’d have a good job and make a couple of bucks playing football. You kind of second-guess your decision.”
‘Expect you to fail’
Even though the players get free housing, without weekly paychecks averaging about
$150, they are quickly running out of money, Coles said.
“It’s tougher on some of my teammates, because some of those guys have children and families back home,” he said.
“They want to send money back home to them. Just the simple things – paying your cellphone bill – (are challenging). We’re scratching our heads, trying to figure out where that money is going to come from.”
The players have tried to pitch in to do their part. Coles and some of the other players have taken it upon themselves to talk to local businesses about sponsorship opportunities, but they struggled to get their message out in a city that has seen three previous indoor football franchises – the Jackals, J-Dogs and Riverhawks – fail in the past 12 years.
“It’s been mixed,” Coles said of the reaction. “Some businesses didn’t even know we existed.
“Some businesses have heard the bad news and were reluctant to give anything.”
Reaction from fans wasn’t much better. Coles said that he couldn’t even give away tickets to one man, who told him that the team should change its name.
“He said the fact that we have Johnstown in our title is a negative, because people automatically expect you to fail,” Coles said.
‘Not just Johnstown’
The off-the-field issues have made the transition difficult for Coles, a 28-year-old who played two seasons with the Reading Express of the American Indoor Football Association and one with the Harrisburg Stampede of the Southern Indoor Football League. With those teams, Coles said, he was able to concentrate solely on football.
“Those experiences were top-notch,” he said. “The things we worry about here were non-issues.”
For Robinson, a Greater Johnstown High School graduate who has played for all four local franchises, the problems are a little too familiar. He said the Riverhawks players were not getting payments on time near the end of the 2007 season, although they eventually were paid.
Robinson thinks the indoor football problems run deeper than the Stonycreek and Conemaugh rivers.
“To be honest with you, it’s not just Johnstown,” he said. “The game itself – it’s almost like part of the game. I don’t put the full blame on individual owners. I put a lot of blame on owners that buy leagues or run leagues. You don’t put eight employees out there that can’t get a job done. It seems like franchises are sold without all of the information being told. ‘Here you go, good luck.’ ”
According to Bollinger, that’s essentially what happened with him. He initially purchased the Sting, which had relocated from Saginaw, Mich., as a traveling team that would receive $2,000 per game. Bollinger saw it as a low-risk opportunity to be a part of the league and elevate players from the semipro teams that he has been involved with to the UIFL.
‘It becomes your baby’
When Bollinger was told the Generals were folding, he was asked if he’d be interested in buying the Johnstown team as well.
“I made a quick decision,” he said. “I said, ‘Can I see the bookwork? I want to see the actual numbers.’ ... The first game they had 2,000 or 3,000 people. The more games they lost, the less the attendance was, to the point where they were owing money at the end of the season.”
Bollinger was convinced that a better on-field product would result in a stronger bottom line.
At least until he took control of the Generals and found a number of outstanding debts owed to businesses that were essential to operations of the team.
“One thing after another kept coming in – ‘You owe this person that much money, this person that much money,’ ” he said. “The problem is the Johns-town Generals name was attached to it. We tried to take it on ourselves and it just kept adding up - $300 here, $600 there, $2,000 there. It adds up quickly.”
That has made life difficult for Bollinger, who is a contractor from Westmoreland County, to make ends meet.
“I never claimed to be a millionaire coming into this thing,” he said. “I was told from the beginning that you didn’t need to be. I had enough money for what the costs were supposed to be.”
Bollinger refused to criticize the UIFL, but said the league hasn’t done much to help the Generals or other struggling franchises.
“They’re aware of the situation,” he said. “When you purchase a team, I guess it becomes your baby and your responsibility. They offer advice and that’s about the extent of it.”
‘Not going anywhere’
Despite a string of failed teams, Robinson is still convinced that his hometown can support indoor football.
“This would be a profitable situation. If the right businessman got involved, it manages itself,” he said. “I’m not saying Bollinger’s not the right guy.
“I’m saying it would be somebody that knows everything up front.”
Robinson believes Bollinger was hurt by the fact that he’s not from Johnstown.
“When you come from somewhere else, you have to be filled in,” he said. “I don’t think he quite grasped the fact that business in Pittsburgh is different than business in Johnstown. Everybody is close-knit. If you have a bad relationship with one business, that turns into four or five, because their friends aren’t going to do business with you either.”
Bollinger said that he’s committed to Johnstown.
“I’m here,” he said. “If the ship sinks, I’m sinking with it. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got too much time, too much money invested in it. My game plan is to be here in 20 years telling you how great it has been and celebrating an anniversary.”
‘A winning organization’
In order to reach another season in Johnstown, Bollinger said the team needs to sell between 1,500 and 1,750 tickets per game for the five remaining home games, the first of which is at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Marion (Ohio) Blue Racers.
Bollinger said his agreement with the arena offers incentives for bigger crowds. He gets 15 percent of the food and beverage sales for a crowd of 1,000 people, but that number jumps to 50 percent with a crowd of 1,750 or more.
Based on what he saw from last year’s attendance figures, Bollinger is banking on those numbers improving for a team that is 2-2 but has faced a difficult opening schedule.
“Who wants to go see a losing team?” Bollinger said. “I knew that they’d be up from last year. They’re still at a point where they’re set to get a first-round home game in the playoffs. It’s a winning organization now.”
For Robinson, who said nose guard Tim McGee left the team on Thursday to play overseas because of the missing payments, the question is how long the Generals can play well if they’re not getting paid.
“One by one, I feel like we’re going to fall apart,” he said. “I only have so much energy. I can hold it together for so long.”
Eric Knopsnyder / tribdem.com
JOHNSTOWN — Jeff Bollinger knows that the Johnstown Generals are behind. But the way the owner of the United Indoor Football League team sees it, it’s not even halftime yet.
Bollinger acknowledged Thursday that his players and coaches have not been paid for some time, but said there is still time to save the cash-strapped franchise if more fans turn out for games at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.
“I’m reaching out to the community to help me,” Bollinger said. “I’m not asking you for a $1,000 sponsorship. All I’m doing is asking you to buy a $9 ticket.”
While the team has struggled to land sponsors – the padding on the dasher boards that surrounds the field came from Huntingdon, W.Va., and contains ads for businesses there – Bollinger is confident that fans in the region can make the team profitable.
“The passion is there,” Bollinger said. “There are some great fans. The people that support the Johnstown Generals are just as wild and crazy as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans. They’re a fun group.”
The problem, Bollinger said, is it just isn’t a big enough group.
He said that the Generals’ 46-30 victory Friday over the Western Pennsylvania Sting – which he also owns – attracted 1,300 fans, but only about a quarter of those were paying customers. The rest of the tickets were given away in an attempt to build an audience and encourage sponsors.
By the time the Generals paid rent to the arena and covered other expenses related to game-day operations, only $659 remained.
And that was before the players’ salaries of $2,500 and the coaches’ fees of $600 were subtracted.
‘Chose to come here’
All told, Bollinger said, the Generals probably lost $4,000 on the game.
Afterward, tensions boiled over as frustration mounted for players and coaches, many of whom have yet to be paid six weeks into the season.
“This situation is pretty bad,” said Generals coach Quenteen Robinson, who suited up for the team as a player last week.
“I definitely want compensated. I put in months of time. My coaches deserve to be compensated. So do my players. Just trying to stay positive.”
Still, Robinson said the situation wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the rumors that he heard, including one that reportedly had players taking Bollinger to an automated teller machine and demanding money.
“There were all kinds of crazy stories out there,” Robinson said. “It got a little frustrating after the game, but it was a situation that got blown up. Jeff isn’t running from the players. He called a meeting the very next day. He had a meeting. All of the players had an opportunity to come. He showed everybody the numbers. He’s been open with the players.”
Quarterback Andre Coles, who is from Philadelphia, said that Bollinger’s discussion with the players helped them understand the situation, even though many of the promises that helped lure them to Johns-town – including day jobs in addition to their football salaries – have yet to materialize.
“I chose to come out here because of the good things that were promised,” Coles said. “I kind of left home with the idea I’d have a good job and make a couple of bucks playing football. You kind of second-guess your decision.”
‘Expect you to fail’
Even though the players get free housing, without weekly paychecks averaging about
$150, they are quickly running out of money, Coles said.
“It’s tougher on some of my teammates, because some of those guys have children and families back home,” he said.
“They want to send money back home to them. Just the simple things – paying your cellphone bill – (are challenging). We’re scratching our heads, trying to figure out where that money is going to come from.”
The players have tried to pitch in to do their part. Coles and some of the other players have taken it upon themselves to talk to local businesses about sponsorship opportunities, but they struggled to get their message out in a city that has seen three previous indoor football franchises – the Jackals, J-Dogs and Riverhawks – fail in the past 12 years.
“It’s been mixed,” Coles said of the reaction. “Some businesses didn’t even know we existed.
“Some businesses have heard the bad news and were reluctant to give anything.”
Reaction from fans wasn’t much better. Coles said that he couldn’t even give away tickets to one man, who told him that the team should change its name.
“He said the fact that we have Johnstown in our title is a negative, because people automatically expect you to fail,” Coles said.
‘Not just Johnstown’
The off-the-field issues have made the transition difficult for Coles, a 28-year-old who played two seasons with the Reading Express of the American Indoor Football Association and one with the Harrisburg Stampede of the Southern Indoor Football League. With those teams, Coles said, he was able to concentrate solely on football.
“Those experiences were top-notch,” he said. “The things we worry about here were non-issues.”
For Robinson, a Greater Johnstown High School graduate who has played for all four local franchises, the problems are a little too familiar. He said the Riverhawks players were not getting payments on time near the end of the 2007 season, although they eventually were paid.
Robinson thinks the indoor football problems run deeper than the Stonycreek and Conemaugh rivers.
“To be honest with you, it’s not just Johnstown,” he said. “The game itself – it’s almost like part of the game. I don’t put the full blame on individual owners. I put a lot of blame on owners that buy leagues or run leagues. You don’t put eight employees out there that can’t get a job done. It seems like franchises are sold without all of the information being told. ‘Here you go, good luck.’ ”
According to Bollinger, that’s essentially what happened with him. He initially purchased the Sting, which had relocated from Saginaw, Mich., as a traveling team that would receive $2,000 per game. Bollinger saw it as a low-risk opportunity to be a part of the league and elevate players from the semipro teams that he has been involved with to the UIFL.
‘It becomes your baby’
When Bollinger was told the Generals were folding, he was asked if he’d be interested in buying the Johnstown team as well.
“I made a quick decision,” he said. “I said, ‘Can I see the bookwork? I want to see the actual numbers.’ ... The first game they had 2,000 or 3,000 people. The more games they lost, the less the attendance was, to the point where they were owing money at the end of the season.”
Bollinger was convinced that a better on-field product would result in a stronger bottom line.
At least until he took control of the Generals and found a number of outstanding debts owed to businesses that were essential to operations of the team.
“One thing after another kept coming in – ‘You owe this person that much money, this person that much money,’ ” he said. “The problem is the Johns-town Generals name was attached to it. We tried to take it on ourselves and it just kept adding up - $300 here, $600 there, $2,000 there. It adds up quickly.”
That has made life difficult for Bollinger, who is a contractor from Westmoreland County, to make ends meet.
“I never claimed to be a millionaire coming into this thing,” he said. “I was told from the beginning that you didn’t need to be. I had enough money for what the costs were supposed to be.”
Bollinger refused to criticize the UIFL, but said the league hasn’t done much to help the Generals or other struggling franchises.
“They’re aware of the situation,” he said. “When you purchase a team, I guess it becomes your baby and your responsibility. They offer advice and that’s about the extent of it.”
‘Not going anywhere’
Despite a string of failed teams, Robinson is still convinced that his hometown can support indoor football.
“This would be a profitable situation. If the right businessman got involved, it manages itself,” he said. “I’m not saying Bollinger’s not the right guy.
“I’m saying it would be somebody that knows everything up front.”
Robinson believes Bollinger was hurt by the fact that he’s not from Johnstown.
“When you come from somewhere else, you have to be filled in,” he said. “I don’t think he quite grasped the fact that business in Pittsburgh is different than business in Johnstown. Everybody is close-knit. If you have a bad relationship with one business, that turns into four or five, because their friends aren’t going to do business with you either.”
Bollinger said that he’s committed to Johnstown.
“I’m here,” he said. “If the ship sinks, I’m sinking with it. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got too much time, too much money invested in it. My game plan is to be here in 20 years telling you how great it has been and celebrating an anniversary.”
‘A winning organization’
In order to reach another season in Johnstown, Bollinger said the team needs to sell between 1,500 and 1,750 tickets per game for the five remaining home games, the first of which is at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Marion (Ohio) Blue Racers.
Bollinger said his agreement with the arena offers incentives for bigger crowds. He gets 15 percent of the food and beverage sales for a crowd of 1,000 people, but that number jumps to 50 percent with a crowd of 1,750 or more.
Based on what he saw from last year’s attendance figures, Bollinger is banking on those numbers improving for a team that is 2-2 but has faced a difficult opening schedule.
“Who wants to go see a losing team?” Bollinger said. “I knew that they’d be up from last year. They’re still at a point where they’re set to get a first-round home game in the playoffs. It’s a winning organization now.”
For Robinson, who said nose guard Tim McGee left the team on Thursday to play overseas because of the missing payments, the question is how long the Generals can play well if they’re not getting paid.
“One by one, I feel like we’re going to fall apart,” he said. “I only have so much energy. I can hold it together for so long.”