The CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL’s Erik Spanberg cites sources saying the Bobcats’ average paid attendance for their first season in Charlotte Bobcats Arena was 9,930, down 19.7% from 12,362 last year at the Charlotte Coliseum. Average announced attendance this season was 16,366, up 2,000 from last season. The disparity stems, in part, from the team having “one of the highest average distributions of complimentary tickets in the league.” The team sold 5,717 full-season equivalent ticket packages this season, down 35% from last season ( CHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/16 issue ). JUNK MAIL: MLB.com last week “offered Angels fans a chance to have their own Angels e-mail address,” but the extension was “losangeles-angels.net.” The site “was no longer operating ... within a few hours of being contacted” about the address. A team spokesperson said that the e-mail service “had been started without the Angels’ knowledge,” but one with the name Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim “will be available soon” ( ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/19 ). BUY, SELL: CFL Lions Owner David Braley said of reports that he plans to sell the team, “There have been expressions of interest. But the team is not for sale.” Braley said he has been approached by five parties in the U.S. and two in the Vancouver area ( VANCOUVER SUN, 6/17 )....U.S. hedge fund Polygon has been working for several months with investment bank UBS to buy Sir John’s Hall’s stake in Premier League club Newcastle United. Hall controls 28.5% of the team through his company, Wynyard, while his son, Douglas, has about 13% of the shares ( LONDON TIMES, 6/18 ).
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| Bobcats’ Average Paid Attendance Drops Despite New Arena |
