AUDL Expansion: Jacksonville Cannons

[Jax Cannons]

After watching the thrilling Cranes vs. Alley Cats game at
house party with fellow ultimate players, I am happy to
announce that the Jacksonville Cannons will be debuting for
the AUDL in 2014.

I am a member of the Jacksonville (FL) ultimate community
and one of the organizers of local leagues, teams, and
community efforts AND an advisor for the Jacksonville
Cannons.

I will be posting here on RSD on behalf of the Cannons. I
will use this account for official Cannon news and
responses, but also have personal account (dannojax) that I
will engage in non-official discussions.

There are a few unique characteristics of the Cannons. While
most existing AUDL franchises are owned by individuals who
are businessmen/women first and ultimate enthusiasts second,
the Cannons are owned by an ultimate player deeply ingrained
with the local ultimate scene and connected to all the local
ultimate resources.

2014 is a few years away and we are working hard to take
advantage of that time. In our efforts to grow local talent
and create a more extensive presence in the community, the
leadership of the Jacksonville Ultimate League is partnering
with the ownership of the Cannons to promote local ultimate.
This includes an increased involvement with the University
of North Florida ultimate team, stepped up organizational
support for local high school teams, and the creation of a
pre-high school youth program.

At the same time, we are beginning to build the Cannons
franchise. We are in the design phase for the Cannons logo
and other marketing materials that will be used to build an
online presence on Facebook and a Cannons website. We have
also begun preliminary exploration of venues in the
Jacksonville area to host Cannons home games in 2014. Expect
big things in the months to come!

These are exciting times for ultimate and Jacksonville's
goal is to enter the AUDL as a model franchise. If you are a
young player who wants a chance at the AUDL, start making
plans to come to Florida for a chance to play with the
best.

We at the Cannons are grateful to everyone who has supported
the AUDL so far and encourage you to continue your support.
If you have a local franchise, get out to the games! If you
can't make it to a game, get friends together and watch the
live stream.

See you in 2014!

Jacksonville Cannons

--
Posted from http://www.rsdnospam.com

[Baer]

So, as the first owner with actual Ultimate experience that
anyone has actually heard from, what have you seen in the
AUDL that leads you to believe that this will be profitable?


What would you say to encourage other investors?

What impressed you most about the AUDL's sales pitch?

When would you expect to start turning a profit with this
venture?

[Bulb]

Baer wrote on Mon, 16 April 2012 16:06

> So, as the first owner with actual Ultimate experience
> that anyone has actually heard from

The Spinners owner (and coach) is a former player and
coached Southpaw the last two years. He also made a well
thought out post here a while back (too lazy to find the
link).

That said, I'm also interested in hearing the Jax owner
respond to your questions.

[Baer]

Bulb wrote on Mon, 16 April 2012 15:40

> The Spinners owner (and coach) is a former player and
> coached Southpaw the last two years. He also made a well
> thought out post here a while back (too lazy to find the
> link).
>
> That said, I'm also interested in hearing the Jax owner
> respond to your questions.

Well, Jeff Snader (coach and GM of the Spinners) put out an
excellent post in this thread:
http://www.rsdnospam.com/index.php?t=msg&th=36855&goto=108530&#msg_108530
Maybe that's what you are thinking of.

The owner, Katrel Kelly, put a few posts in this thread,
http://www.rsdnospam.com/index.php?t=msg&th=36298&goto=105559&#msg_105559
including a couple posts where you specifically called
him out for not being involved with or being in contact with
local Philly Ultimate. Mr. Kelly is billed as a "recording
artist."

Different guys, unless, Mr. Kelly ceded ownership to Mr.
Snader before even beginning the season. What's the scoop?

[school]

At one of the combine's Coach (Snader) told us that he
bought the team - is now majority owner & GM.

[Baer]

Thanks for the update, school. That's good news for the
team, I suppose. Although Coach Snader admitted in his post
in December that failure was probable. I guess I would ask
him the same questions I posed above.

[school]

Baer - I'll say this: (not trying to speak for Snader at all
in the following statement)

What attracts an investor, or what the sale pitch is from
the AUDL end will be different for an owner like Snader vs.
one who is just looking for an investment and not rooted in
the tradition of Ultimate. My take is that Snader is a
business man and has started a few of his own businesses,
but his connection to Ultimate leads to his desire for the
sport to succeed and earn national respect and credibility.
As the 70 of us gathered tightly in the huddle before the
combine on the bitter cold and biting wind we were faced
with on the 25th of February in Philadelphia, Snader had us
close our eyes and he told us a story. The short version:

You're in an airport coming back from a grueling tournament
and you are beat. As you wait for your flight a woman sits
down next to you and strikes up friendly conversation.
Eventually she asks why you are there. Do you say Ultimate
Frisbee? Does she laugh? Ask about dogs? Ask if there any
running involved? Or maybe you lie and just say soccer.
*This* (the combine, the team, the league) is what it is all
about. Gaining respect and notoriety for what we pour
ourselves into. Because what we spend countless hours
training for, what we use our free time for, laboring
intently and with intensity, spending time away from family,
dedicated, fighting with our brothers every week and weekend
for, is a joke to so many people, and that needs to change.

I know this soliloquy is a bit off topic, but that is what
is making the Spinners a success. There is a dedication from
the fans to the team to the owner to change that image and
make something awesome happen.

1700 tickets sold, plus merch, plus concessions? That's
awesome, and I think with some effort and tweaking it is
sustainable, and something that will grow too. But it has to
be about more than a whim of an investment, or a chance to
make money, it needs to come from a mindset that harbors the
deepest drive to succeed for the sake of our sport. (Also,
tapping into more cities with hubs like Philly will help)

[Baer]

Great post, school. The attendance for the game in Philly
was remarkable. Amazing, actually. Hopefully they can keep
that up. Having a larger market is one thing, but having an
actual Ultimate guy in charge is another; I'm sure it makes
a huge difference. The other games had paltry attendance,
but they still have time to step it up of course. One of my
main critiques all along has been how the owners and
founders of the AUDL didn't know anything about Ultimate
before diving in ass backwards. I'm sure it is no
coincidence that the one team that was taken over in
ownership and management by a real Ultimate guy is the one
that has shown real signs of success.

[Charlie]

As far as starting a new organization, I think it's obvious
that you need to look at what the Spinners have done. Even
though its only one week into the season, they have far
outclassed every other team in every way possible. Not only
are they likely the best players, they have made the best
use of social media (youtube, twitter, facebook, official
website, etc.). I think that was very clear by the number of
fans they got to their first game.

I'm sorry, but i dont think the AUDL advertised itself as
well as possible. I'm probably friends with close to 200
ultimate players and less than 15 of those friends have
liked the AUDL facebook page or are following on twitter,
etc. The other teams need to step up to the level that
Philly is at. I guess it's hard because philadelphia is a
clear geographical advantage. A few days after the first
games, Philly was the only team with recaps, photos, and
highlights. the internet is a great resource and the audl
needs to take better advantage of it.

I would put the alleycats in second place as far as
advertising goes and that is solely because of Brodie. And
quite simply there are no other individual ultimate players
with the same type of following as him, so teams need to
find other ways rather than one star player to get their
name out there.

[Charlie]

[J Mac]

charli175 wrote on Tue, 17 April 2012 00:01

> I would put the alleycats in second place as far as
> advertising goes and that is solely because of Brodie. And
> quite simply there are no other individual ultimate
> players with the same type of following as him, so teams
> need to find other ways rather than one star player to get
> their name out there.

In the Slate podcast where they talked about the AUDL one of
the people (Josh Levin) commented that Brodie brings a
"broishness to the game" (not in a good way), that he would
be "the impresario of a campus keg party", that he was going
for too many flashy/highlight throws, and then semi-jokingly
asked if ultimate is being ruined by "this highlight
culture". Since professional ultimate will not survive with
ultimate players alone, outside views like this are
important.

[Jax Cannons]

Great discussion from everyone involved.

Baer-

I am not the owner of the franchise and will not be heavily
involved in the business side of the venture. If I had a
title (I don't yet, but will at some point) it would be
something close to "Director of Community Outreach and
Development."

So, I can't comment intelligently on the outlook for the
profitability of the venture. What I can say is that the
owner is someone who knows how to make money and would not
have bought the Cannons if he did not think it presented a
profitable opportunity. As Cranes vs. Alleycats went into
overtime, his comment was "I can see the value of my
franchise increasing by the second." We see en entertaining
presentation of a sport that we love and believe that it can
be turned into a commercial success.

My role on RSD is to read everything and sort out what is
being done right and what can be improved among the
franchises in all respects. We want to learn from the
pioneers associated with the 8 teams of the inagural season
wo that when we roll out in 2014, we hit the ground running.

[ulticritic]

On Apr 16, 10:50 pm, school <peter.a.moraw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 1700 tickets sold, plus merch, plus concessions? That's
> awesome, and I think with some effort and tweaking it is
> sustainable, and something that will grow too. But it has to
> be about more than a whim of an investment, or a chance to
> make money, it needs to come from a mindset that harbors the
> deepest drive to succeed for the sake of our sport.  (Also,
> tapping into more cities with hubs like Philly will help)

i think you downplayed how tapping into cities with hubs like philly
as just "helping" when that is waht really enables such a high amount
of ticket sales. if there were franchises in atlanta, rdu, dc,
seatle, madison wi and sanfran i would think they could get identical
ticket sales. i was very critical of the audl for not basing their
teams in these locals to begin with but if they have the bank to last
3 years then it may be the case that they can grow fanbases in those
other non ultimate cities.

sporst leagues are notorious for starting up and failing. look at
that womens soccer league that folded after a year or two......and
that was right after usa won the world cup right here in america. i'm
pretty sure there were dozens of pro football leagues prior to the nfl
finally taking root. and just because the audl dosent survive (if it
dosent) dont mean shit as far as "reffed ultimate" goes. refs in
sports are as normal as catsup on frenchfries. so if anything, at
least people will get exposed to reffed ulti and see how refs actually
make the experience better for both the player and the fan.

i dont thin it should take this type of independant venture to come to
this realization and it says more about how our current usau leaders
are inept than it does that the audl leaders are innovative or
creative. I'M JUST GREATFUL THEY ARE DOING IT AND FOR THEIR SAKE I
HOPE THEY ARE HITTING THE HAMMER WHEN THE IRON IS HOT. theres alot of
tal about how ultimate is one of the fastest growing sports and all
but from where i sit it still has many rivers to cross.

as a businessman i would love to one day own an ultimate franchise.
shit, i wanted to own the league.....and was why i spent what was
probably a fraction of what these audl guys are spending (time and
money wise) with my NUA and MLU endevors but even i wouldnt sink any
money into a franchise until i felt the audl had a solid foundation.
i will say, though, that when someone announces they are buying into
the league and plan on having a jacksonville franchise in a couple of
years it sure bodes well for the audl AND the reffed version of the
sport. so VIVA LA AUDL!!!!!
>
> --
> Posted fromhttp://www.rsdnospam.com

[ulticritic]

On Apr 17, 4:50 pm, Jax Cannons <jaxcann...@gmail.com> wrote:

." We see en entertaining
> presentation of a sport that we love and believe that it can
> be turned into a commercial success.

WOW. that just about sums it up right there. ITS THE "ENTERTAININT
PRESENTATION" that sells the sport and turns it into a comercial
success. isnt this exactly what ive been trying to tell the current
usau/upa governing body for the last 25 years. information like this
has GOTTA hurt those people in boulder that have been trying for years
to use self officiation as their market nieche. nuthin entertaining
about watchin players referee themselves......or watching a watered
down version of a ref resolving player ult-debates. i tried to tell
em but nooooooooooooooooooo, they wouldnt listen to me. anybody want
to put an over/under (yearswise) on how long it will be before usua
features their first reffed game. i'm gonna say 7.