Richmond (Briggs) - The Richmond organization has hit hard times. When the team moved from Springfield to Richmond, the Richmond community were extremely excited. The Springfield team had flirted with first place the entire PVBL first season, but got beaten out by Phoenix. The team was struggling when they moved from Springfield to Richmond at the beginning of the second season, but expectations were still high. Once again the organization, now relocated to Richmond, flirted with first, but once again fell out of the playoffs. The first season posting a respectable second place finish, while in the second season they fell to a third place finish. Well, near the end of the third season, Richmond finds itself bankrupt, 44 games from first, with a 13 game losing streak. They are likely to continue the downward trend and finish the year in last place, and likely with at least a 100 losses. It is by far the worst posting of the team, and this is reflected in attendance. Attendance has fal!
len steadily. The team was doing reasonably well financially in Springfield, but then a new team moved in. With a more exciting organization and owner. Attendance at Fairfax County stadium disappeared overnight. No one wanted to watch the aging struggling Panthers.
So the team moved to Richmond. What happens? Yet another team moves in, one that is young, vibrant and likely to eventually be a contender for years. The
expected happened and attendance once again disappeared in the second season. The excitement over a new team (the Panther organization that is) decreased much
quicker than expected. The team started the third PVBL season in deep debt and without much of an audience. Troubles continued from there. The big name expensive talent, needed to be quickly taken off the Panther books. As much as possible, the trading involved sending players away for draft picks, picks that wouldn't continue to financially strangle the organization. The small core of loyal fans, as most teams are able to develop despite horrible play, saw the top management's movements and fled to the much more exciting Virginia Gunslingers. The team is effectively died in all but name. The Richmond area mourns the loss of one of its major league teams, but still has the AVBL major league team: Virginia Gunslingers, a AA minor league team, and various local college teams. Baseball needs in Richmond are well meet.
The attendance is so bad that no matter what type of give-away is tried, no matter what attempt is made, including giving tickets away free, that the team constantly finds itself playing to an almost empty stadium. Almost empty? Still some small core of support? No, unfortunately not. Most teams
have some form of traveling crowd that follows the team and watches it. That is the only attendance the Panthers can attract now days. Other team's supporters.
No attendance, no merchandise can be moved, a canceled TV contract, millions spent to field a team with nothing coming back in revenue except small change. As mentioned the team is effectively dead, bankrupt and in very deep debt. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, the owner keeps his operations separate and independent. While the Richmond team is worse than strapped for cash, the California team (PUBL) is one of the richest organizations around, while the Virginia team (AVBL) is a respectable mid-market team. The other business organizations under Briggs ownership, including this newspaper, are financially heathy. It seems odd that the team would have such trouble acquiring cash, what with all of the huge resources floating around the other business units, including newspapers and TV channels . . .
Sad really. For a while it looked like the Richmond team was staying afloat only because of the other units. But in reality the units are completely independent, and actually adversarial.
News has reached this paper that tends to make one believe that the Panthers will somehow continue to exist as a team. How? Rumors of negotiations with various cities come float back to the Richmond area. The most wide-spread rumor, and the one that seems most based in reality, is that the team will move to a new community which will own shares in the team and the team's stadium, much like the Green Bay Packers. While it is sad to see the Richmond Panthers die, I don't think anyone in Richmond will even notice or care. If the move is somehow blocked or unable to be completed, then the Richmond team will die a different kind of death. Instead of leaving, they will simply fold up shop and disappear to the winds. They don't have any money, are in deep debt, and can't seem to get a contract signed to play in their current stadium for the 2000 season.
