USA TODAY's Kevin Allen notes although the NHL Panthers are "ranked last in attendance at slightly above 11,000," the club has "begun to make progress on the ice and also in their marketing in their second season" under Owner Vinnie Viola. Panthers Exec Chair Peter Luukko, brought on last month to help improve attendance, is "confident there is interest in hockey in South Florida." Luukko noted the club "had 1,500 applicants from all over the world" for a recent fan contest to play goalie at a team practice. Allen writes the Panthers' "main problem is convincing fans the team can be competitive and will stay" in South Florida (USATODAY.com, 3/24).
BOROUGH BATTLE: In N.Y., Harvey Araton writes "at least through next season, the Nets appear to have exhausted potential avenues of dramatic improvement and, by extension, of leaving their footprint across the throat of the Knicks." The "all-out assault on the Knicks at the expense of young talent and draft picks was only an imperative that [Owner Mikhail] Prokhorov created, nothing that the Brooklyn market demanded." The Nets "could easily have approached relocation as an expansion team with the understanding that they had history on their side." The Nets "tried too hard to impress a fan base that really did not exist" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/24).
WINGS CLIPPED: In N.Y., Filip Bondy wrote attendance for the Red Bulls’ home opener on Sunday was announced at 21,036, which “appeared overstated by about a third and represented less than half the crowd that watched” NYC FC's debut game at Yankee Stadium. The Red Bulls “hadn’t done much right over the past few months, from a marketing standpoint,” as they “fired a popular coach, lost or dismissed several front office staff members, and left unfilled two designated player spots” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/23).
SEND THEM TO THE LIONS: In Orlando, Mike Bianchi noted 31,072 fans on Saturday “packed into the lower sections of the Citrus Bowl” for Orlando City SC's game against the Whitecaps. The team’s original plan was to “set a maximum attendance of 20,000 for its remaining home games, which matches the expected attendance at the new soccer-specific stadium for next season.” However, the club “decided to open up some seats in the middle level" because demand “has been so intense.” The Orlando market is “already proving critics wrong and showing it could one day become the pre-eminent international soccer destination in this country” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/22).
