A year ago, the Atlanta Hawks were cloaked in controversy, a franchise in disarray stemming from a fractured ownership group, its troubles highlighted by a racist email sent by a former owner that forced the sale of the team.
After a whirlwind 12 months that brought a franchise-best 60-22 record and a deep-pocketed new ownership group headed by Tony Ressler, the team that counted 3,200 season-ticket holders last year has undergone a dramatic transformation.
“Our season-ticket base is up to 9,000, and we lead the league in new full-season-ticket sales,” said Hawks Chief Executive Officer Steve Koonin.
More illumination of the team’s resurgence came on a recent rainy Saturday when the Hawks held an open preseason practice on the same day Alabama played rival Georgia in football. It’s not easy to convince anyone in the college football-crazy South to care about NBA basketball on an October Saturday, but the Hawks drew 6,600 fans and filled the lower bowl of Philips Arena for the meaningless practice.
“It was one of the great testaments to what is going on here,” Koonin said.
Overall, team revenue is up by double digits from last season, though Koonin would not disclose specifics.
“The whole key is sustainability,” he said. “On the business and basketball side, the new owners have been fantastic with strong resources and support, connections, and contacts.”
But Koonin and the new ownership group know there is far more work to do given the team’s past business performance.
“This is the eighth-largest market in the country and the franchise doesn’t operate as the eighth best,” Ressler said just after he bought the team in late June. “Some would argue that it hasn’t been a well-run franchise over the past 10 years. You can’t say they have underperformed on the court. To say that they underperformed in the market is a very fair statement.”
Part of the team’s overhaul this year is a rebranded logo and uniform to attract a younger fan demographic. Koonin
 |
A franchise-best record of 60-22 last season made believers out of Atlanta sports fans.
Photo by: NBAE / Getty Images |
said that the 18- to 34-year-old demographic now makes up 25 percent of the team’s fan base.
The team also has a major push underway to sign more sponsors.
“We are not doing things in the traditional form,” Koonin said. “We feel we have to have a different approach and a willingness to go a little riskier than others and it seems to be working.”
While the Hawks have not added staff to their business operations, the team has hired 10 new people to work in basketball operations. The team also spent the summer upgrading the player facilities in Philips Arena.
The Hawks also are considering options to build a new arena or renovate the current facility. Until then, the Hawks are pushing to improve the fan experience.
“People want to come to the Hawks’ games,” Koonin said. “It is not just winning. It is how you win and how you message it and what the fan experience is.”
