If I were King of Ohio, or whatever, since Cleveland can't seem to produce a championship team, I would have a pro team of one of the pro sports, started in Lakewood.
Ahhh, fantasies. They usually don't cost anything, but do you think it would put Lakewood on the map?
Comments?
Or is this even worth commenting on? lol.
Sports...for the fantasy of it!
Moderator: Jim O'Bryan
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Mark Crnolatas
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:32 pm
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
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Mike Deneen
- Posts: 245
- Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 12:02 pm
The short answer is that it is not feasible. We don't have room for a major league facility, and we are too close to downtown Cleveland to house minor league hockey or baseball.
This is not a bad thing. The folks in Eastlake have learned the hard way that pro sports can be a major boondoggle.
However, I do have a couple of suggestions for the powers that be who run Lakewood Stadium.
1. Get St. Ignatius to return their home football games to Lakewood. They moved their games to byers field in parma about five years ago, citing safety concerns because paramedics had trouble getting through the crowd in emergencies. Contrary to myth, they did not leave due to stadium capacity or parking. In fact, most of their fans prefer Lakewood's convenient location.
2. Try to lure one of the two local semi-pro football teams to Lakewood. The Cleveland Lions are a men's team that plays at John Marshall High. Lakewood Stadium is much nicer, but may be too expensive for them. They play many of their games during the summer months, so they would not conflict with the high school teams.
The Cleveland Fusion (www.clevelandfusion.com) is a women's team that plays its home games at Bedford Stadium. They play their games during the spring, and seem to have a bigger fan following than the Lions, so they could afford Lakewood.
Money raised by renting to any of these teams would help the school district's budget, plus the additonal fan traffic can help our Madison Avenue businesses.
This is not a bad thing. The folks in Eastlake have learned the hard way that pro sports can be a major boondoggle.
However, I do have a couple of suggestions for the powers that be who run Lakewood Stadium.
1. Get St. Ignatius to return their home football games to Lakewood. They moved their games to byers field in parma about five years ago, citing safety concerns because paramedics had trouble getting through the crowd in emergencies. Contrary to myth, they did not leave due to stadium capacity or parking. In fact, most of their fans prefer Lakewood's convenient location.
2. Try to lure one of the two local semi-pro football teams to Lakewood. The Cleveland Lions are a men's team that plays at John Marshall High. Lakewood Stadium is much nicer, but may be too expensive for them. They play many of their games during the summer months, so they would not conflict with the high school teams.
The Cleveland Fusion (www.clevelandfusion.com) is a women's team that plays its home games at Bedford Stadium. They play their games during the spring, and seem to have a bigger fan following than the Lions, so they could afford Lakewood.
Money raised by renting to any of these teams would help the school district's budget, plus the additonal fan traffic can help our Madison Avenue businesses.
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Bill Grulich
- Posts: 91
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 12:21 pm
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
The skate park in Lakewood Park could put Lakewood on the regional map in terms of sports. If the skaters and the city build phase II, we would inch closer to having a national presence. Is there a phase III?
Speaking of skating, Winterhurst was in the national spot light thanks to Olympian Carole Heiss Jenkins and the Olympic, national, and international champions that she trains there.
Winterhurst is in need of upgrading and major repairs. Do you think Winterhurst is worth keeping?
Speaking of skating, Winterhurst was in the national spot light thanks to Olympian Carole Heiss Jenkins and the Olympic, national, and international champions that she trains there.
Winterhurst is in need of upgrading and major repairs. Do you think Winterhurst is worth keeping?
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Ivor Karabatkovic
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- Contact:
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Ivor Karabatkovic
- Posts: 845
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 9:45 am
- Contact:
