Post by GoVoysGo on Oct 6, 2015 16:25:09 GMT -5
Juggernauts relocate to Portland
TFHN - Daniel Ronel, Oct. 6
Seattle, WA • The Juggernauts are in Seattle no more.
In what will likely be the most ridiculous story of the century, the Juggernauts have terminated lease renewal discussions with KeyArena in Seattle, fabricated a new lease with the newly constructed NikeDome, and sold more than half of the season ticket numbers lost, all in the hour or so since I suggested that doing exactly that might be a bad idea.
It appears owner Daniel Ronel really is that stupid, moving his franchise to Portland literally one day before YGFHL opening night. The team has the benefit of not playing a home game for quite a while, allowing preparations to be made to NikeDome ahead of the home opener.
The close proximity between Portland and Seattle makes this inane feat at least somewhat possible. A large majority of the seasons ticket holders opted to decline the full refund, as they still remained within a somewhat reasonable distance from the NikeDome — which is actually located north of Portland in a town called Longsview, Oregon — and for those who claimed the refund, Ronel has resold more than 75% of those tickets. He announced he will keep the Juggernauts name, as it is a brand new name (was not used in an official matchup) that Ronel claims the Seattle crowd "seems to like."
Furthermore, the Jugs kept the TV deal with Comcast Sportsnet Northwest that was in place for the Seattle team.
Will update with further reports. ∆