John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Apr. 22, 2002
Fair-weather fans burn Suns
Now we finally know why Jerry Colangelo has continued to make move after move with the Phoenix Suns. Because he knew darn well then what we are finding out now. That this town won't support a loser. After 13 straight years of winning the Suns suffer one losing season. Fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 1988. And how are the fans reacting? By running to the exits like the team has the bubonic plague. I almost feel guilty for criticizing the organization for all the trades it has made in recent years. But in reality, what choice did it have? Unlike me, the Colangelos knew exactly how the fans would react.
The Suns expect 25 percent of their season ticket holders to not renew for next season. That's one out of every four and that estimate may be low. And it doesn't even take into consideration all the fans that were lost over the past few years, as the Suns went from Western Conference contenders to first-round playoff fodder. In a beautiful newly renovated building that seats 19,023 the Suns will have fewer than 10,000 season ticket holders for next season. That's pathetic.
Whatever happened to supporting your team through the good times and bad? It's an embarrassment what's happening, a real embarrassment. And that's not to say the Suns haven't made mistakes because they have: See Penny Hardaway and Tom Gugliotta. But don't call yourself a real fan if you are one of the thousands not coming back to America West Arena next season. And don't bother coming back for tickets in a few years when this team is good again. Yes, the Suns are retooling. But real fans suffer through the process. That's why they are called fans and not band wagoners, the likes of many of you. And it's not like the Suns are going to be the Golden State Warriors. This team has some solid pieces to build around in Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion. They have young potential in Jake Tsakalidis and Joe Johnson. They have two first-round draft picks this year who could bring immediate help and another first-round pick coming from Cleveland, whenever the Cavs make the playoffs.
I might actually enjoy watching a young team go through the growing pains over watching a 50-win team that has no chance of getting out of the first round. That regular-season win over the Lakers may mean more now then it did the last few years. I understand that winning builds fans. The Diamondbacks attendance is up about 10 percent after winning a World Series, and it should be. But losing is not supposed to make fans disappear. In fact losing should bring even more passion from fans who desperately want a winner. Losing should force calls to sports talk radio stations and letters to the editor. It should make you boo players when they don't produce and get you excited about the draft. But it shouldn't make you go 'poof' like the lady in the magician's box.
Maybe now that the expectations are lower it might allow the Suns to build a championship team instead of trying to maintain a playoff one.
I personally got sick and tired of watching all the trades. Michael Finley, Wesley Person, Steve Nash, Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Jason Kidd, Pat Garrity, Danny Manning, Cliff Robinson and the list goes on and on. Remember that billboard a few years ago - "We just added a little Rocket Fuel"? Well all of those Houston Rockets were gone before you could say Charles Barkley. The Suns have tinkered with the roster every year in an effort to stay competitive. It led to no continuity and no familiarity with the players.
But now things are different. The salary cap and luxury tax coming into effect make trading very difficult. And the Suns have no real reason to trade any of their young talent because no one player will put this team over the hump. So they will do what should have been done years ago - start over. With youth. It is something that should have been done long ago, but you the fan prevented it from happening. Because the Suns are a business and ticket revenue is a big part of running a successful business in professional sports. And the Suns realized that if they started over you would take your ball and go home. They couldn't count on you to be there when things got rough. So they tried to stay competitive. Tried to give you a playoff team year after year. But all it did was delay the inevitable. And this year, time caught up with the Suns. They made the wrong moves. In an attempt to keep you in your seats they pulled one too many triggers. Don't blame them for trying. They had no choice. And quite frankly they did a pretty good job of maintaining a competitive team, until this year when they went 36-46 and finished in the draft lottery.
And now like a scorned lover you have found the 50 ways to leave your team. You have hopped on the bus, slipped out the back and made a new plan. And it's a shame. The Suns need your support. America West Arena may not rock again like it did in the early '90s for quite some time. But that cannot be what it's all about. The Suns fans who endured the tough times of the '80s and stuck with their team have to enjoy the success of the '90s more so then, than the fan who showed up when the team started winning. They put their heart and soul into supporting the team and got rewarded for it. They appreciated the winning more then the average fan because of what they went through before the team won. It's like buying your first car as a kid, with money you saved for years, rather than having your first car given to you by your parents.
The Suns will eventually win again. The question is, will you appreciate the winning because you went through the losing?