The National Lacrosse League seems to have at least one team fold or move every off-season (1993 was the last time there was no franchise movement), and this year is no different. The Orlando Titans, who finished first in the East in their only year in Florida, have ceased operations for the 2011 season. No need to rehash the article, but the dispersal draft was held last week. Orlando had the league's best goalie in Matt Vinc as well as the MVP in Casey Powell, both will be leading other teams next season.
Fortunately I had a chance to see the Titans play in Orlando in January, and it was a good experience with a lively crowd. But with only 8 home games, even a decent average crowd of 7,000 isn't enough to make a profit. A lot of those fans probably received promotional tickets and operating costs may have been higher than anticipated. In the NLL, players don't usually live in the city they play in, so even home games require a lot of flights, which adds to expenses. It seems like the model is not one conducive to having successful teams in cities far away.
Anyway, here's hoping they get their ownership situation sorted and are back in the league in 2012. The NLL could use some stability, which is always helpful in planning road trips.
Best,
Sean
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