Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

ThunderDawgs seek new, local ownership

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 17, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG -- Nine games into the ABA 2000 season, the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs are for sale.

In Flight Sports Management LLC, a three-person partnership that owns the ThunderDawgs, Kansas City Knights and Memphis Houn'Dawgs, is looking for a buyer, preferably in the Tampa Bay area, to assume control of the first-year franchise, ThunderDawgs general manager Deb Belinsky said Tuesday.

The partnership is composed of Gary Elbogen, Ron Shaffer and Clyde Perlee. Since the league's inception, Elbogen has overseen the development of the ThunderDawgs, Shaffer has worked with the Knights and Perlee has headed Memphis.

The group recently divested itself of the Houn'Dawgs, with Perlee taking full control, and Elbogen is looking for a buyer for the ThunderDawgs. Kansas City will not be sold or divested.

The hope is for the ThunderDawgs, one of three teams in the eight-team league not locally owned, to have local ownership, Belinsky said.

Elbogen, who could not be reached for comment, lives in Phoenix.

"I don't know that (looking for a local owner) was necessarily the impetus behind the sale," Belinsky said. "But local ownership is always important."

Elbogen was expected to be in the Tampa Bay area today and was scheduled to attend his first 'Dawgs game, against Kansas City tonight at the Times Bayfront Arena. Belinsky described the visit as "half vacation, half work."

Part of the desire for local ownership is the chance for the team to become more prominent in the community. Ownership has allocated little money to marketing and advertising, a move many think has caused poor attendance.

Tampa Bay (3-6) has played four home games, drawing no more than 300 to any. Kansas City averages nearly 2,000, and Memphis attracts close to 1,000.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright