With the NLL season just around the corner, it's time to talk some box lacrosse. Here to answer your questions is Angela Batinovich, the owner of the Portland Lumberjax. Angela is a managing partner for the team. She purchased the Lumberjax last spring and is the league's youngest owner and its only female owner. Previously, she owned a successful women's clothing line called Bat's Daughter.
Andrew wants to know: Just wondering how one comes across purchasing a lacrosse franchise. It’s not exactly the kind of thing that is for sale in the classifieds in the Sunday paper.
My first thought was to look up the league on the Internet. I found it and went straight to the top. I called Commissioner Jim Jennings and set up an appointment to see him in NYC about possibly investing in a franchise. We met and the rest is history. Find your interest, build a business plan (with realistic financials) and then hit up venture capitalists with your idea to be an entrepreneur. There are tons of older successful people out there looking to invest in something fun like a sports team; they just need someone to manage it. That’s where you come in Andrew!
Bubbalax43 wants to know: Do you think the LumberJax will succeed? How can we help make other cities have pro lacrosse teams?
Will we have a good lacrosse team? Definitely. I’m looking forward to the championship this year! I think attracting the right ownership groups will be the first step. Then researching the best markets for expansion will be next. There are a bunch of cities that I think would do really well in the NLL. It will just take the right ownership to realize it’s not a quick profit, but can result in a very good investment. You need serious owners who can put their time and their money behind it. It’s not a fast moneymaker.
Chris T. wants to know: How are ticket sales going? What are your attendance goals?
Ticket sales are flying. We haven’t spent $1 on advertising yet and we’ve already filled up the lower bowl. I hope to hit the league average of 10,000 fans, but of course anything over that won’t upset me.
Deborah wants to know: Where do you see the league in five years? I see the league among the top five leagues in the world of sports. It’s growing at the right pace and it’s attracting the right people. I see good things coming to this league. I’m glad to be a part of it.
Darren Gushue wants to know: Are you experienced in running a professional sports franchise so that it is marketed properly and can be successful on the floor and in the seats?
While this is my first time owning a team, my sports marketing roots go way back to college when I wrote my senior thesis on arena football. My sports knowledge coupled with my marketing skills (gained both from studies at college and previous entrepreneurial experience) makes me well prepared and ready for the challenge of bolstering sales for the LumberJax and the NLL as a whole.
Dave Hobson wants to know: When will we be able to see the reality show based on your life as the owner of the LumberJax?
We’re taking footage now for a behind-the-scenes look at starting this thing. We have the pitch out to a few networks, so we’ll see. We will definitely have a DVD at the end of the season with all kinds of great entertainment. The reality show pitch is based more on the building of a franchise than my life. It’s not that exciting to follow me around. I’m stuck at a computer all day and go home to my four dogs and pass out.
Doug Marcus wants to know: What has been your greatest surprise—good or bad—in owning the ’Jax so far?
The most obvious surprise was that I was a female “youngest owner in sports”. When I went into this I didn’t even think about that until Jim Jennings said I’d be “great for the league to go more mainstream”. I knew what he meant. Now I’m figuring out what an interesting story we have here, so I’ll use it. On the bad side, I’ve run into very minor problems with logistics, but that’s just part of business. Nothing ever runs smoothly; that would be boring.
Garry Davis wants to know: I hear you have a pretty young management team. Do you think that will work as an advantage or a disadvantage?
I think anything can work to your advantage if you use it the right way. In this case our management team consists of three young girls in a world where our target market is men 18-34 years old. You do the math.
Jeff wants to know: Do you feel intimidated or are there certain standards that you have to reach because of being a female?
Of course! I always have to earn respect before I can actually get down to business. When meeting new business partners, there’s about a 10-minute grace period where they sort of test me out with questions and big words, like I’m afraid of them or unaware of what they’re talking about. It can be really irritating sometimes, but other times they end up catching on quickly and treating me as an equal. It will take some time for people to realize what I’m all about.
John Davis: Why is the NLL going to be successful in Portland? How has the support from local businesses been so far in terms of sponsorships and marketing?
The local support has been absolutely amazing, and I’m not just saying that. Everyone wants to help out. I think people are hungry for another sports team in this town. Our community is so tight and proud of our city that anything that is a representative of it, we will support 100%. The day we announced the team moving here officially I received over 1,000 emails just from local businesses and families wanting to help out or say thanks.
L. Shapiro (Ohio) wants to know: I know the city has had a history of pro teams coming and going, so why Portland?
I can’t take credit for the decision. My brother and father pushed hard for Portland. To be honest, I had never even been here until two weeks before we decided to purchase the expansion team. One afternoon we were having lunch and discussing the options of different markets for the team. Of course the first issues were population, number of sports teams, arena, etc. Then we explored further into the sports broadcasting ratings, ticket sales for other local teams and the overall sports interest of fans in the area. That really blew us away! There was a higher TV rating of Seattle Mariners games here than their hometown. Plus the junior hockey team was pulling 10,000 people per game to the Rose Garden.
But the final point by both my father and brother was the gut feeling that Portland is the one. They both absolutely love the city and swore I would love living here (stating it was much better than Los Angeles, where I had lived for the last eight years). They had a partnership in Women’s Major League Volleyball years ago and said that they couldn’t give tickets away in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, but Portland was always sold out with screaming fans.
Mark Lufkin wants to know: Why did you decide to become the owner of an NLL team?
My first interest was the display of a great business opportunity. My initial experience was a Colorado Mammoth game, so I saw the top of the heap as my first impression of the league. From there I was in NYC on fashion business and ended up in Jim Jennings’ office discussing the financials of owning a team. If done correctly, it can be a very good investment at this stage in the league’s growth.
Mike wants to know: I read on Insidelacrosse.com that the NLL was starting an outdoor league—what do you think?
I’m not quite sure. I’m so new to this whole league that I’m still taking in the ins and outs of these financials. But the league is growing and it’s growing for a reason. The crowds are there and the players are in it for the love of the game, which brings an unparalleled passion. And sponsors like Reebok are stepping up.
Stephanie wants to know: Being a young woman, do you think you bring a different perspective to ownership? What advantages or disadvantages do you think you have?
I definitely think that being a woman brings a different perspective to ownership and is to my advantage for a few reasons. For one, I have had greater success negotiating. I’m able to come into a situation where I’m perceived as feminine and sweet, but when push comes to shove, I’m strong, unwavering and anything but a pushover, which catches them off guard and works to my advantage.
People assume that I know nothing about sports simply because I’m a woman. I do and have always been interested in sports. Business partners always end up being impressed once they get to know me a bit more and realize how much I really know. I have the element of surprise on my side.
Also, being a woman, I don’t compete with the guys on the team. Whereas a man may be perceived as a threat or be looked down upon since he’s calling the shots but not playing alongside them, I come from a different perspective, and I think that works in the sense that they don’t have their guard up when we interact. I have the ability to speak to them in an authoritative yet nurturing way that has a positive effect.
Steve Kurylo wants to know: How are you going to promote and market the LumberJax in the suburbs and urban areas of Portland?
There are all kinds of ways to market a new team to the suburbs. We are doing everything from grass-roots marketing (like yard signs) to advertising on TV and radio. One important element is the community relations aspect to hit the suburbs. We’re involved in school physical education classes, athletic programs and running camps and clinics to make sure the kids and families get to know our players.
Wings fan wants to know: Visas are hard to get for Canadians these days. How difficult are immigration regulations on your team and management?
We’ve been having headaches with a few but we’re sorting things out. There are a lot of corporate headquarters here in Portland that are looking to help out their local team by interviewing with some of our entry-level players and trying to find a match with their companies. Then hopefully we can get those companies to sponsor their visas.
Alexandra from Portland wants to know: What do you like most about the sport of lacrosse, and also being a team owner? Will you have a ‘team night’ in which local players can meet you and your team? It would be fun if you and some of your players could visit Oregon Episcopal School.
We’re already set up to be at your school! I love to hear that schools are encouraging lacrosse. I had never heard of lacrosse when I was in fifth grade. To be honest, I like all the action in the game; there’s never a dull moment. Being a team owner is fun because I get to be involved with whatever I want. I love being able to have something to donate or offer to schools and charities. It’s fun to be able to bring a player to a school and have everyone go crazy. We will definitely make sure to have enough chances to meet all the players and myself.
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