Many fans immediately question, ponder, and worry that the St. Louis Blues may be on the move as ownership groups out of Kansas City, Winnipeg, and Hamilton, Ontario are sure to rise up and make bids for the St. Louis franchise.
We are under the impression and have the opinion that there is ABSOLUTELY ZERO CHANCE that the Blues will be moved, no matter who purchases the franchise.
The attendance won't allow it and frankly the NHL likely wouldn't allow it either.
But, we do wonder, what kind of long term effects would it have on the city of St. Louis if the Blues were to be purchased by a sneaky ownership group that picked up the team and left town?
Could St. Louis City and downtown economically survive?
How would local businesses replace the lost business and traffic that Blues home games provide?
Where would the city find the lost sales tax dollars generated by ticket, beer, parking, and merchandise sales?
Many St. Louisans who are familiar with the economic landscape of downtown St. Louis attribute the success of many small businesses downtown to the popularity and following of the St. Louis Cardinals.
While in many respects, such experts are correct in analyzing that the Cardinals are vital to downtown economy, they often overlook the other organization that regularly fills the seats just a couple of blocks away.
What about the Blues as a vital component not only to survival of downtown, but to the revitalization and future growth of a city that is shown to be shrinking by an alarming rate?
The organization has filled up the Scottrade Center every single game this season and there is no reason to believe, even with the team out of contention, that the last 5 home games won't be sold out too.
That creates 42 days a year where downtown St. Louis has 20,000 additional people that likely would not come downtown if it were not for the St. Louis Blues.
You can't tell me that those 20,000 people are all walking over from their lofts on Washington Avenue to go to Blues games.
Those fans are coming from the county, St. Charles and other geographic areas where 1120 KMOX's enormous signal reaches fans across the region.
So, my argument is that the Blues are vital to the downtown economy in much the same way as the St. Louis Cardinals.
Losing the Blues would be devastating to a city that watched its population of 319,294 people fall to its lowest total in 40 years.
Its not just the people that are leaving. Companies are leaving too.
The city scored a huge victory when Stifel Nicolaus announced plans to build its corporate headquarters in Ballpark Village. But the city is still having trouble drawing companies and their employees downtown.
Wouldn't it become even more difficult for the city to attract businesses and the tax dollars they generate to to city and downtown if the St. Louis Blues left town?
The fan base in St. Louis for hockey is strong. The evidence is in the ticket sales for the Blues. There is zero argument against the Blues having a deep, passionate fan base that cares incredibly about the players and organization that have been a staple in St. Louis since 1967.
I must reiterate that I DO NOT feel that Blues are leaving town.
But I feel it is imperative that those with the power in the city should do everything under their control to make sure that the new owners of the Blues have zero inkling of trying to move the team.
Because unknown to many, the downtown economy and the revitalization of our city depends on the St. Louis Blues.
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