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The Philadelphia Inquirer Phil Sheridan Column: A Mickey Mouse Operation

Posted on: Wednesday, 28 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Phil Sheridan, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Dec. 28--Peter Forsberg and Allen Iverson may be incredible, but they are not the Incredibles.

If you go to the Wachovia Center any time until Jan. 8, you can see the Disney on Ice adaptation of the hit movie about a family of superheroes. You cannot, however, see sports heroes such as Forsberg and Simon Gagne, Iverson and Andre Iguodala.

Both the Flyers and Sixers are on the road until the second full week of January, kicked out of their home arena for the annual holiday residency of skating Disney characters.

And that seems truly incredible, especially with a perfectly fine arena sitting directly across the parking lot.

So what gives? The answer lies in a crash course in arena economics courtesy of John Page, the senior vice president of Comcast-Spectacor who manages the Center and the Spectrum.

The bottom line (and it's always about the bottom line in these things) is that arenas compete for attractions like Disney on Ice. Philadelphia gets Disney's most up-to-date touring show every year at the best time for families to attend together -- when schools are closed for the holidays.

It's a tradition by now. Disney has played here over the Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's break since 1979. The Flyers and Sixers have been rousted from their home around this time for the last 27 seasons.

When the teams moved into the new arena, you might think they left the conflict behind. But the producers of the Disney show negotiated a deal to use the new arena as well. That deal has four more years left, Page said.

"If we felt the situation was truly detrimental to the Flyers and Sixers, we would address it at that point," Page said. "I'm in constant contact with Ron Ryan of the Flyers and Billy King of the Sixers when it comes to scheduling."

A few years ago, Page said, the annual visit of the Ringling Brothers circus created a conflict with the Flyers' run through the playoffs, affecting both arena availability and ice quality. Comcast-Spectacor moved the circus over to the Spectrum.

This year, the Sixers and especially the Flyers seem to have more grueling road trips than usual. Last night in Denver, the Sixers played their second of seven road games over a 14-night period. The first, Friday's loss in Atlanta, actually predated the Disney engagement.

The Flyers have an unbelievable stretch of 11 road games in 20 nights. They played at the Wachovia Center on Thursday and don't play at home again until Jan. 14.

There are three reasons this year is different, Page said. First, Christmas fell on a Sunday, pushing the usual two-weekend Disney stint through Jan. 8. Second, the new NHL schedule format eliminated the kind of West Coast swing the Sixers are going on. Third, the Winter Olympics created a three-week gap in the NHL schedule, forcing more games to be played in a compressed time period.

The Flyers' road odyssey is reportedly the longest in the NHL since the Calgary Flames were forced on the road for the duration of the 1988 Winter Olympics.

No wonder coach Ken Hitchcock told reporters the other day that this would give him a chance to see how his team handles "adversity."

The question is whether Comcast, which owns both the teams and the arenas, can handle this differently in the future. Why choose to subject your players to adversity?

The Flyers won their first two road games but haven't really begun the heart of the trip. The trip catches the Sixers at an especially vulnerable time. They are already hurting at the gate. A bad road trip could drop them in the standings, driving fan interest even lower.

But the reality is that most teams in major markets have similar situations. When Disney on Ice hits Chicago's United Center, the Bulls and Blackhawks hit the road for the first half of February. The Boston teams were displaced by the Incredibles in November. Partly because of NCAA basketball tournament games at the MCI Center, the Washington Capitals play nine of their last 12 regular-season games on the road.

Most years, then, the competitive disadvantage pretty much evens out. For example, the Flyers, who are in first place, opened the season with 21 of 33 games at home, and the Sixers, after they return home, play 10 of 13 at home, and they played 15 of their first 26 at home before the Atlanta game.

Plus, the revenue produced by the non-sports events Page is able to schedule ultimately helps the Flyers and Sixers. Neither team has had any payroll limitations since being purchased by Comcast.

Still, you have to think it would be good business to play a game or two at home while schools were closed. If Disney has the Center, maybe have the Flyers and Sixers play in the Spectrum for old times' sake. Break out the '70s uniforms and, to lure families, even the '70s (or '80s, at least) ticket prices.

Now that would be really Incredible.

Post a question or comment for Phil Sheridan at http://go.philly.com/asksheridan. Or by e-mail: psheridan@phillynews.com.

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Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer

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