Talks are swirling around the National Basketball League of Canada over the idea of moving the season from the traditional late fall-winter schedule to the summer.
It's an idea that makes a lot of sense and could make the teams a lot of cents.
"There's some discussion in the league about it," said Duncan Shaw, co-owner of the Summerside Storm. "I'm not on board with the idea yet, although I see with the tourism market on P.E.I. and another 700,000 people coming through, that it has some appeal."
At the same time, there are lots of other things to compete with in the summertime on P.E.I. - cottage season, barbecues, family gatherings, beach time, etc.
So Shaw is still not sure what season would be best. "I honestly don't know," he conceded.
The teams in the NBL all have one major hurdle - scheduling. Hockey is the premier sport in most Canadian arenas and negotiating prime weekend game times has been an issue.
It was for Shaw and the Storm coming into the 2013 season. The Summerside Western Capitals have been the mainstay for over 30 years and have negotiated rights for dates and advertising space within the arena during the season that the Storm cannot touch.
A summer league would be a great advantage to the Storm both in terms of playing dates and advertising within Eastlink Arena.
A summer NBL season would also bring cost savings to the city.
Before each Storm home game, crews spend several hours taking down the boards that surround the ice surface and as many hours putting them back up to accommodate the Western Capitals. This process can occur two or three times a week, can involve overtime for workers, and is usually done by unionized employees being paid top dollar.
The fan base for the Storm is well established and should only increase with the influx of visitors to the city. School-aged children could attend more basketball games in the summer as well.
It could also be a strong marketing tool for the local tourism industry and could be piggybacked on traditional, summertime tourism events.
The league will have to sit down and seriously consider the change of season from both an economical and an attendance standpoint.
Traditionalists may say summer is baseball season and basketball belongs in the fall, but from a common sense point of view, the move offers teams reduced costs and a potential jump in fan base.
