Resigned, not sacked.

Can you change title than skip

PRESS RELEASE

The Adelaide 36ers Board would like to advise that Ben Fitzsimons has made the decision to stand down as General Manager of the club to pursue other career options.
Ben will remain on the Board of the club and is looking forward to continuing with the 36ers in a more strategic role rather than operational.
We thank Ben for his valued service as General Manager and wish him well in his new ventures.

Spoke to Ben. Definitely resigned, will still be playin a role within he club at a board level.

Good to hear. Shite reporting by the channel then.

Did he jump or was he pushed?

Pretty sweet role to be walking away from.......

I wouldn't be recommending a return to the banking industry with current customer satisfaction levels

Hrmm Im really curious about this, I thought the setup of the club this year is a great improvement over previous seasons. Advertising on TV, bigger crowds again. Wonder what made him want to walk away??

Just remember than Channel 7 support the AFL. It is in their own interest to promote interest in all things AFL and portray other sports in a not so bad light.

Skud the NBL has been in charge of Advertising on TV this season and crowds are down, not up as the club publishes total tickets sold NOT how many people actually walked through the doors. Sponsorships seem to be down additionally as the club as no major sponsor and no sponsor for the dome.

Couldn't speak lowly enough of the guy so the less he has to do with the team the better

Jack - your post above suggesting channel 7 would have reported it negatively due to
It's coverage of afl is ludicrous. Smh

SDU, Jack Toft has a point. I can recall everytime an issue arises with A-league, the Channel is hellbent on ruining the identity of the game because its well known, soccer is more widely known as the World Game.
When basketball is tried and tested, the media come out and aim to dent the image portrayed by a league and some of the teams.
When I say issues, I recall Melb Victory games agaibst United where there are flares, rowdy supporters etc.
Im intrigued to know why you think Jack Tift is wrong?

Wow - more than one person is this paranoid? Come on - do u really truly believe that channel 7 is gearing it's sport reporting to discredit any sports it doesn't cover?

Ch 7 apparently rang BSA instead of the 36ers to try and confirm the story!? I think we may see a retraction from Seven.

SDU,
Sit back and watch the Channel 7 news with an open mind for a period of time. After each sports story, rate the story as either being +ve (ie some good news about the sport, or presented with positive reflections in the voice), nuetral (ie for information, and/or read with no emotion), or -ve (ie reporting bad aspects of the sport, emotive words used)

Then after a while, you'll see what I'm talking about.

Just wait until Chris Fuss is back in court.....

same deal with the Tiser being pro soccer and anything else that is covered by Foxtel.

Just reviewed the C7 sports news from last night.

1. Cricket: Ashes test from Perth (with vision)
2. Cricket: Sth Afrika-India test (with vision)
3. Cricket: Local lads in 30 man World Cup Squad (talkover)
4. Cricket: SA-Vic shield cricket (with vision)
5. Soccer: Adelaide United game - with live cross
6. Basketball: Bad news story focusing on "sacking" plus import releases (no vision) "Seven News understands....."
7. Surfing: Vision
8. Racing: Hot tip from Morphettville

then to finish off the sports, "Ditts" does a "noddy" with Jessica Adamson

"And Jess just finally the AFL has given the go ahead for that State knockout competition. Australia wide competition, so that will go ahead"
And then noddy Jessica says "thanks Ditts, great job"

So, I guess there are a few things there:
1. "Seven News understands.....": This is jouno lingo for "we haven't really done our research properly, just spoken to some derro on a park bench for an opinion"
2. No vision. The only story without vision? Why not at least show Winder's block or something?
3. The AFL had to be mentioned and was with the last cross.
4. The "noddy" with the newsreader shows a positive aspect. People nodding in agreement is always a positive thing as a lot of communication is non-verbal.

The other story was "Operation Unite" where SAPOL has recruited "local sports identities" to bring home the road safety message, however, only Crow Andy Ottens was shown and given a speaking role. Are the Crows the only team supporting this? Were the Crows the only ones organised to send a player? Were they the only team invited? Were other players there and he was the only one asked?
To many questions for a Saturday!

So channel 7 is also biased toward the cricket too? Which it doesn't telecast?

And somehow a 10 second mention of a relevant afl story is bias?

Man - do you wear a tin foil hat too?

No, cricket is in season, AFL is not.

There's a lot of psychology in news reporting, and it's all used to manipulate your opinion.

Pushed and was asked to resign....

Bit behind closed doors goin on!

I think this is bound to happen, when you have so many investors involved, bet they have fought like cat and dog over various issues last season and a half!

owners asked him to change his mind

Hope he has gone on his terms

IMO the guy has done a good job since taking over

Channel 7 News tonight has retracted their sacking report and have now gone with the club's press release.

whoever gets the job now should reduce the ticket prices. I went to my first game in a few years last night and was shocked at the price of tickets, $30 for a 40 minute game.

AFL is about $28 for an 80 minute game

A-league about 25 for 90 minutes

drop the prices to 20 bucks get maybe 1000 extra people through the doors and fill up the majority of empty seats in the stadium

also turn down the music so when the crowd is yelling defence, you can actually hear them

Anon, I'm curious to know what acts Ben conducted that "put alot of people off"?

&

CAMPBELL, what is happening behind closed doors that has resulted in Ben resigning? can you share with the forum?

Are both comments hand grenades to discredit Ben's efforts or do you have sound evidence?

Simply curious

Ben put me off

wow, some interesting comments here.
SDU how did he do that out of interest?

I agree with what "I want the job has just posted"!!!
Over priced night out!!!

The $30 is for gold tickets below the concourse. If you cannot afford the extra $10 bucks buy a sliver ticket (cheaper than both AFL and A league) and sit in the nose bleed section.

Paying $28 bucks for 80 minute game in the middle of winter, getting wet, at a crap stadium that has no atmpsphere IMO is a rip off.

SDU, another point on TV coverage.
Remember when Ch7 lost the rights to the AFL. There was an ad statewide and nation wide that said, 'why would you want to watch football when you can watch blockbusters like Harry Potter?' I got the tape at home. So anything that Ch7 doesnt have, its highly jealous of.

I dont get paranoid over the AFL, lets all admit the AFL will never be a world game like basketball and soccer to name a few. Its a drop in the ocean compared to the money offered by the rich clubs in both the NBA and EPL.

Still curious to know what acts Ben conducted that "put alot of people off" & what is happening behind closed doors that has resulted in Ben resigning?

Both comments yet to be substantiated with evidence and appear frivolous statements

Nine news were showing the Eddie Shannon spectacular
must've been at the same time of seven's retraction.
Seven did the happy days story tonite.. at training with Howard n Clarke.

Ben's poured a lotta years into the 36ers and a hard working GM. Can do no wrong for me.

Channel 7 are biased when it comes to sports reporting. I haven't seen a 7 sports story when the Sixers win, yet they get a good wrap whenever there is a loss.

Perhaps a bit like the Cairns Post who only put the Taipans on the backpage when they lose.

I know it was on One and all the news services - but
a good summation by a great point guard, that's trained at it for 20years.... Shannon -
"I'm a point guard. That's all I do. I've been doing it for 25years and this team seems to like what I do and we combine well."

Clarke - 'The players are a bit young to remember Happy Days, but the coaches do.'

I can't believe all these naive people who actually believe Channel 7 has some sort of agenda against basketball!

Honestly people, whether we like it or not, basketball is a minor sport in Australia. There is minimal interest in the game in this country, outside of the true basketball fans. It's not like footy where most people follow a team even if they don't actually watch or attend football.

I think that because we are basketball fans, we lose sight of the fact that the rest of Australia (ie the non-ball fans) really couldn't give a crap about our sport. Ask a non-footy fan about AFL and they will be able to tell you SOMETHING about the game. Ask a nonn-basketball fan about NBL and chances are they know almost nothing about it.

The reason basketball pops up more on TV when there is a negative story rather than a positive feel-good thing, is because it's the negative and controversial stuff that piques the public's interest.

Ben's been good for the club.

Wishing him all the best wherever he winds up.

Ben has been good for the club I agree. However, I am wondering if the resignation has anything to do with the Hodge rumour that happened a week before that? More then likely it was unrelated but I just thought it was interesting timing.

Was it only last Sunday's mail - sixers want hodge back.. devries is staying.. seems so long ago, now..
with this sunday's mail Howard here and Ben gone.

No, unrelated - would be very surprised if any of the owners/employees there cared much for Hodge and his antics these days. I suspect Ben wasn't feeling effective juggling an ownership role and then the minutiae that emerge in a GM-type role. So, he's returning to property development.

Apparently he couldn't get his son on the team so he quit. :)

Actually don't know the first thing about him.... (which probably includes the fact he doesn't have a son?)

Jack - Correct, he doesnt have a son.