We received an e-mail this afternoon from the Minnesota Swarm pro lacrosse team's owners, John and Andy Arlotta, which is also posted on the team's web site.

Long story short: they are appealing to fans to buy season tickets and spread the word about the team because their financial model is "not sustainable." The key section:

Unfortunately, our success on the field and our assistance with the growth of lacrosse in Minnesota has come at the price of tremendous financial losses that are not sustainable over another 5 years of ownership. We want to be clear on one point..... this is not about making a profit. We would be happy to merely lose less money than we have in the past. We are passionate owners that have invested heavily because we love the sport of lacrosse, want to see the sport grow in Minnesota, and want desperately to win a Champions Cup for our players, our fans, and our organization. However, we have learned over the past 5 years that despite our best efforts, we can't do it on our own. We don't need gifts or handouts, but we do need the support of the fans that know and love our sport and our team.

It's an interesting move, and we hope to write more about it at some point.