I really don't understand why Los Angeles needs another NFL team. Sure, I understand that the NFL wants a team in the 2nd biggest media market, but it doesn't seem like that's what the public wants. It's been rumored for a while that the Chargers would be moving to L.A., especially when they moved their training camp from La Jolla to Carson, CA. Minny has also been a team that supposedly would like to make a change. But who really knows what's going to happen. Remember how the Gov't bailed out AEG? Looks like they're back on their feet again.
AEG owner Philip Anschutz now says he's willing to buy an NFL team if that's what it takes to get a stadium built in downtown Los Angeles. Which isn't really big news given that his original plan was to buy 50% of a team, and that his offer is still contingent on getting a "reasonable" deal with the NFL — read, something that lets him pay his stadium bills and still turn a profit — which would likely mean getting a team at a cut-rate price, which is what the NFL (and team owners) have been objecting to since last fall.
Anschutz lieutenant Tim Leiweke threw out a stick to go along with the carrot, as well, saying that AEG is exploring plans to just expand the Los Angeles Convention Center without a stadium if no NFL deal can be reached. Which means one of two things:
Citing lots of unnamed sources, Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole says that the NFL has again told AEG that it's Los Angeles stadium plan won't fly if the developer refuses to budge on getting a discounted share of team ownership plus rental payments. And refuse to budge is exactly what AEG owner Philip Anschutz did, according to Cole's sources:
According to another unnamed Yahoo! source, though (this one a "Los Angeles-based" source, so presumably not NFL-related), Anschutz may not care so much about whether the NFL stadium actually happens, so long as he's used it to open the door to more development near his L.A. Live site:
AEG owner Philip Anschutz now says he's willing to buy an NFL team if that's what it takes to get a stadium built in downtown Los Angeles. Which isn't really big news given that his original plan was to buy 50% of a team, and that his offer is still contingent on getting a "reasonable" deal with the NFL — read, something that lets him pay his stadium bills and still turn a profit — which would likely mean getting a team at a cut-rate price, which is what the NFL (and team owners) have been objecting to since last fall.
Anschutz lieutenant Tim Leiweke threw out a stick to go along with the carrot, as well, saying that AEG is exploring plans to just expand the Los Angeles Convention Center without a stadium if no NFL deal can be reached. Which means one of two things:
- The whole NFL stadium thing was a dodge to get the city of L.A. to go along with redevelopment near AEG's L.A. Live complex, as was rumored last week.
- Or, this is all just a negotiating ploy to get the NFL to cave on its demands and cough up a team on the cheap, in exchange for ... forcing football fans in the lucrative L.A. market to watch the local team no matter how crappy, and face blackouts if they don't buy enough tickets?
Citing lots of unnamed sources, Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole says that the NFL has again told AEG that it's Los Angeles stadium plan won't fly if the developer refuses to budge on getting a discounted share of team ownership plus rental payments. And refuse to budge is exactly what AEG owner Philip Anschutz did, according to Cole's sources:
At the meeting, Goodell politely told Anschutz that the terms are unacceptable to the NFL and any of the handful of teams that have been targeted for a potential move to Los Angeles, including the San Diego Chargers. Kraft attended the meeting because he is also very close to Anschutz and does business with AEG. Kraft echoed Goodell's remarks.
As a source explained: “It was friendly, but boiled down to the view that no NFL owner would accept the terms proposed. If [AEG] wanted to get that much control over an NFL franchise, their only option would be to buy a team. If they were willing to back off the control and buy a [limited partnership] stake for a reasonable price, then a shared interest in selling suites/clubs/sponsorships could be worked out."...
However, the meeting with Anschutz has thus far produced zero reaction from the billionaire, according to the sources. In the more than three months since the meeting, the NFL has not received a new proposal from Anschutz or AEG and has not been told of one being sent to any teams.
Now, whenever I see unnamed sources providing scoops, I usually assume it's for their own self-interest — and here, clearly, you could have the NFL putting out word that Anschutz is being recalcitrant in an attempt to publicly push him to make concessions. According to another unnamed Yahoo! source, though (this one a "Los Angeles-based" source, so presumably not NFL-related), Anschutz may not care so much about whether the NFL stadium actually happens, so long as he's used it to open the door to more development near his L.A. Live site:
The bottom line is that because of that, politicians in Los Angeles may be shifting focus from the stadium project to simply enlarging the Los Angeles Convention Center. The stadium was supposed to be built on part of where the center currently sits and would serve as convention space when not being used for the NFL.
"The end game for this plan was the convention center all along," a Los Angeles-based source said Thursday. "That's what AEG wants to improve because the convention business is going to drive the whole area."
If so ... man, did we waste a whole lot of pixels discussing this. Also, hopefully Minnesota (and other) state legislators are listening, because at this rate, ain't no way the Vikings or anybody else are moving to Los Angeles anytime soon. Which shouldn't really be new news to anybody, but sometimes people need a reminder.
