Investors in talks to buy share of MLS’s Crew....

Discussion in 'Columbus Crew' started by CrewBeat, Sep 29, 2008.

  1. Finnegans Wake

    Finnegans Wake New Member

    Aug 28, 2008
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So if we can say the freaking out is in a remission then lets lock the thread... There is no need to talk about something that is dead...
     
  2. tomwilhelm

    tomwilhelm Member+

    Dec 14, 2005
    Boston, MA, USA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This.

    That said, at this point I think we need to move on until additional information comes to light.

    And talking about the Supporter's Shield is just way more funner... :D
     
  3. PolishCrew

    PolishCrew New Member

    Jul 12, 2008
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  4. west ham sandwich

    Feb 26, 2007
    C-bus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    McCuller's asked us to judge them on their actions.

    What has the Crew organization done over the last few years to improve this team in Columbus?

    Adding a stage does not do that.

    Not improving parking hasn't done that.

    Being a year and a half late on finalizing a deal for a new practice facility does not do that.

    Selling a share to a group wanting to put a team in Las Vegas, doesn't do that.

    Improving the box seats may do that a little.

    Getting Guillermo, while being good for this team, is not a long term investment to keeping the team in columbus. Winning Rogers in the lottery does not prove commitment to stay in Columbus.

    Anything? Any action HSG has taken show their commitment to keeping the Crew in Columbus?
     
  5. kgilbert78

    kgilbert78 Member+

    Borussia Mönchengladbach
    United States
    Dec 28, 2006
    Cowlumbus, OH
    Club:
    Borussia Mönchengladbach
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe one--hiring Bliss as Technical Director.
     
  6. mateo319

    mateo319 Member

    Jul 19, 2004
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There is nothing wrong with having concern over this deal given that 1) Garber hates Columbus 2) Ownership divestment of the Crew has seemed likely for a long time 3) These owners want a team in another city and 4) Are working on pulling together ca. $600b to make that happen. Put that together with an announcement out of left field, mix in some ancient nemesis, and bake within a cone of silence and you have my attention along with that of many other people.

    Those of you who are waiting until you read Ray Stein cackling about the team leaving before you will "believe it" must be very naive about how these sorts of things go down. There's a bit of reading the tea leaves in this, and if your reading comprehension won't support that along with pulling in a number of sources to make a reasoned conclusion, then this post won't really help you either.

    That being said, it's very good that HSG finally made some sort of statement. Personally I remain somewhat skeptical. I don't think there's any harm in an effort to try and flush out local ownership groups. It'd also be great to see some more organizational transparency for the fans sake, but while I'm at it, that unicorn sounds pretty nice.
     
  7. west ham sandwich

    Feb 26, 2007
    C-bus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Because Bliss wouldn't move with the team?


    One thing I did forget was the youth program. But from what I hear, admittedly on BS here, they haven't exactly done all that much. Sounds like they're mostly from an existing local team with a few other all-stars from local clubs thrown in. They haven't exactly made a major lasting investment in it. Correct me if I'm wrong.
     
  8. mateo319

    mateo319 Member

    Jul 19, 2004
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One more thing which I don't think has been posted yet. According to this article, Alan Rothenberg is purported to back the Vegas group, and his son has been hired as a consultant. It's difficult to tell how much that support really means, but the fact that they thought enough of it to claim they have his backing shows this group means business.
     
  9. Bill Archer

    Bill Archer BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 19, 2002
    Washington, NC
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, considering that Alan Rothenburg still runs MLS behind the scenes and has an ownership stake in the league equal to that of any team operator AND runs USSF as well through his sock puppet Sunil Gulati, AND is very close to Jack Warner and Sepp Blatter, who is one of his closest freinds and allies in sports (Blatter singlehandedly got Rothenburg elected President of USSF; literally), you have to say that Alan I. Rothenburg's involvement is a sure sign that they should be taken seriously.

    And the fact that they're paying him off by giving SonnyBoy a job (Rothenburg gave him a $100,000 bonus after the WC because he did such a good job selling T shirts) only makes this more worrisome.

    Look people, here's the bottom line:

    We've all been living in Fantasyland, sticking our heads in the sand and ignoring the larger truth which has been staring us in the face for 12 years now:

    We need a local owner, we need him yesterday, and we need to get to work.

    We've been pretending that it didn't matter so long that, now that there's a gun being held to our heads, we grasp at any straw, regardless of how slim - like, for example, a statement from John Wagner, which isn't worth a bucket of warm spit - that everything is OK so we can go back to hiding our heads in the sand.

    Sorry guys. The handwriting has been on the wall ever since HSG divested itself of the Wizards. This team WILL be sold, and if we don't come up with someone locally, then it WILL move.

    Anyone who wants to argue with that position is, quite simply, an idiot.
     
  10. smithnwesson

    smithnwesson New Member

    Apr 8, 2007
    Columbus, OH
    Once again, as I've said earlier, this may not be the actual fire, but it's got enough smoke that we need to get our asses in gear.

    One thing that I think would be very effective is to get a group of people (maybe, like 8,000?) to arrive en masse on the first day season tickets are available next year to show our support for the winning ways of Sigi, McCulelrs, et al, and to show we will support this team.

    How we do that, I have no idea, and I'm fully aware that that is largely the ticket office and Chris Keeney's job, but a grassroots effort couldn't hurt.

    Then we get the news media to cover it, and send the DVD to the Columbus Monthly's top 200 richest list, with a a handsigned letter from the Nordecke leadership (and there will be a ping-pong match to settle that...).

    Finally, we recruit someone like Dante Washington or Brad Friedel to lead the "local ownership group" as they ascend the podium with the keys to the castle. Or even better, they get a steamroller from the new stadium sponsor Sunbelt Rentals and pave the parking lots as their first act of goodwill.

    Discuss.
     
  11. Relocated Crew Fan

    Aug 18, 1999
    Back in the CBus
    First of all, yes this sucks, especially given the timing.

    I have no explanation as to why an ambitious LV group would be interested in being a minority owner in the Crew... certainly curious and not in a good way.

    What I question is how the LV Group expects to get a 1/2 billion $$ stadium built in this economy in Vegas in short order when no "real" plans have been announced (doesn't mean they are not happening, but keeping such plans under wraps doesn't seem to do them good if they had them - hype helps). LV casino owners are a small club - expansion projects (especially now) are combed over a few gazillion times when that kind of $ is spent - is an MLS team really the foundation of a $500 Million Casino expansion? Really - that's your best ROI - That will pull the gambling masses? I might have been gullible enough to have bought that a few years ago, not in today's climate. Are they going to build a casino from scratch? RIIIIIIGHT, that'll go over well, I sure they can find some nice land 30 miles out in desert

    So in the short term the question is: where would they move the team while they tried to get this idea off the ground? I can come up with two quasi-viable solutions:
    1. Sam Boyd Field: 36K seats, home to UNLV Football, the issue is that it is a VERY narrow field (like less than 70 yards) (http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/1999/oct15.htm) that did not go over well when it hosted the 1999 CONCACAF Champions Cup. It also has artificial turf. We know the latter can be overlooked by MLS, but the former? I am not so sure (anymore obviously - Ohio Stadium).

    2. Cashman Field: 9K seat minor league baseball park, and a crapy old one at that. I know KC is in a ballpark right now, but this to seems like a long shot.

    Moreover - this group does not seem to me like one that wants a team with no stadium deal.... the stadium seems like priority 1 and the tenant priority 2.

    I guess my long-winded point is: No stadium, no team (and who here doesn't think they wouldn't get an expansion franchise if they built a multi-hundred million $ stadium?? - if so, sorry Ottawa, maybe you can host the Curling championships). Getting that stadium built in the near future seems like a long shot. Maybe that is why they are interested in the Crew, to keep this dream alive.... it seems like they are a long way from making it a reality and they will likely move on to something else before they pull this off.

    Who Knows.... We still need a local owner or one of these scares will eventually pan out.
     
  12. OU9601

    OU9601 Member

    Jul 12, 2003
    Lancaster, Ohio
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer article from July 18, 2006


    Seattle Times article from April 15, 2008

     
  13. Foosinho

    Foosinho New Member

    Jan 11, 1999
    New Albany, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  14. OU9601

    OU9601 Member

    Jul 12, 2003
    Lancaster, Ohio

    For how long?

    Why, if you really wanted to buy a new house in Dublin, would you decided to pay 40% of the rent on a house in Grove City?

    If there's still an opportunity to gain an expansion franchise, why would the LV group being even mildly interested in Columbus?

    Perhaps I've lost my mind, but I'm decided in my mind-losing that a lot of you are either naive or eternal optimists, or both. But I can't look at this situation and not see a giant cause for concern.

    EDIT - And one more thing -- regardless of the moving lips of today, what's to stop HSG from being an active participant in a move? They'd certainly get an increased amount of revenue from the stadium/hotel/casino/airport/race track/library/zoo/mortuary that gets built in the desert.
     
  15. CrewBeat

    CrewBeat Be Massive My Friends

    Jul 27, 2004
    Manhattan
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    More from Shawn Mitchell:
     
  16. Timon19

    Timon19 Member+

    Jun 2, 2007
    Akron, OH
    So, Foos, how long should we wait to ask questions? Should we wait until they gobble up more? You can honestly say there is ZERO concern?

    I know promises of a pony in every yard and a heaping helping of fairy dust is in vogue right now in the political world, but in the real world (and even the sports world), faeries and fluffy bunnies tend to get smashed like so much roadkill.
     
  17. Matt C

    Matt C Member

    Feb 8, 2008
    Indianapolis
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Q: Dude, where would we be without Shawn Mitchell?

    A: Straight up freaking out on the internet.

    He is getting real journalism done. Badass. I love this guy.
     
  18. Foosinho

    Foosinho New Member

    Jan 11, 1999
    New Albany, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So now we're having a meltdown about something that hasn't happened, isn't rumored to happen, and may never happen?

    Build a credit history.

    What's to stop them if this is nothing but hot air?

    You're always at the whim of non-local ownership. If this NV group successfully buys in as a minority owner, NOTHING HAS CHANGED ABOUT THE CREW'S CIRCUMSTANCE. IOW, there is no reason to freak out now any more than you were freaking out two days ago.

    Until we have concrete evidence that the controlling interest in the club is being sold, there is little reason to think HSG is going to move the team. At least, no more reason than there was two days ago.
     
  19. Timon19

    Timon19 Member+

    Jun 2, 2007
    Akron, OH
    Look! It's a thousand dollar bill!
     
  20. VivaLasVegas

    VivaLasVegas Member

    Mar 7, 2008
    Not that we would want to acquire a team by virtue of a relocation from what I truly believe is a pioneering city in the historical growth of American soccer, but . . .

    Check out the dateline on this Las Vegas Sun article and the comments from guess who? . . . Lamar Hunt

    http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2000/aug/23/las-vegas-courting-mls-team/


    Interesting comments from almost a decade ago.
     
  21. Sirk

    Sirk Member+

    Apr 25, 1999
    Cleveland, OH
    It was Lamar's master plan all along!
     
  22. OU9601

    OU9601 Member

    Jul 12, 2003
    Lancaster, Ohio
    We're going to have to agree to disagree on all this, because I find it more than slightly troubling that we're discussing selling a portion of the team to a group that wants a club of it's own somewhere other than here. Apparently, I'm being an overreacting alarmist in thinking this way.
     
  23. MFRONE

    MFRONE Member+

    Jul 24, 2000
    Columbus, Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Crew have very little to do with parking, the state of Ohio owns the gravel lots and it's up to them to get them paved.

    I'm not sure all the backlash about the practice facility. It's not like you can just plan the whole thing out and have the land and blueprints drawn up in a year. If they can't find a location that would allow for a better replacement then what they currently have, what's the point of getting a new facility? Hell it took the company I work for nearly 3 years just to find a suitable location for our building and another year to get it completed.
     
  24. VivaLasVegas

    VivaLasVegas Member

    Mar 7, 2008
    Wasn't trying to stir the pot any more than it has already been stirred . . . just thought it was a very intriguing article in light of recent news. And to be fair, the quotes were actually from Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman with comments attributed to the late Mr. Hunt . . . not direct quotes from him.

    Lamar Hunt always believed in Columbus as a very strong market from the get go, and I doubt that he would ever stand for a relocation of such a solid franchise in MLS if he were still with us. Hopefully his family still feels the same dedication to the city and the team.

    The original 16,000 depositors from Columbus were more than double any other contending market in 1994 campaign to begin MLS . . . and Las Vegas was in the mix then too.

    Just very interesting to read about past thoughts on Las Vegas with regard to it being considered a viable and good soccer market so long ago by one of league's great founders . . . it just so happened to be Lamar!
     
  25. Timon19

    Timon19 Member+

    Jun 2, 2007
    Akron, OH
    See, here's where you got it all wrong, man. You've got to make like a happy cow, staring at that ominous thing on the horizon with big, vacant eyes, chewing your cud, practically motionless, content with the fact that the farmer is coming in from your left with a large ax-like implement.
     

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