Crew to Austin in 2019..(Maybe)

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/ne...nati-newport-oakley-soccer-stadium/435872002/

Overview (pros/cons) of the two remaining potential stadium sites in Cincy.

 

Looks like you're right on the NBA, 3 not 5. I didn't look at the list I was looking at closely enough to discern what they were saying about the Hornets/Pelicans.

Browns moved in 96, but it was before MLS began play, and Raiders to Vegas hasn't happened yet. I split the difference and called it 4.

Not sure why MLB didn't even occur to me to check, that brings the average down.

MLS is 1 relocation, right? What's the "or 2"? I didn't include MLS because you have 3 contractions as well, so I'm not sure how you handle those. But MLS essentially decided folding teams outright was a better option than moving. Granted when Miami and Tampa were folded, the League supposedly wasn't looking like it would be far behind, so relocating might not have been an option.

 

Well, that doesn't count. I'm also not counting teams that move to other parts of town in the same Metro.

Now, perhaps without the threat of moving they wouldn't get the fancy new stadiums, and that may be a big reason owners really might care.

 

I think he was helping your cause. (At least how I read his post.)

Also, for some odd reason I think another number that would be good to have here as a reference: What is the number of teams that have not moved in all of those other (American) major leagues? Should not our formula be a little more robust? Or maybe I am just too tired.

 

I haven't been to Newport in many years so I don't know what the traffic situation or the roads are. If they haven't put in more lanes for the increased traffic it will be terriblely congested. There are two Bridges over the Ohio River to bring fans from Ohio. One on the west side,71-75, and one on the east side.I forget the name of. If the roads getting from the interstate to the stadium hasn't been upgraded I wouldn't go near it. Of course if MLS takes my team, Columbus Crew away, I won't go anyway!

 

Also, MLS will never be a cartel in the way those other leagues are. MLS owners must know as well as the fans do how eminently disposable the league really is, what with so many options around the world to follow.

Were any move to go through, I would anticipate a second wave of protests more forceful than the first that could have profound consequences.

In a way, I'm not surprised by the solidarity we've seen simply because soccer fans tend to be more coordinated and outspoken than fans of other sports.

I'm not suggesting ATL and Seattle will start averaging 15k, but that it will be far less placid than Lalas's declaration that MLS will merely bleed one insignificant fan base and everything will be hunky-dory.

 

I'd bet on KY, so they don't have deal with any implications of the Modell law.

Not that I'd ever support MLS again if the Crew leave.

 

Another complicating factor is renovation. Lambeau Field, the oldest NFL stadiums, was renovated twice in the past 15 or so years. Each was 9 figure. Same with Wrigley Field, Soldiers Field, and Fenway Park.

I think the underlying question has something to do with how useful is the threat of relocation of a team to obtaining an upgraded stadium.

I am not sure there is a useful correlation here.

Is there something that can be said about the community support for these teams that have a long history in a town? Green Bay may be more willing to do something for the Packers than St. Louis for the Rams. What about St. Louis for the baseball Cardinals v. the Rams? About 12 years ago, the Cardinals got a new stadium.

 

Since we have been talking about determining fair valuation of the club, would player values been taken into account as they could be considered “company assets”?

 

Interesting question but I thought all player contracts went through the league. I guess what I'm saying is I don't know where single entity starts and stops legally.

 

A serious question.

I have seen posts from people earlier in this thread saying that if the Crew are stolen away from Columbus that they would not support a lower division club if one would come in afterward. Why is that? It is a little insulting for those who have been supporting lower division clubs for a long time. I mean, what would you have supported before 1996 anyway?

I used to have tickets to the old NASL Fort Lauderdale Strikers back in the 70's and 80's before they moved to Minnesota in 1984. After that I started going to Fort Lauderdale Sun games the next year (which had a roster of a bunch of the old Strikers anyway) and in later years second division APSL Strikers games.

We've never had anything but lower division soccer here in Nashville since I moved here in the 90's, whether it was the Metros in the PDL and A-League or NFC/NSC in NPSL and now the USL. I will be supporting the MLS team just as I have the previous clubs. And if the MLS goes away I will support whatever come next.

If we lived in that fantasy world where this was pro/rel in the US would you not support the club when they dropped down a division? Would you return if they got promoted again?

I can see not supporting MLS anymore because they screwed you but to not support a Columbus club just because it is not first tier seems a little, oh I don't know, spiteful.

And just to close, Save the ****ing Crew!

 

For the record I would support both the MLS Crew and the Crew 2 if we had one like some of the other clubs do.

I understand the sentiment of people not wanting to support a lesser side if the Div 1 team moved out. Can’t just give people jelly doughnuts, take them away, and expect them to be happy that you give them a package of snow peas.

On a side note, I hate being on a diet...

 

In theory yes. With MLS, who knows. About a hundred years ago there was a great baseball player named Nap Lajoie. He breached his contract and if I remember correctly, the damages were based on the team's value with him as opposed to without him.

 

Because this *is* the Crew forum, I'm a bit surprised nobody has posted the obvious related in-joke.



Shout-out to @Hamburgler03 and @cleazer

 

Edit: Having looked it up, most of the litigation was about an injunction ordering him to stop playing for the Philadelphia Athletics and return to the Phillies. He got a trade to Cleveland and the court order wasn't enforced in other states so he just skipped trips to Philly.

 

And I have no idea why I was tagged a few posts prior...

 

If nothing else, this entire farce should be waking people here up about how horrible the closed system actually is. This city has the potential to be the catalyst for an open pyramid, regardless of how this ends, and we really should be pushing it in the spirit of inclusion for anyone that wants to be involved.

 

As someone else said, supporting lower division isn't really interesting to me for a variety of reasons. First, all your players would be trying to jump to the higher level making team continuity challenging. If we never had the top level available it would be different.

Next you have a lesser availability to see the away games (no tv), less media coverage, fewer big name players and a lower quality product.

I supported the lower league teams here before MLS was a around but having it taken away at the whim of an asshole owner coupled with the ability to watch the best product available on tv makes supporting the lower levels here simply not something i would be interested in.

 

Garber et al have paid USSF a bunch of money to make sure the spirit of inclusion is pissed upon. Hate to break the news to you.

 

Thank you again for this information. I have leaned on this board as I have tried to get caught up. So your guys' historical knowledge has been invaluable.

Also these days I operate at maybe 60% at best. Perhaps less. I think I am eight years past needing a vacation.


Okay. So Garbage liked Austin. Preschool liked queso. Two guys going for Austin.

So let us hypothesize that Austin just does not seem to work out for Preschool. For whatever reason: Austin hates his ********ing guts, Columbus has big-time buyers, Mike ********ing DeWine, or a random one in a million (1,600,000) meteorite hits Preschool's house. Whatever.

How would Garble go about saving this city for something later? Salvage for down the road? Save face?

BA provided the answer a few pages back. Ohio hatred burns forever and ever and ever. Don't mess with Texas? Please.

I have begun to worry that if Crew leave, then I might become some crazy hater towards everything soccer. That truly worries me. Not unabomber crazy, but maybe crazy marcher crazy.

 

In other words, they deserve zero dollars from us.

 

Didn't Lamar move the Dallas Texans to Kansas City? It was the second or third year of the AFL and he was competing directly against the Cowboys, so maybe that shouldn't count.

Some NFL owners did oppose Modell. Ralph Willson comes to mind. Maybe that was self serving.

1995. A painful year. Art Modell and Tony George. Argh.