Crew to Austin in 2019..(Maybe)

Wait, so PSV got public funding for the stadium in Austin?

 

Music channels are commercial free of commercials.
The talk/sports channels are not.

 

Free land with a 75% discount on rent, no taxes and they keep 100% of revenues. I'd say that's pretty competitive. The actual stadium construction will also be subsidized with federal grants and tax credits.

 

I know that. I don't see why it matters.

 

I still have a hard time believing that MLS will balk at free land, a new stadium partially backed by bonds, and a giant list of people pledging to buy tickets. That's a lot of money to throw away in one market, not to mention the collateral damage in other markets.

 

And it seems pretty obvious what the game plan here is in the long run. Get the stadium built by any means with a sweetheart deal for the first five years. PSV sells by 2023. New owners moan about competitiveness around 2025, and extort the city into taking over the stadium financing and/or forgiving the rent, etc. etc. See: Columbus Blue Jackets + Nationwide Arena. The only difference was that it was a death and not a sale that changed ownership's position.

 

Well, not sure I can say this entire thread has been worth it to get to this, but I'm not not going to say that either.

I've now watched 15 years of replays awaiting the live race....

 

I think they have made it plain it has nothing to do with the market and/or money, but some personal vendetta against columbus by don garber.

 

I think you're right too. But I think they're gonna want $150M-$200M expansion fee too. Maybe the settlement is $150M expansion to Columbus owner, and $50M "relocation fee" to PSV (that probably is never paid, just y'know, Garber-bucks).

 

That and the fact that, unlike the deal in Austin, the original Jackets deal was bad for the team. That's why Lamar wouldn't take it.

 

I definitely respect and thoroughly enjoy the connectivity to the neighborhoods and the passion that goes into it. The crowds reaction to each victory shows exactly that.

I think it is more so my internal struggles I am dealing with while watching this. I grew up with my grandparents having a hat in the ring of horse racing and have always enjoyed it. Then I go and marry an environmental scientist who showed me quite a bit into the inhumanities that go along with it.

 

Let me point out a few things. No disrespect intended, but the amount of misinformation is staggering.

The Columbus Crew are far from gone. I can understand why someone not plugged in would think that was the case. The Modell Law has teeth and is one of the main reasons the team isn't already gone, and will be the main reason the team will stay in Columbus. Forever. It isn't as simple as paying a fine and getting out, MLS has assets in Ohio that aren't being moved, FCC. So many people are discounting the ability of a motivated AG to enforce the Law. If the Motion to Dismiss is not allowed, the discovery phase of the trial will begin the MLS will go to great lengths to NOT go through court-ordered discovery, even if that means something as unpalatable to them as selling the team to Columbus investors and making $150-$200M.

MLS is struggling as a whole and is largely surviving on expansion fees. There are a few outliers, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, KC, that are doing well but watch the games on the weekends. Attendance is horrible for most of the league. this isn't a big or small cities arguement, but Austin isn't any bigger than Columbus so why would they trade like for like?

The team was not 100% for sale in 2013. There is a big backstory in Columbus concerning the Hunt family and the local business community that isn't widely known. HSG was looking for a minority owner in 2013 and since Lamar sued the Columbus bigwigs over the Nationwide/Blue Jackets fiasco, where Lamar was eventually proven to be in the right, no one wanted to be a minority shareholder. If the team was offered 100% for the same $68M Fratass McTrustfund purchased it for, there would have been multiple people interested, as there are now.

If the Columbus Crew is forced to move, I will be done with MLS and USMNT. I think there are quite a few people nationwide that have stated the same.

 

Thank you for the correction. As to the negativity, I am not crying in my coffee or drowning my sorrow with alcohol. I am merely pointing out the fact that MLS is run by arrogant, entitled assholes that use emotional attachment to "clubs" to access your wallet and enrich said arrogant, entitled assholes. If you would like to imagine that being optimistic is going to keep the Crew in Columbus, then great. But I have seen nothing from MLS that indicates they intend to keep the Crew in Columbus. They have worked actively against it. Does Inside Man say otherwise? Yes and I hope he is 100% correct, but I wouldn't put it past MLS to string them along to demonstrate to the court that an "opportunity" was given to a local entity to purchase the team but they couldn't agree on value. A reasonable person could construe that they have then met the requirements of the Modell law.

 

Lupa won today:

 

No. I know we love to believe that all of this is happening simply because Garber hates us, but no. If anything, Garber is wildly indifferent about Columbus just like he probably is about RSL, SJ, MTL, etc.

I firmly believe that if the local group(s) has enough money, is willing to put forward a lot of money, and has an excellent stadium plan, we will have a team here. If this is the case, it is much more logical to believe that Columbus will have a team than to believe we won't have a team because of some weird vendetta Don Garber may or may not have against us for no apparent reason.

 

I agree that the Modell law is the only reason they are entertaining local buyers. I can also agree that discovery will probably be avoided at all costs. I do not know the motivation of the AG so I will take your word for his commitment. Not being combative, but could you explain how FCC can be leveraged against MLS?

I agree that the markets are too similar to matter, but it is the followed through threat is what is important to them. Don't think they won't bail on Austin when business metrics are poor.

I did not know the Nationwide/Blue Jackets/Lamar Hunt angle. Thank you for the enlightenment.

 

I do not lump MLS and US Soccer in the same boat. That said, I doubt I'd want to go to any MLS stadium to the the US play.

 

I think I wanna see 50 guys on roller skates attempt this track. 5 per neighborhood. the classic four wheel with a front stopper skates. Neighborhood flags as capes?

 

The 200m stadium is totally private financing. They got a loan from JP Morgan Chase for the entirety of the project.

In terms of Columbus being some sacrificial lamb or any of the other "its over talk". Here is my take, the MLS was willing to let PSV do whatever it wanted and really didn't care. Then when it leaked and Columbus rallied, hard.

Save the Crew came up and all those things PSV complained about suddenly looked a lot more like Precourt's failings than the city's. The pledge began and reached 11,000, higher than the average season ticket sales in the league. The Business Allies for StC picked up donating thousands. Events were hosted and dollars for charity raised. It kept going and suddenly there were local owner groups bidding on the team and a possible downtown stadium in the conversation. Throw the lawsuit on top of that (not to mention the cost to settle the suit) and the math MLS was doing changed.

Columbus went from a city they didn't look very closely at to a highly engaged city that was offering everything MLS wants. Even more importantly they have an opportunity to sell a team in Columbus (original or expansion) for market value and literally double their money on this deal. And we can all agree on one thing, the MLS is greedy.

I don't think the Crew will be saved because MLS wakes up to PSV's scumbaggery or decides to honor its roots. I think it will be saved because tens of thousands of people continue to have hope, fight, volunteer, donate, support, advocate (especially on social media), and care for their team. They paint flags with AAA on them and put up banners during games to show up on ESPN. They get Arnold to wear Save the Crew scarves and force Marky Mark to answer awkward questions. That's what got local investors involved, that's what made Columbus look like an investment.

Saying its done ends that, it undercuts all the progress we've made as a community and a fan base in the MLS.

So I won't. I will continue to be a Business Ally for StC, honor my pledge on season tickets, offer to volunteer, go to games, donate to the fundraisers, and scrutinize every little thing that happens for some sign or advantage we can use.

There are absolutely times I want to give up (had a lot of LandGrant on Wednesday) but I won't. Even if we lose the team I will work with people that want to bring it back like the Browns. Because major league soccer in America is Columbus soccer, more than the MLS could ever be. To me the things that gives us, our community, our city, the league as a whole, and our families is worth the effort.

 

Good article recapping yesterday:
http://thecomeback.com/soccer/antho...-austin-but-savethecrew-will-win-the-war.html

 

This... right here x100000. The fact that Austin city couldn’t see that he wants a dcu valuation so he can sell high and leave well intentioned owners with a deal they will have to negotiate to be competitive. You could almost respect the game precourt played if it wasn’t so repugnant.

 

You've lost @puttputtfc points. Possibly @chr1st points too!

 

Thank you for saying that! I hate how everyone makes McConnell out to be a godsend for hockey. He caved to a bad nhl arena deal when Lamar wouldn’t. Lamar even said publically how bad the deal was.

 

Has anyone considered the possibility that Epstein may just have the means and local connections to facilitate the referendum process?

(Obligatory reference to a note from Epstein's mother.) (Because I'm not very original, that's why.)

Also, I tried to balance the alcohol and numbness with a bit of USL fever last night. It depressed me further, of course. But if anyone here still occasionally feels the need for Speas, he scored one hell of a nice, Trapp-like goal last night. I wanna say around minute 31 . . . However . . . I was rather Cr1st-like in my cups.