Lasted far longer than a couple of days and it required Garber to mediate... and still fell apart bad enough that the majority owner submitted the bid without the Republic owners...
Look, I've only begun to recover from the trauma of that stupidity recently, and my denial is extremely important to me in that healing process.
Besides, here in Sacramento, we require a certain level of stupidity in our team ownership groups, otherwise it just doesn't feel right. The RiverCats ownership is, of course, exempted from this rule because they are in West Sacramento. That bridge does funny things to you.
First, the NHL took decades until 'the TV contract was the money maker'. Same with the NBA. Second, the pyramid scheme notion is played out. Do you really think the Pegula paying $1.3 billion more than Ralph Wilson is wrong? He should have paid the same as the original price in 1959? Same thing happens in every North American sport in the franchise league. Third, one expansion fee is NOT more valuable than the TV contract. There are several individual components to the TV contract and the expansion fee, except for LAFC, is paid over long periods of time in MLS. So when Blank pays $70m it could be $5m a year for 14 years. Divided by 20 MLS clubs that $250k a year. As for your contention that the the top of the pyramid (I'm assuming you equate top as being the early MLS Owners) is definitely not making more than the bottom. You should look up the valuations or revenues of all the clubs - you'll see most of the top 10 started after 2006. And LAFC will join that list within 2 years I predict.
And then they came together rand reached an agreement.......sorry, nothing to see here but two businessmen that played a bit of hardball negotiating. No ownership discord either. MLS isn't looking at a fractured ownership group. This is a buyout; Nagle is buying out Warren Smith. But, clickbait and all.......
You should read up on how pyramid schemes work, then. Expansion fees are a one-time offset to the rest of the owners for having to split the pie among more entities for the rest of time. And they get reinvested into the business, in most cases. A pyramid scheme eventually collapses because the incoming investors' payments become incapable of paying the high (but fake) returns to the existing investors. Those returns go on and on, and they're unsustainable. No one in New England or Chicago or Seattle is going to be looking for more expansion fees from Atlanta or Minnesota or New York going forward, and there will be an eventual end to that. But there also won't be a need for them, because they won't be splitting their eventual shared revenues with any more new partners after they reach whatever their final number of teams is. The last couple to get in (whoever and whenever they are) aren't going to get that return down the line.
they need to be in the same way Sacramento does. I know MLS will play hardball with the stadium thing but, you find a way to acommodate those numbers of fans. MLS gots to make it happen.
The stadium won't be an issue. Will go across the river from Paul Brown Stadium where the IRS building is. NKY will contribute with a sales tax on the bar and retail district along the river. The bar district on their side are clamouring for it. (Accountant gossip): friends that work in the IRS building in nky say they're already negotiating price. The issue will be, "do we want to be in bigger splashier markets." It just feels like 2010 college sports realignment and cincy is gonna be on the outside looking in despite success
You should all support the Columbus Crew, right? (Based on the logic people are using here considering Charlotte and Raleigh to be the same market or an either/or proposition)
No, MLS doesn't need to make it happen. If the owners aren't satisfied with their bids, or if they like the bids from other groups better Cincy and Sacramento won't get in this go round. That's it, period. Expansion clubs aren't awarded based solely on lower league attendance. Much more important criteria then that.
Which takes us back to the gamble. Sometimes the gambles hit (nycfc & Atlanta), sometimes they don't (Chivas, Minnesota <although time will tell I guess> and a whole host of belly up franchises in the not so distant past).
From my understanding attendance hasn't been to good, has some worried. I May be a misunderstanding the situation
Considering that they are sitting in the sixth spot and averaging just a couple of thousand less than Orlando, I'd say that your understanding is a little off. http://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2017-mls-attendance/ Minnesota is ahead of both NY teams, the Galaxy, RSL, and Portland, despite playing one fewer game as of the publication of this chart. The only place that Minnesota is failing is on the pitch. Even there, though, they are not exactly the bottom of the barrel. https://www.mlssoccer.com/standings/mls/2017
That is a pretty good location. Does the federal gov't own that building/land? Would be easy to tie together with NKY convention center (use same parking). Could do great views of city across the river (a la Pittsburgh). Plenty of bars/hotels on that side of river. But question is do they draw like they have been @ UC? Does that location diminish attendance at all? I know most people are used to going to Reds & Bengals games just across river so wouldn't be different than that, but something seems so organic between fans & Nippert.
Without disagreeing you that they are doing just fine (they are), half of their 70k total attendance is from their first game. Since their first game, they've gotten a little over 17k per game, which would put them down by Houston at 15th.
If someone thinks 17k attendance for an MLS team is remotely disappointing or cause for concern needs to get their head checked.
Given where the league is at now with average attendance, Minnesota being in the bottom half of the league, and the expectations that have been set for expansion clubs, I can understand why people would be concerned about the club. It's certainly nothing to be really concerned about and could just be a sign that they are just chilling until their new stadium is built, it could also be a troubling sign that the team is taking the cheap route on their team, both on the field and off.. It just seems like they are abusing the "expansion team grace period" a bit too hard. They also have the misfortune of coming in at the same time as Atlanta who are killing it on the field and off, so comparisons are naturally going to be made, even if they shouldn't.