Bowling alleys are the answer. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...asbury-park-condos-with-a-visit-from-the-boss But Sugarman kept the company’s property in Asbury Park, acquired more and set to work building a pair of townhouse projects and a boutique hotel. Today, it owns 35 acres (14 hectares) in the city and has spent more than $300 million on its efforts, which included reopening Asbury Lanes at the end of May. For the Lanes, iStar hired concert promoter the Bowery Presents to book national acts. Sugarman, who said his company is the world’s largest owner of bowling alleys, directed designers to fabricate a plexiglass wall at the end of the lanes so bowlers can watch the pin-setting machines in action.
I just hope someone brings this up next time he goes into one of his sob stories about spending on the first team.
y not us? Big @ChicagoFire news: Billionaire Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto has purchased a 49% stake in the team from Andrew Hauptman. Deal comes in the wake of Cubs owner Tom Ricketts lining up a deal to become majority owner of an expansion Chicago USL team. https://t.co/rM54tr5srf— Danny Ecker (@DannyEcker) July 11, 2018
No one likes us? I dunno...I got nothing. Top 5 media market. Nice stadium. Good team facilities. excellent academy. Passionate fan base that will support a team that plays well and tries to win (i.e. signs players). Oh, and the fan base will spends gobs of money on merch for an exciting team. Yup....seems like a no brainer of an investment for some uber rich person.
I think this makes us the largest market team left without a Billionaire owner? Houston in our realm too, depends on how you measure things.
It doesn't make sense. Plus there tons of corporate sponsorship opportunities for the team too. Better then some bigger markets honestly. With the rapid increase in MLS team valuations, it's as close to a sure bet as any investment right now. At least for sports teams.
This. What is the incentive for Sugarman to sell? He seems to be doing just fine financially. In my opinion, an MLS franchise is a "hold" not a "sell" at this point.
How about if someone makes a big PR campaign outlining all the reasons why Jay should sell the team and convince 99% of all fans of not showing up for 2 or 3 games. If the stadium is relative empty for 2-3 games then maybe he'll get the message.
The "open letter" on Philly Soccer Page last season was pretty high profile among more-than-casual fans, although it wasn't nearly as ambitious as calling for a boycott. The letter prompted a written response from Sugarman, who seemed to take it seriously. Since then, expectations and demands from the fans seem to have evaporated as the possibility of a sale seems remote. I'm not sure what it will take to spark a serious protest movement.
I have 4 season tickets and pay about $45 per ticket per game. My friend has season tickets in Atlanta with virtually identical seats. He pays $63 per game this season. For next season, his seats will be $75 per ticket per game. Serious question for everyone: Would you be willing to pay $30 more per ticket per game (67% more to me which would be a total of $2,160 more per season going forward) for a team with the ambition of Atlanta rather than a team with the ambition of the Union? That would be a likely byproduct of Sugarman selling the team to an ownership group that is willing to spend more money.
YES! ATL have not only more ambition; they are much more exciting to watch! But they also sell per game circa 4x as many tickets as the Union do.
"Serious question for everyone: Would you be willing to pay $30 more per ticket per game (67% more to me which would be a total of $2,160 more per season going forward) for a team with the ambition of Atlanta rather than a team with the ambition of the Union?" "YES! ATL have not only more ambition; they are much more exciting to watch! But they also sell per game circa 4x as many tickets as the Union do." Sounds like the difference between a team run by an investment firm v one run by a business owner.
Serious question for everyone: Does Stockholm syndrome help us understand the attitude of some Union fans?
My rational is quite simple. I want Soccer to grow in this country. So, I will support the team as long as I can. It may be silly. In the early years of the Phillies or Eagles, there must have been bad teams that people supported. There must have been bad owners. I am taking the long view. It may turn out to be a bad bet but it is the only bet I have right now.