I don't understand this comparison. Precourt was buying a franchise that nobody else wanted. Sac is an expansion bid. Totally different situations...
Franchises were cheaper to operate and worth half as much when Precourt bought in. He wouldn't be courted as an owner now. There are enough billionaires who are interested that it isn't worthwhile to add someone who will already have trouble keeping up. I will be surprised if the league ever adds another team that doesn't have billionaires as the majority owners, and shocked if there's one without a billionaire owning at least a quarter.
Anyone think Precourt would pass the vetting test today? Seems like he fails on every level. What successful buisness did he run again?
Isn't it a little silly to call something that hasn't actually fully manifested itself a failure? At this stage when Atlanta was announced, generally people were calling it a bad idea and saying it'll fail. We know how that turned out. Miami... yeah, well at least we can point to a proven track record there, but still, maybe the right tools will be used this time.
The answer to the question in the thread title is the same as the answer to the question: Did your team get in?
Expanding the league by 6 teams when it was in financial trouble was part of the problem. I think they also lost their national TV contract and sponsors as a result. There was also the massive economic depression and the success of indoor soccer, which in many cities attracted more fans than the local NASL team.
The number is the same. 24 for the NASL's peak and now 24 for MLS. But the big difference between NASL expansion and MLS expansion is the breakneck speed with which the NASL expanded, making you wonder whether there was any vetting process at all. The NASL went from eight teams in 1972 to 24 teams in 1978. Between the 1977 and 1978 seasons, four teams folded, but they added 10 expansion teams. Ten in one year!!! I used to worry that MLS was expanding too much, because I remembered the NASL's downfall (I was 39 when it folded). But then I realized how much faster the NASL expanded than what MLS is doing, and that eased my worries quite a bit. MLS is being a lot more selective about expansion.
There were 3 ownership groups from Columbus who had significant offers on the table. Hunts Sport Group was looking to add a local minority owner in the 10-20 million dollar category. Precourt Over Paid for the Crew is why he ended up them, not that there wasn't local interests. Remember the expansion fee in 2013 was 50 Million. Precourt paid a league record 68 Million to acquire the whole team. No one anticipated (except maybe Precourt) the tripling of the expansion fee just 4 years later.