ok, my lotto ticket is only for 65 million, but this is not about reality. This is of cource related to MLS expansion because I think everyone that reads this forum would put money into MLS if they had the means. and as Billionaire 1/10th of your money would get you a stadium and a team. the challange is how you spend 1 billion dollars on sports. you can think Chelski style if players are your think, but if you do, I suppose you cant use MLS as MLS does not allow that kind of cap spending. so here is my billion dollars spent in just a few minutes. I dont want to go broke, so I invest in a city that can afford o support a team. I also get involved in other sports as i could share ofice space, or front office personelle. 1st order of Business is to buy the rights to the NY Cosmos. the price is 1 milion from what i heard, but who knows. do I want to resurect the Cosmos? no, not unless the City demanded it. I just want to make sure no one else destroys the name by making circus teams with the same name that just play exibitions. so once the team name is secure, I buy franchise rights to NYC from Phil. price is at least 25 mill as I see it, who knows maybe more. 30 million gone I now have the rights to the Cosmos of NYC. I come up with a new name, say the Empire, or whatever. now I go after the NY Jets. they are currently valued at 600 mill according to Bloomburgh financial news. If I cant buy them otright I at least get controlling intrest. should have 350 million left. with this 350 million I build quite honestly a monster stadium on the lower west side attatched to javits. this is something the city supports, and the Jets only offered 250 mill before. the added funds should ensure revenues from all events, and plenty of controll. the thing is i ask HOK to design the stadiumas a 80k seat soccer stadium. Football would of cource work on it, and there would be some temporary seating for football. I would call the stadium Empire stadum, or whatever I call the team untill a name naming rights deal is settled. the way I see it. I get the olympics, the world cup, superbowl, a BCS bowl game. any and all premire sports event that requires a big home. NYC is the biggest, and this stadium would be its only real Super venue. grass field, retractable roof. la de da da. http://www.nynewsday.com/sports/foo...13,0,3611470.story?coll=ny-football-headlines so the football team sells out every game. they have 77k season tickets now and have 20k on waiting list. this stadium could easily sell out at 90-100k if it was built that large. also superbowl, world cup and Olympics can do the same. I have no doubt that the facility would be profitable. also the Jets make like 30 mill a year. so i would not go broke supporting al of this. and I could support my soccer dreams. in a stadium like this. with the Cosmos supporters, and the subway, and manhattan. an special super stadium built for soccer. I have no doubt that a NYC team would easily draw 30k. especially if it was well publicised throughout the whole construction process as a soccer stadium. Also I would put a few minor league teams in Long Island and Westchester, maybe western CT. leave Jersey for the Metros. I would have all levels in each of these areas. A-League(maybe), PSL, PDL,and jr teams. run a training center out of long Island for both Football and Soccer. Get as many local school districts involved as possible. go to the Burbs, and go to the ethnic neighborhoods. possibly see if the A-league would let the team play 1 year in their league, or maybe 2 if it works with their expansion scheduel. Win both seasons, and play out of Long Island. just as a primer before the stadium is finished. with the football team able to support the soccer team for quite a while i would make tickets really cheap so I would fill out the stadium as much as possible. Organize supporters clubs. give them banners and such of pay for them if needed. with its own stadium the jets would easily become the most valuable team in NFL, so I could always sell, and not loose money. also I could rent to the Giants when they renovate their stadium, or for the long term if necessary. but they are stuck in meadowlands for 25 more years. I might also dabble in Lacrosse and rugby, but more likely at the training center on Long Island. unless of cource I could arrange a super 12 neutral ground match. or host a cricket game between India and pakisatan. that would sell out too. In NYC the possibilities are endless, and no money would be lost. even if I only had the stadium and the soccer team i would be set for life. i could rent it to wich ever team i want and host any event. not to mention the expanded convention center could be tied in and bring visitors. is this a crazy Idea? sure. is it at all based on reality? heck no. but if you were given the financial opportunity of Uncle Phil, or of that dude that wants to buy the rapids, what would you do? think of it as brewsters millions. you canot put a dime in actuall investments. gotta be sports teams venues hell a network, whatever. PEACE
You are not going to get the Super Bowl, NYC in January is not the best football weather for an outdoor stadium. Other than that.....good luck to you.
I also love the fact that someone with the handle "The Voice of Reason!" is suggesting spending his entire billion dollars on the Cosmos.
"Voice of Reason"....hahaha. Voice of Unreason seem more like it. --350 millions for a stadium with retractable roof, 80 k. You are quite out of your mind right? unless NY provides you with 350 millions in tax money. Check out Safeco field, retractable roof only 45 K and it costs over half a billion dollar With 1 billion dollars, I would put a team in Seattle, build a SSS at a cost around 65 millions. New franchise at 10 millions. Start up Cost 5 millions. That would be around 80 millions to start up a team with a stadium in Seattle. (Kent) Build a SSS in Portland. New franchise for 2007 or something. 80 millions Build a SSS in or near philly, put a team there. 80 millions. Build an indoor SSS with airconditioning in Houston. 100 millions. At the cost of 340 million dollars. I control 4 expansion MLS teams and complete control of SSS. Invest 500 million dollars with Uncle Phil and MLS investors and start up a SSN (soccer specific network). Buy rights to EPL, Champions League Real Madrid and Barca games, Inter, Juventus games for English broadcast in the US. The channel will be like that of HBO, Showtimes, Cinamax...etc (no commerical) Subscription to the SSN channel will be 50 cent a days. (or 15 dollars a month). With the SSN, most if not all MLS games will be exclusively show on this channel along with A-leagues and maybe one or two college games. oh, and US open Cup. Since Uncle Phil controls the rights to WC 06 (maybe 2010) I put it on this channel also. With around 2 million subcribers (MAN U claims it has 3 millions fan in the US alone) to SSN, it would make around 30 millions a month. About 360 millions a year. With more subcribers, more profits. Remember, you are paying ESPN 2 dollars a month and yet it has commericals. Thus, 360 millions a year in subcriber money. Business expenses maybe 160 millions a year Rights to Soccer games, around 200 milllions (with the majority go to MLS TV rights). Maybe 100 millions for MLS, A-league, US Open Cup rights. World Cup 2006, 2010 will motivate people to subcribe to this channel. By the way, what is the cost to subcribe to HBO? Would you rather have HBO or this SSN? Put in some classic games including WC, some concerts that AEG has the rights to, some soccer movies. OR IF I WANT NASCAR TO BECOME EXTINCT. I COULD GO TO MEXICO AND BUILD A 50 MILES TRACK LIKE A HIGHWAY AND HAVE A 'THE FAST AND FURIOUS' RACING STYLE WHERE THE WINNER RECEIVE 100,000 DOLLARS WITH EACH CAR ENTRY FEE AT 10,000 DOLLARS. MAKE IT LIKE AN OBSTACLE COURSE, WITH CARS FLYING, HITTING BUMMING EACH OTHER. THE FASTEST, MOST DURABLE CAR WIN. IMAGINE PUTTING 10 CARS ON A 50 MILES HIGHWAY AND LET THEM RACE. THE WINNER IS THE CAR THAT FINISH FIRST. DEATH, ACCIDENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE DRIVER EXPENSE. THE COMPANY IS NOT RESPONSIBLE. IT WILL ATTRACT THE MOST HARD-CORE DRIVERS AND COOLEST CAR. SINCE IT IS IN MEXICO, IT IS CHEAP TO BUILD THIS HIGHWAY WITH OBSTACLE COURSES, AND NOT A LOT OF LAWS GOVERNING THIS SORT OF THING. I DON'T THINK MEXICO GOVERNMENT WOULD OBJECT TO THIS SINCE IT WILL BRING BILLIONS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
the Cosmos are just 1 mill fool and what ever team name is used in NYC will cost 25 times that. I just want to buy the history. save it if you will. Tie its history into this new club for all time. and I kinda think a rectangular stadium on the Island of manhattan with a retractable roof is a decent real estate deal. also half to all of an NFL franchize is always a good investment. Hell Mcnair of Houston Texans ownership blew almost a billion dollars 2 years ago, and his franchise value has already gone up... in a down econemy. besides, its not real money. if it were real i would ensure a safe financial future before throwing any of it away. so what would you do? as far as 350 mill not being enough. no of cource its not. the total projected cost of the west side stadium is 1.1 billion. the Jets were supposed to have controlling rights and all that, and they only were to put in 250 mill. my 350 mill gives me a better deal then the Jest were after, and also guarontees the city will go through with it. you dont think a record breaking stadium naming rights deal cant be made in the world largest market? 300 mill for that alone over 20 years. what about special tax zones. and all of the Olympic money. this is not something I made up. It is actually a plan that is in place. i just sweetend the offer, and made it a bit more soccer orientated.
If I had a billion dollars I'd made sure I set aside 10 million dollars that I wouldn't touch no matter what, so if I end up losing the rest I'll always have enough to keep myself and all of my family fed. Then, I'd use to the rest to pay off every politician and feminist to get the hell rid of Title IX. But not because I hate it, because I want to never see a thread about it again. It makes my head hurt.
VOR its cool to dream isn't it, i do sometimes, and your idea of combining different businesess makes lots of sense, but it has to be about control as well you get the sadium, you need Tv,radio as well and may add a newspaper, like USA Today. Now you have some power of advertising and able to spread the word cover MLS and US Soccer as you wish. One more thing, the natural grass will be distroyed if so many events are played on it, and i hate football lines good luck with that Big Game , wink
Had to burst your bubble on this one: Fifa doesn't allow the World Cup on pay TV channels. (And you forgot about broadcasting the WUSA.... oh, wait.... never mind.)
nice joke there about the WUSA, though I expect there will be a top-flight women league sometimes in the near future. I didn't know that FIFA doesn't allow the WC on pay TV channels. (i guess I learn something today) But i got a question though, WC 02 and WC03 is now on pay TV channel. Last time I check ESPN (you have to pay around 14 dollars to get in the BASIC cable) ESPN 2 you have to pay 28 dollars to get in the Premium Cable. oh, FYI, if you have cable, 2 dollars go to ESPN each month. That is why ABC/ESPN can afford NBA, NHL, NFL. So what is your defination of PAY TV? Because as far as I know WE ARE PAYING TO SEE WC GAMES ON TV. I know some people subscribe to cable just to see the world cup. They paid. If they didn't, they will miss the majority of the WC 02 games on TV. Beside, if you can prove it by providing a link in which FIFA state that WC can't be televise on Pay TV (which I believe mean pay-per-view TV like boxing) I will continue to believe that FSW can televise WC games if it has enough money. By the way, which is harder to get HBO or FSW? HBO you can get basically anywhere with money, while FSW even with money you can't because some cable providers do not offer them. OK I MADE MY POINT. I need a link to believe otherwise.
If I had a billion dollars....I would buy a flat in North London, and front row season tickets to Highbury
If I had a billion dollars I would buy ritch williams to walk around carrying a plasma screen television on his back wherever I went.
Billion If I won a billion bucks, I'd do two chicks at once and then I would do 2 chicks at once again. Then I would buy the WUSA. Yeah I really would.
I'd startup a team in Seattle and build an SSS there. Then I'd re-startup a team in Miami (NOT Ft. Lauderdale....MIAMI.) and build an SSS there too. After that I'd buy a good chunk of stock in Sirius satellite radio and have them be a sponsor of one of my teams, as well as have sponsorship deals with Nintendo (right in Seattle), Starbucks, and maybe a few other companies.
I'd buy out MLS and the A-League and kill MLS. I'd replace it with the A-league and encourage MLS investors to buy A-League franchises. USA-Canada D1 DC United Minneapolis Thunder Rochester Rhinos NE Revs Columbus Crew Chicago Fire Dallas Burn Colorado Rockies Chivas de LA SJ Quakes KC Wizards Seattle Sounders NY Cosmos Ft. Lauderdale Strikers Tampa Rowdies Atlanta Silverbacks Virginia Beach Mariners Montreal Impact USA - Canada D2 Calgary Storm Charleston Battery Charlotte Eagles Cincinnati Riverhawks El Paso Patriots Indiana Blast Milwaukee Wave Pittsburgh Riverhounds Portland Timbers Richmond Kickers Syracuse Saltydogs Toronto Lynx Vancouver Whitecaps San Diego Gauchos California Gold New York Freedoms Wilmington Hammerheads Long Island Rough Riders D3 East (15 Teams) New Hampshire Phantoms New Jersey Stallions Northern Virginia Royals Reading Rage Westchester Flames Western Mass Pioneers Albany Blackwatch Highlanders Cape Cod Crusaders Jersey Falcons Jersey Shore Boca Rhode Island Stingrays South Jersey Barons Vermont Voltage West Virginia Chaos Worcester Kings D3 Southeast (14 Teams) Central Florida Kraze Chesapeake Dragons Bradenton Academy Cocoa Expos Greenville Lions Nashville Metros Carolina Dynamo Louisiana Outlaws New Orleans PDL Palm Beach Pumas Raleigh Elite Richmond Kickers B Williamsburg Legacy Houston Toros D3 Midwest (15 Teams) Kalamazoo Kingdom Columbus Shooting Stars Chicgao Fire B Des Moines Menace Fort Wayne Fever Indiana Invaders Kansas City Brass Memphis Express MidMichigan Bucks Sioux Falls Spitfire St. Louis Strikers Thunder Bay Chill Toledo Slayers West Michigan Edge Wisconsin Rebels D3 West (14 Teams) Utah Blitzz Abbotsford Rangers Austin Lightning Boulder Rapids B BYU Cougars Calgary Storm B Cascade Surge Fresno Fuego Nevada Wonders Orange County Bluestar So Cal Seahorses Spokane Shadow Texas Spurs Yakima Reds Now that I have done away with the anachronism of MLS. I will implement promotion and relegation and no one can whine about how it won't work with the single entity. Then, I will sell the rights to a reality TV show following the fortunes of one team that gets promoted and one team that gets relegated. Each of the four regional D3 champs will battle in a promotion playoff to move up to D2. 2 teams from D2 do the drop each year into D3. While 2 teams are promoted into D1, where 2 teams are relegated. The top 8 teams in D1 play a playoff to determine who will be invited to play in the Toyota Cup of the Americas. The bottom 8 teams will enter a relegation playoff. The finalists (teams that continue to lose) are relegated. Americans will get hooked on the David v. Goliath aspect of soccer. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a bid to regain voter confidence will buy the Orange County Bluestars, promising to spend his fortune until he takes them up to D1. I will become fabulously wealthy, and joke about the days when I was only worth 1 billion. I will also be recognized as the patron who revolutionized American sports, introducing pro-rel and simultaneously making soccer the number one spectator sport in the country. When I retire, I will kick out the opening ball of the equivalent of the Charity Shield game, when D1 champions Bradenton Academy play against USA Open Cup Champions, NY Cosmos. To celebrate, I do two chicks at once and die.
build 16-20 soccer academy/centers of excellence - with agreements for each to eventually be affiliated with an existing or new professional team - paying for requisite number of qualified coaches, including necessary coaching education. And a soccer specific stadium in DC (until then, at least pay to open a few more concession stands at RFK
To 101er, I have two issues... # 1 Timbers in the second tier my arse! # 2 Reality shows are already producing diminishing returns. They'll be passe by Halloween. It's good to dream, but with a thousand people watching, you're advised to check yourself first.