Sorry. The above was all I had to go off, and I only had time to post a minimal outburst. Link: https://kslsports.com/472256/report...hip-group-close-to-purchasing-real-salt-lake/
I'm very much cautiously optimistic. With all the venture capital/private equity money in this proposed group, I would think they of all people know that you need to get the best people in and empower them to do their job (i.e. hands off ownership). Which I think could be very good if RSL finally has the money to spend like the average teams do (I'm not really counting salary, they've always been about the middle there). What excites me the most is the potential with all the teams and leagues around the world that Blitzer is invested in. What a chance they have to do what Red Bulls and other groups do around the world (on a smaller budget of course). Really want to see what the journalists and such can do with some research into this possibility. Trey, if you're reading this, start talking to these new owners about investing in FOC. It sounds like it's ready to take off with just a fraction of the money being invested into RSL.
Ryan Smith is involved! https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/davi...inment-group-to-purchase-real-salt-lake-x9626
Beat me to it. I wonder if this means a rebrand is incoming. Ryan is currently working on a rebrand/recoloring for the Jazz. Does he keep the claret and cobalt scheme, or do they make the Jazz and RSL have similar colors?
I am so much more optimistic with those two together and not just one or the either. Now I just have to be patient to see what they can do with the roster this year. I'll probably be waiting until the summer, but it'll hopefully be worth it.
Yeah, this is about as good as I would/could have hoped for. I'm naturally suspicious of anyone who buys a sports team (like, what's wrong with you?), but this just might not suck.
I, for one, hope there's an opportunity to get some cheap tickets when racists cancel their season tickets in protest of Smith's scholarships to minority students.
Don't want to spam the thread, but here's some info. Trey is a founding member, but I'm not sure how involved he still is since he left Austria and re-joined RSL. https://wefunder.com/fanownedclub
For me Blitzer = bad, another slumlord, financially motivated investor but Smith = good, local investor, with teams best interest at heart So, in summary - I'm not sure
I'm trying to think about where Blitzer makes his money and focus on a potential worldwide soccer system he can build with all the teams he's invested in.
Only posting this link for the video. Wonder if they used it when trying to pitch the team to Blitzer and others. https://www.rsl.com/news/david-blitzer-smith-entertainment-group-to-purchase-real-salt-lake Edit: Worth checking out the other videos on the club website.
If that falls to Ryan Smith it’d be far more likely to be FiveForTheFight. The Jazz sponsorship isn’t cheap but this charity sponsorship has permanently endowed funding for dozens of cancer researchers, and the many Jazz players, past and present, really appreciate the principled approach to sponsorship.
It has the winning goal from the SCK game this past playoffs, so it looks pretty recent. I'd imagine they were preparing it for this moment rather than using it to sell. And it is, as you suggest, worth watching.
Update from the press conference today. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/real-salt-lake-enter-new-era-with-dream-ownership-group
So Dwyane Wade (via his involvement with SEG) becomes our star power owner. Excited to join the soccer world and be part of @realsaltlake alongside my partners at Smith Entertainment Group @RyanQualtrics and @ryanjsweeney. Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/HEsPrU5igO— DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 6, 2022
I'd actually read a fair amount about Blitzer, and there was a number of things that made me wonder if this was the second coming of DLH - who as some of you know I never liked. However, watching the press conference and town hall, I'm much more optimistic about his involvement in the org. And Ryan Smith took my already high opinion of him to an even higher level.
We couldn't have hoped for a better outcome! This for me is an absolute coup for us as fans. To go from DLH to a combo of Blitzer and Smith is about as monumental of a swing as anyone could imagine. We went from someone who divides people and pits them against each other to someone who empowers people and brings them together. I expect the golden age of RSL will return in the next decade and the club will be in good hands for most of the rest of my life. Holy Hannah am I thrilled about this news.