They may not be able or want to because they already made a commitment and promise to Beckham. Legally, I'm sure anything is possible and all prior contracts can probably be contested in court but I doubt the league or David would want to go down that road.
1. Someone holds legal rights to a Miami team which cannot be unilaterally revoked by the league. 2. Greater Miami is the last city of over 6M without an MLS team. These are "must have" markets for increasing TV rights. 3. Miami's business presence is strong. Transnational companies, especially in media and entertainment, typically place Latin American operations in Miami. 4. The city is particularly appealing to big-name players. Miami is a place really wealthy people like to live.
The only thing I want to know is what is going on with it? Why hasn't there been anymore news ever since the overtown stadium project was announced months ago? Shouldn't there be some type of reassurances by now?
Beckham and company learned the hard way that releasing info through the press has a nasty habit of coming back to bite you in the ass. Negotiating behind closed doors carries far less risk of that. There is some understandable concern considering the lack of information, but that is a big improvement from how things were going a year ago. Anyway, one could argue that the reason that there is no info on progress is because no reporters are asking the right questions of the right people.
Ok I get it but I still haven't heard or read much since March. I do remember reading Garber saying how things were looking bright in Miami about May-June but nothing else ever since.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be surprised at all if no progress whatsoever is being made, but either way there is no reason to say anything about it..
Why not say anything though? Will it really kill the deal to talk about it? If anything at this point it's either they will or won't go through with it and I can't imagine having press conferences will kill the team. I think they would want to keep it in the public eye to drum up interest.
Have to agree that the lack of news is disturbing considering how much trouble Becks and co. have had in Miami. Hopefully the silence means they're working things out without unwanted media attention, but it could also mean that there is simply nothing to report because no progress is being made. We will have to keep our fingers crossed.
Yeah I doubt they are that afraid of press leaks. Knowing Beckham, he wants as much exposure as possible as he has been retired as a player for over 4 years. I just don't believe much is going on.
Beckham Still Trying to Find Big Money Investor Beckham is STILL trying to find an additional investor. The long rumored candidate, Wesley Edens, chairman of the Fortress Investment Group, is now out. This is a big blow because Edens' company has significant land investments in Miami, and was considered a perfect partner for the stadium. More info here
Well, they seem to have secured their land, so they don't need a partner with land, they need a partner who wants to splash a lot of money.
As NASL collapses many teams are now pushing for MLS expansion. Tampa Bay is one example with new stadium renderings on MLS' web page. I'm curious if this puts pressure on Miami. I assume Florida probably only has 2 MLS clubs and not 3 for its population. Orlando Miami seem to be the best fit, but if the second goes to Tampa, does that hurt Beckham? What about Cincy's push?
Nothing hurts Miami. Beckham already has the rights to the market. Also, it's Miami. Capital of Latin America. The home of super-rich European retirees, whatever their age. The last Greater Metro of over six million. There is an empty seat at the table with a placard engraved "Reserved for Miami" in elegant script.
Miami being mentioned today at Garber's presser referring to a deadline is no real new news. We all knew it wouldn't be in limbo forever. Fish or cut bait. However this also came out today: 807306073724121089 is not a valid tweet id This reporter also came out last week about the NASL and Cosmos and was pretty correct. Still sounds like office-gossip.
It does sound gossipy. Granted, it can be difficult to delve into a lot in 140 characters, but there is just not a lot here. With that said, assuming for a moment that this is true, it makes a lot of sense. He would likely have no trouble finding investors to go along with him, as I believe two separate ownership groups have been trying to bring MLS to Las Vegas over the past couple years. It also has to be easier to work Las Vegas politicians than Miami ones. Of course, none of us has any idea what Beckham's MLS contract said about the specifics of starting a team. We know about the $25 million, and that it couldn't be in Las Angeles (and NYC, I believe), but nothing else.
Becks may be ready to leave the league guaranteed discount and go somewhere where the team may actually become a reality. In Vegas people (both the citizens and the local govt) have been wanting a team for a while. I have to figure that in Vegas he might be able to get a few more investors on board the ownership team in order to help out with expenses. In addition, he would have a government that would actually want o work with him in stead of trying to hinder him at every step. If this proves to be true i feel bad for the Miami fans. They deserve a team, but the government officials deserve the snub for having treated Becks so badly. Everybody at every step of the way wanted to shake him down over there---it was like a legalized racket, and the local gov't only encouraged further shake downs.
You have to figure though that IF indeed Becks leaves Miami for Vegas, he probably wont live there. Granted i am not a local (i live in the NYC metro area.) but what I have heard is that Vegas was hit hard by the real estate melt down and it is full of abandoned houses and seedy areas where crime is bad. Leaving the sands of Miami beaches for the desert of Vegas doesnt exactly sound thrilling, but human desperation is also a factor here. Becks knows that it is a smart move to get in on the league now, while he still can.
Ironically Becks and family just bought a new home in Miami, but since he has so many homes, I don't think this is really fodder to fuel rumors Miami MLS is staying.
That and Vegas is primarily a tourist trap city that caters to people with disposable income. Vegas is hugely susceptible to economic recessions. The one in 2008 left the town a mess for awhile.
However, I've always seen Becks as partial to life in LA/Hollywood or England. To me this deal really comes down to the stadium and how much money he can make off the team. Miami is a closer flight to England, but Vegas is a drive or private jet flight to LA. If Vegas is his new location, don't be surprised if he lives in LA. All that to say, Miami seems to be dead. I'm happy to hear about the timeline. This may be one final push to get the politicians to make some concessions. If Becks fails in Miami, don't expect another MLS team there for many years to come, unless it is a local resident with strong political ties.