Rumor: Hunt to buy Burn in March

I wonder what source, if any, told PlanetFootball that the Burn will be purchased in March. Should we read into this that HSG doesn't expect the stadium negotiations to be wrapped up until next spring? Or maybe PlanetFootball wanted an attention-getting headline for their article so they just made up a date out of thin air?

 

the key question is if the stadium deal falls through (again), does that mean the purchase of the team will fall through again?

 

I'm not anticipating any problems with the new stadium. Ownership, however, is a different story. I don't forsee HSG holding on to the team. They may purchase and sell - all-in-one fell swoop.

 

i read the same thing and immediately came here to see if it was rumour or not. I'm crossing my fingers big time for this one.

 

Take this news with a grain of salt. Yes Hunt's interested, yes stadium negotiations are progressing. But until either of those is a done deal I wouldn't be jumping for joy just yet. These things have a way of unravelling at the end, and always take longer than expected. In the end, this is nothing more than a strong pat on the back that the Burn do not have to fear contraction for another year at least. If and when the ink dries on a stadium deal, then everything will be great. Until then, don't expect the ownership situation to be resolved. Sorry.

-Tron

 

I hate that word, onward not backward

 

I assume you know Chris Bergin provides the USA content for planetfootball.com.

 

figures. and i thought we had some actual news for once
also, that article implies that we're thisclose to getting a stadium deal. if only. chris bergin=heartless tease

 

I think you will find that this is exactly the same deal that has been in effect all along.

Hunt group is working on MLS behalf to get a stadium for the Burn.
If/when that happens Hunt group will take over operating the Dallas franchise in the same way Kraft once operated the SJ franchise.

Meanwhile Hunt group and MLS will continue to look for a buyer for the Burn. Several different people have all said the Burn are a good investment when they have their own stadium.

The reason the Burn were not contracted was that there are investors interested in buying the team once the stadium is done.

Long term goal of MLS is to attract new investors... not to have three owners own the entire league. Hunt's "ownership" here, if you want to call it that, will be short term.

 

On the other hand I think he was the one who broke the story about Ronnie O'Brien.

 

ok, fair enough
here's hoping he gets another one this time

 

At MLS Cup I asked Don Garber about the Burn's status in regard to the Hunt Group. He said that Hunt has already been operating the team for this year, and that it is all a formality of "dotting the Is and crossing the Ts", and there would be a formal announcement "soon."

He also said that the suggestion that Hunt is to the Burn what Kraft was to the Clash is accurate. So Lamar is paying the bills and will make it official probably before next season. I'm sure that the stadium situation is the only thing holding this back.

Now if this all goes through, the speculation is that Hunt could make a tidy profit for himself if he sold the team and stadium in a few years. The Business of Sports is less about what your operating profits and losses are, but how much the value of the franchise appreciates. MLS is looking to follow that path, but for now, all we can do is keep our fingers crossed...

Tom

 

I spoke with a Burn salesperson today about season tickets and was told that we may well hear a major announcement soon re the stadium -- sometime within the next few weeks, and perhaps even later this week.

The salesperson gave the impression that stadium negotiations were close to complete, and sounded quite positive that this time a deal would actually be worked out.

Of course, this might just be a clever way to get folks to purchase season tickets in order to "beat the crowd", but I got the impression the salesperson truly believes an announcement is likely to come very soon.

 

I wonder if their is any chance of an anouncement at Bruce Arena's speaking engagement on Tuesday? I hear that the Hunts and a lot of Burn folks will be on hand.

 

doubtful. You will hear an announcement about Hunt the same day you hear an announcement about the Stadium.