NFL Relocations and League Expansion

[Exe Gesis]

Anschutz’s interest in selling AEG could derail NFL’s L.A. plans

Posted by Mike Florio on September 18, 2012, 10:20 PM EDT

At a time when the NFL’s potential return to Los Angeles seems to be closer than at any time since the Rams and Raiders left town a generation ago, the man behind the effort to build a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles could be unloading the company that would be building the stadium.

According to Reuters, Phillip Anschutz is considering selling AEG, that company that has been pushing to bring the NFL back to L.A. It reportedly would sell for several billion dollars.

While AEG could still spearhead the project, the new owner of the company would have a strong say in such important strategic matters. In the interim, there’s a chance that AEG will pull the plug on a potential money pit.

Meanwhile, Ed Roski has a shovel-ready project in the City of Industry. But the NFL still doesn’t seem to care about that.

 

[Burzum]

I don't believe it will affect it.

The Anschutz Entertainment Group, the top contender to build a stadium and bring the NFL back to Los Angeles, is being put up for sale, the company announced Tuesday.
"I have the commitment from both of them that this sale will not affect plans for an NFL team to return to Los Angeles in the near future and will not affect my support for moving ahead with Farmers Field and the Convention Center site," Villaraigosa said, according to The Los Angeles Times.Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said AEG owner Philip Anschutz and president Tim Leiweke told him the plans for Farmers Field in downtown los Angeles would be unaffected by a potential sale.
Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district includes the proposed stadium site, said she did not know about a pending sale but agreed that it wouldn't have adverse effects on courting an NFL team.
"The city has done a good job of protecting the taxpayer's interest in negotiating an agreement," Perry told The Associated Press, "so whoever steps into the shoes of Mr. Anschutz will have the same obligations."
AEG's holdings also include pro soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, part-ownership of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, and major entertainment and real estate holdings in downtown Los Angeles. Outside of Los Angeles, AEG owns Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo and New York's Barclay's Center, the new home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. It also owns arenas in Sweden, China and Australia.
Los Angeles billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong confirmed to The Times that he was interested in pursuing a purchase of the company.
"Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is keenly aware that AEG is in play," a statement issued by one of Soon-Shiong's representatives said, according to The Times. "We have the utmost respect for Phil and Tim and what they have accomplished in entertainment and sports and in revitalizing the downtown community. We clearly are interested in furthering this legacy for Los Angeles."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...stadium-plan-unaffected-by-potential-aeg-sale

 

[Exe Gesis]

L.A. City Council approves downtown stadium

Posted by Mike Florio on September 28, 2012, 4:26 PM EDT

Even though a “For Sale” has been placed in front of the AEG headquarters, a new sign can now be stuck in the ground near Staples Center.
“Team Wanted.”

AEG spokesman Michael Roth tells PFT that the L.A. City Council approved all eight measures relating to the construction of Farmers Field, the proposed NFL stadium that already has a naming-rights deal.

This means that the process will now move forward, with a window opening for the filing and complete resolution of any lawsuits challenging the project. By March 2013, the case(s) will be over and, presumably, the venue will be shovel ready.

The only thing left will be attracting a team. Or two.

The leading candidate is the Chargers. Other possibilities include the Raiders and the Bills. Some say that the Jaguars are still a candidate, but that seems to be a long shot at best.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

The Bills???

 

[FootyJunkie]

The Bills???

Division re-shuffle if it were to happen. L.A. Bills to AFC West, Kansas City to AFC South, Indianapolis back to AFC East

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Division re-shuffle if it were to happen. L.A. Bills to AFC West, Kansas City to AFC South, Indianapolis back to AFC East

I just find it hard to believe the Bills would leave Buffalo, though with US sports I guess these things can't be taken for granted. Haven't the Bills been in Buffalo since before the merger?

 

[Exe Gesis]

Reading the comments on PFT is always good value.

Some cluey people mention the Bucs are a good chance, not the Bills.

 

[Burzum]

I still think it makes sense for the Raiders to move back.

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

The only team that can move for next season is the Chargers as they're on a year to year lease. After the 2013 season, the Bills and Raiders leases are up. After 2014 the Rams lease is up. The Bills are talking to Erie County about stadium renovations and a long term lease extension, so I don't think they're in play.

 

[TexasHawk]

Buffalo has more of a chance to move to Toronto than they do Los Angeles (neither is going to happen though).

 

[Exe Gesis]

Pasadena residents: We don’t want the NFL in the Rose Bowl

Posted by Michael David Smith on October 4, 2012, 10:40 AM EDT

The people trying to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles say they’re ready to do it next season, putting an NFL team in a Southern California stadium in 2013 and then moving the team to the downtown Farmers Field when it’s ready to open in a few years. The two Southern California stadiums that could host an NFL team in 2013 are the Rose Bowl and L.A. Coliseum.

People who live near the Rose Bowl are rooting for the Coliseum.

The Pasadena Sun reports that residents came out to declare their opposition at a public meeting on the issue Wednesday, noting that traffic, noise and trash are among the issues that will come along with 10 NFL games a year at the Rose Bowl. As anyone who has driven to a game at the Rose Bowl can tell you, traffic and parking in the area are a nightmare on game days, and people who live in Pasadena want to limit those nightmares to the college games the Rose Bowl already hosts.

Some residents say the NFL will bring out worse fans than college games.

“NFL games are different than UCLA games. The crowds are much tougher. You’ve got much more alcohol,” said resident Don Orsi, who also said that Pasadena should request that “the Raiders not be included as a possible NFL team.”

At this point it appears unlikely that any NFL team will play in the Rose Bowl next year. Which is just how the locals want it.

 

[Burzum]

AEG ownership 'matters' to L.A.'s NFL future


By SCOTT M. REID / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LOS ANGELES – With a deal between the City of Los Angeles and the Anschutz Entertainment Group for the construction of Farmers Field officially signed, sealed and delivered this week, supporters and critics of the $1.5 billion project now shift their focus to the sale of AEG.

In a series of interviews in recent weeks, both those supporting the Farmers Field project and those opposed to it, as well longtime sports business analysts, repeatedly dropped the "F" word:

P​

"Frank."

As in former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
As Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz moves forward with the sale of AEG, the next major stage in the sports and entertainment giant's bid to return the NFL to Los Angeles, McCourt's controversial stewardship of the Dodgers has been frequently sighted as a cautionary tale by AEG's political allies and the project's critics.

Who acquires AEG, Los Angeles city council woman Jan Perry said, "does matter because you think about the Dodgers and use that as a case study. Ownership does matter, honor does matter, making a commitment and standing by it does matter. I think we're going to have to continue to be very vigilant."

Major League Baseball took control of the Dodgers from McCourt in April 2011 after the league accused McCourt of misusing $189 million of the team's funds. The Dodgers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2011 and the club was eventually sold to a group fronted by former Lakers superstar Magic Johnson and backed Guggenheim Partners for $2.15 billion. McCourt, who acquired the Dodgers from NewsCorp. for $421 million in 2004 in a highly leveraged deal, walked away from the club's sale with a reported $860 million profit.

AEG chief executive Tim Leiweke and AEG's allies in City Hall insist that the company's next owner will be bound to terms of a deal for Farmers Field and the renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center that contains a series of safeguards designed to protect the city against financial exposure with the project.

"You have our word that the next owner is will be more committed to bringing the NFL back to Los Angeles," Leiweke said.

Critics charge that by signing off on the deal with AEG just days after the company was put up for sale city officials have ignored the lessons of the McCourt fiasco and left Los Angeles vulnerable.

"What if the new owner is someone like Frank McCourt, leveraged to the hilt?" said Greg Nelson, the longtime chief of staff for former Los Angeles councilman Joel Wachs. "It's a reasonable guess that AEG will go with the high bidder, which isn't necessary the bidder who would be best for LA."

"AEG says trust us," said Barbara J. Schultz of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. "We don't even know who us is anymore."

AEG hopes to have a new owner in place by the NFL's league meetings next March, the earliest the league could consider approving the relocation of one or two existing franchises to the Los Angeles-Orange County market. Such a move, however, is unlikely until at least 2014 or 2015, according to sports consultants involved in previous NFL relocations.

"That timeline strikes me as somewhat artificial but more importantly unrealistic as it relates to the NFL process," said Marc Ganis, a Chicago sports consultant who was involved in the Raiders move back to Oakland, said of the March scenario.

Whenever AEG is sold, the deal is expected to be most expensive in sports history.
Even before company's sale was announced, the Anschutz Corporation, AEG's parent company, had already had preliminary talks with prospective buyers with $7 billion price tag mentioned. Leiweke, citing published reports, has suggested AEG could be worth as much as $15 billion. Sports analyst project the company's value at somewhere between $8 and $10 billion.

Leiweke has said for the Farmers Field to work financially for AEG, the company must own at least a share in an NFL club playing in the stadium, following model similar to the company has used with the Lakers. AEG, owner of Staples Center, is a minority partner with the NBA team. Because NFL rules prohibit corporate ownership of franchises an individual or group of people would have to purchase a share in an NFL team relocating to Los Angeles.

"I think NFL wants us to probably own a piece of the team because otherwise you get into a whole debate about where the revenue is going from the stadium," Leiweke said. "By ultimately being involved in the actual asset and ownership of the team you then have a common interest on how much money you're generating from the team compared to how much you're generating for Farmers Field. So clearly in the ownership strategy going forward Mr. Anschutz has acknowledged and is comfortable with the fact they not only have to purchase AEG they also have to be able to write a check for some percentage of the team that ultimately moves here."

AEG is also expected to pay the NFL's relocation fee for a franchise moving to Farmers Field. That fee could be nearly 10 times the $29 million the Rams paid the league to move to St. Louis from Anaheim in 1995, sports consultants and former NFL executives said.

An estimate by Conventions, Sports and Leisure, the Dallas-based consulting firm hired by the city to examine the economic impact of AEG project, said the final price tag on the NFL's return to Los Angeles could reach $3 billion for AEG. CSL has been involved in a number of major sports venue projects including the new Giants Stadium in New Jersey and the renovation of the Georgia Dome. The firm has worked with AEG on Staples Center.

"We agree that it is likely that AEG will purchase a percentage of the team and possibly the entire team," CSL director of sports services Bill Rhoda wrote to Gerry Miller, the Los Angeles chief legislative analyst, in a July 29, 2011, letter obtained by the Register.

In doing so, Rhoda wrote, AEG "would be required to pay a major relocation fee, purchase the team and pay for the stadium. Those total costs could easily exceed $2 billion and could reach $3 billion."

In addition to the NFL and NBA, AEG's next owner or ownership group will also have to be approved by the NHL and Major League Soccer because of AEG's stake in the Kings and Galaxy.

"And so this is a process that's going to take time," Leiweke said. "But I assure you we're trying to do this and get it out up front so that it gives us our best chance to go into the NFL and give them predictability about where we're headed here and getting a team here and who's going to own a piece of that team."

Los Angeles billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong did nothing discourage the belief that he is the frontrunner to acquire AEG when he sat next to Leiweke at the Los Angeles City Council hearing last week where the Farmers Field deal was approved.

Soon-Shiong has, Leiweke said, "made it very, very clear to everyone he's interested in AEG and he's interested in AEG,"
Forbes estimated Soon-Shiong's wealth at $7.2 billion last year. The South African-born Soon-Shiong acquired 4.5 percent of the Lakers from Johnson in 2010 and was an unsuccessful bidder for the Dodgers last year.

Soon-Shiong could make a bid for AEG in partnership with the Guggenheim group.

"My guess they'll be very interested in this," Leiweke said of the Guggenheim group. "I have a lot of respect with what they've done with the Dodgers the commitment they've made financially, I think they'd be a great partner if they were interested but I think we're going to have a lot people that are interested."

Leiweke has also listed film producer and Democratic Party benefactor Steve Bing as another potential AEG suitor.
Bing is no stranger to Perry and council member Eric Garcetti, who like Perry is a candidate for mayor. Last week Garcetti alluded to McCourt's reign before expressing hope that AEG's next owner, and the potential steward of an Los Angeles NFL franchise would mirror another local sports owner.

"We've also seen," Garcetti said, "what someone like Jerry Buss can do."

http://www.ocregister.com/sports/aeg-373668-nfl-angeles.html

 

[Exe Gesis]

Litigation hurdles cleared for Farmers Field

Last month, the L.A. City Council approved the proposed NFL stadium that has a name but no team. Now, any potential litigation aimed at derailing the project has been resolved.

AEG and the Play Fair Coalition have announced that recent litigation challenging the project has been settled.

“This began as a legal negotiation but soon evolved into a cooperative dialogue about how we could work together to achieve the common goal of serving the needs of all segments of the community on important issues such as affordable housing,” AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke said in a release. “We are excited about the opportunity for our foundations, our corporate partners and the rest of the philanthropic community to play an active role in leveraging the goodwill of AEG and Farmers Field to help deliver even greater benefits to those most in need. With this important milestone, for the first time in almost two decades the City of Los Angeles is finally poised to see the return of the NFL. With this settlement in place, the project can move forward to spur job creation and offer an even more robust package of measures benefiting the community.”

The project can move forward only if a team, or two, will move there. That’s the far bigger hurdle than any litigation that was or could have been filed during the limited window for filing suit against the proposed stadium.

 

[Burzum]

I would have thought teams would jump at the chance of being the new LA franchise.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Charlotte business leader: L.A. “scares the hell out of me”

The Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium is a little over halfway through it’s planned 30-year lifespan. They’d like to freshen the place up a bit.
And after privately financing it the first time through, it’s reasonable to assume they might like a little help on the renovations this time.

Couple that with the fact that a group of 100 local Charlotte politicians and business leaders just spent a few days in New York, toured MetLife Stadium, met NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and learned about the fancy bells and whistles a new stadium has. And oh by the way, wink wink, elbow nudge, there’s a big city on the other coast that doesn’t have a team (or two).

Dots are being laid out for the people in control of the city’s finances to connect for themselves.

“That reality scares the hell out of me. It’s sobering,” Charlotte Chamber of Commerce President Bob Morgan told Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal, of the possibility of the Panthers leaving town.

Mission accomplished.

Richardson, the former chairman of the league’s stadium committee (he recently stepped aside), has invested as much time in the NFL’s Los Angeles process as anyone. He hosted the richest man in L.A. at a game in Charlotte earlier this year. The CBJ report made a vague reference to the mayor of L.A. “directly or indirectly made overtures to the Panthers and Richardson during the Democratic National Convention in September,” whatever that sentence means.

Richardson is also smart enough and insulated enough to be not spotted (or rumored to be directly or indirectly spotted) with anyone he doesn’t want to be spotted with.

As much as Richardson takes pride in bringing an NFL franchise to his native Carolinas, he’s also a shrewd businessman. He didn’t take public money for the stadium the first time through, and he’d probably prefer to not have to be so crass as to come right out and ask for it this time.

So if a junket and a few scare tactics get the city fathers to offer $100 million or so for a new coat of paint, some shingles (and maybe an escalator and new scoreboard or two), that would probably be just fine with Richardson.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Skyler Beltran‏@SkylerBeltran

Mark Davis Was Seen Leaving The “NFL In LA” Meeting Along With The St Louis Rams Owner, Kroenke, According To ESPN

RadioRetweeted by Steve Corkran

 

[Exe Gesis]

Strike the Raiders out from LA...

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says NFL would help fund Oakland stadium

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and Hall of Famer John Madden, right, participatte in a fan forum before a football game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.

OAKLAND, Calif. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday the league is willing to contribute funding to help build a stadium in Oakland to keep the Raiders in town.
Goodell said it is crucial that the Raiders improve their stadium situation. They currently play in the outdated Oakland Coliseum and have said they would like a more modern facility at the same location. There have been talks between the team and city officials but nothing concrete has happened as of yet.


“It’s our stage. It’s part of where we present our game. It’s the biggest part,” Goodell said. “It’s also really important to the fan experience. Having full stadiums is critical for us. We want to have our fans in the stadium, we want to make sure they have the best facilities, we want to make sure the teams can generate enough revenue to be successful and competitive.”

The league already contributed $200 million to help fund a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Goodell said the league would also be able to fund a stadium for the Raiders if a deal was reached.

He also said the Raiders could share the 49ers stadium when it is scheduled to open in 2014.

“The priority is what the community and the team work out,” Goodell said. “I think it’s a great benefit that there’s a stadium across the bay that’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility. That’s terrific. So that’s an option if this community and the Raiders choose that. But that’s a decision they have to make.”

There has speculation the Raiders could move back to Los Angeles if they don’t get their stadium situation resolved in the Bay Area. Goodell said there is nothing new on moving a team to Los Angeles and it would take a three-quarters league vote for it to happen.

“It all comes down to a stadium solution,” he said. “If we can find the right kind of stadium solution, we’ll work on a team at that point.”

Goodell and Hall of Famers John Elway, John Madden, Howie Long and Ronnie Lott conducted a fan forum with about 150 Raiders season-ticket holders before the game. The majority of fans said they believed the game was better than it was 20 years ago and that the league is doing enough to promote player safety.

Goodell said it remained a challenge to get players to report possible concussions.

“It’s not that simple,” he said. “You have to have a good teammate next to him if he’s not right. We have spotters watching from upstairs who can spot when somebody has had an impact that may lead to a concussion so they can be evaluated. You want to make sure they are all evaluated properly and that the right decisions are made from a medical standpoint.”

Goodell also said the league’s competition committee would consider in the offseason replacing the kickoff. The league previously had moved the kickoff from the 30 to 35-yard line to cut down on violent collisions.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano suggested that instead of kickoffs, teams would have the option of punting from the 30-yard line and going for a first down in a fourth-and-15 situation. Schiano witnessed one of his players at Rutgers, Eric LeGrand, get paralyzed on a kickoff in 2010.

“I thought it was an interesting idea,” Goodell said. “The committee will look at it.”

Goodell said he also did not know when former commissioner Paul Tagliabue would rule on whether to reduce suspensions in the Saints bounty case.

 

[Starburns_]

Interesting, has Goodell made any such statements about the rams' and chargers' stadiums?

 

[Exe Gesis]

Apparently not. Last I know about St Louis....the Rams were pushing the city that proposed renovations to their current stadium had to have NFL-caliber upgrades or else they'll look elsewhere. The city had proposed say $400m type of upgrade, the Rams proposal was more like $750m, and the negotiations kinda hit a dead-end. Haven't heard anything about it since.

 

[Broken]

Looks like Oakland isn't a viable candidate for LA compared to others in the leagues eyes and given there aren't any other cities readily available for a team I guess that's why the league is backing a stadium upgrade. (Are the As moving to Santa Clara as has been rumoured for ages? If not, are they/MLB contributing to an upgrade)

 

[Starburns_]

Apparently not. Last I know about St Louis....the Rams were pushing the city that proposed renovations to their current stadium had to have NFL-caliber upgrades or else they'll look elsewhere. The city had proposed say $400m type of upgrade, the Rams proposal was more like $750m, and the negotiations kinda hit a dead-end. Haven't heard anything about it since.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking in regards to St Louis. Knew they were a long way apart, but no such talk from head office, from memory there wasn't any when the vikings were looking for somewhere to go either. Clearly the NFL have already decided which teams can go to LA and which can't.

 

[Tassie19Cairns20]

Strike the Raiders out from LA...

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says NFL would help fund Oakland stadium

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and Hall of Famer John Madden, right, participatte in a fan forum before a football game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.

OAKLAND, Calif. — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday the league is willing to contribute funding to help build a stadium in Oakland to keep the Raiders in town.
Goodell said it is crucial that the Raiders improve their stadium situation. They currently play in the outdated Oakland Coliseum and have said they would like a more modern facility at the same location. There have been talks between the team and city officials but nothing concrete has happened as of yet.


“It’s our stage. It’s part of where we present our game. It’s the biggest part,” Goodell said. “It’s also really important to the fan experience. Having full stadiums is critical for us. We want to have our fans in the stadium, we want to make sure they have the best facilities, we want to make sure the teams can generate enough revenue to be successful and competitive.”

The league already contributed $200 million to help fund a new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Goodell said the league would also be able to fund a stadium for the Raiders if a deal was reached.

He also said the Raiders could share the 49ers stadium when it is scheduled to open in 2014.

“The priority is what the community and the team work out,” Goodell said. “I think it’s a great benefit that there’s a stadium across the bay that’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility. That’s terrific. So that’s an option if this community and the Raiders choose that. But that’s a decision they have to make.”

There has speculation the Raiders could move back to Los Angeles if they don’t get their stadium situation resolved in the Bay Area. Goodell said there is nothing new on moving a team to Los Angeles and it would take a three-quarters league vote for it to happen.

“It all comes down to a stadium solution,” he said. “If we can find the right kind of stadium solution, we’ll work on a team at that point.”

Goodell and Hall of Famers John Elway, John Madden, Howie Long and Ronnie Lott conducted a fan forum with about 150 Raiders season-ticket holders before the game. The majority of fans said they believed the game was better than it was 20 years ago and that the league is doing enough to promote player safety.

Goodell said it remained a challenge to get players to report possible concussions.

“It’s not that simple,” he said. “You have to have a good teammate next to him if he’s not right. We have spotters watching from upstairs who can spot when somebody has had an impact that may lead to a concussion so they can be evaluated. You want to make sure they are all evaluated properly and that the right decisions are made from a medical standpoint.”

Goodell also said the league’s competition committee would consider in the offseason replacing the kickoff. The league previously had moved the kickoff from the 30 to 35-yard line to cut down on violent collisions.

Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano suggested that instead of kickoffs, teams would have the option of punting from the 30-yard line and going for a first down in a fourth-and-15 situation. Schiano witnessed one of his players at Rutgers, Eric LeGrand, get paralyzed on a kickoff in 2010.

“I thought it was an interesting idea,” Goodell said. “The committee will look at it.”

Goodell said he also did not know when former commissioner Paul Tagliabue would rule on whether to reduce suspensions in the Saints bounty case.

In no way what so ever does that "cross the Raiders off the list" of possible teams moving to Los Angeles. They, along with the Chargers, Bills, and Rams all have precarious lease and stadium situations. Until they can get an agreement officially in place, Raider fans in the Bay Area should not feel at ease. Then again, neither should fans of those other 3 teams.

 

[Starburns_]

In no way what so ever does that "cross the Raiders off the list" of possible teams moving to Los Angeles. They, along with the Chargers, Bills, and Rams all have precarious lease and stadium situations. Until they can get an agreement officially in place, Raider fans in the Bay Area should not feel at ease. Then again, neither should fans of those other 3 teams.

Reading between the lines though, Goodell is pretty much staying he wants them to stay put, and that the NFL will help make that so if they can. He hasn't made any such public statement about the others, which says a lot about who the NFL would ideally like to move there.

 

[Exe Gesis]

It doesnt cross them off the list.

 

[BomberWatson]

Still think the Chargers are the ones that make the move.