SpaceGhost Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 http://amp.si.com/soccer/2017/10/16/columbus-crew-austin-texas-anthony-precourt-stadium Alex Fischer, the president and CEO of the Columbus Partnership, a group of 60 Columbus business leaders and CEOs, said Precourt had rejected offers to buy 100 percent and 50 percent of the Crew by a group of local business and community leaders in Columbus. When asked if he thought Precourt was seeking public financing or support for the stadiums in Columbus and Austin, Fischer was clear. “I think there’s no question he expects public financing and or support for any stadium in either city,” he said. Since Columbus can barely pay for Nationwide Arena, no way the public is funding a new stadium for the Crew, so “They Gone”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiji ST Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 https://deadspin.com/columbus-crew-welcome-to-the-stadium-extortion-racket-1819608903 Saw this while doing my morning Jalopnik read. Most people seem happy with what we have by the comments. Never been interested in the Crew, but it seems like there's a lot of talk about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I've heard through the grapevine that they have offered to buy the Crew for what Precourt paid, + a small profit + pay his franchise fees for an expansion team. He declined. Fuck him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Since Columbus can barely pay for Nationwide Arena, no way the public is funding a new stadium for the Crew, so “They Gone”. I'd hate to see them go but I don't see a huge benefit that a soccer stadium downtown would really be an economic driver for the area? (I'm not exactly an analyst so I could be wrong?) That being said, it was hard enough to get public money to support Nationwide Arena, I see a lot less support coming for the crew. If there has already been legitimate offers on the table to purchase all or even a portion of the team and they were denied, Precourt is leveraging Austin against Cbus and I don't think Cbus will ultimately do what needs to be done. Sucks for all those diehard fans though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Does the stadium have to be downtown? Plenty of cheap RE in other parts of town that could use the economic stimulus and it could be packaged differently to help with that public spending. Current stadium is not downtown, so....why the sudden desire for prime RE? I have to say, I have lived in a few cities with MLS teams and this has been the most supportive city of it's club that I have ever seen. For Cbus to lose the crew it would be a real shame... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I work with the operating entity for the Crew. Jalopnik is correct...Columbus is wise to not fall into the trap of throwing dumb money at a new stadium. If it wasn't for MLB tie-ins, I'm sure Cols Clippers would be also in the red, and despite a strong fanbase the financial issues with the Blue Jackets are public knowledge. Austin is going to have the same problem after the initial shine wears off: throwing money at a sports franchise in the face of declining attendance. Sad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I work with the operating entity for the Crew. Jalopnik is correct...Columbus is wise to not fall into the trap of throwing dumb money at a new stadium. If it wasn't for MLB tie-ins, I'm sure Cols Clippers would be also in the red, and despite a strong fanbase the financial issues with the Blue Jackets are public knowledge. Austin is going to have the same problem after the initial shine wears off: throwing money at a sports franchise in the face of declining attendance. Sad! The mayor of Austin responded last night saying they would not pay for a stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Fucking depressing, but business is business. Going to Crew games has been a big part of my life since the beginning, even last year I finally had season tickets shared with a friend. I've made many friends in that community and taken part in the Crew fan ran community service initiatives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Fucking depressing, but business is business. Going to Crew games has been a big part of my life since the beginning, even last year I finally had season tickets shared with a friend. I've made many friends in that community and taken part in the Crew fan ran community service initiatives. I echo this, 100%. Holding a city hostage for a stadium is fucked up, but losing the Crew would break my heart. Went to the inaugural game, been a regular attendee ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 The mayor of Austin responded last night saying they would not pay for a stadium. My understanding is that the Univ of Texas would let them use their football stadium... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99StockGT Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Soccer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Gump 9 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 My understanding is that the Univ of Texas would let them use their football stadium... That’s what I’ve heard too. Is it a done deal? If yes, oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 That’s what I’ve heard too. Is it a done deal? If yes, oh well... Supposedly it's 2019... http://www.espnfc.com/columbus-crew-sc/story/3231574/columbus-crew-sc-exploring-relocation-to-austintx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 My understanding is that the Univ of Texas would let them use their football stadium... That isn't a long term solution. That is a 100k seat stadium and they would be at the whim of UT. The word out there is that there is a short term lease available for them until they have their new stadium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted October 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Soccer? Something is gonna have to replace American Football, because it’s gonna be gone in 20 years.... I refuse to watch flag football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Yep This is a done deal. They gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 They have pretty much ignored the Mayor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Too bad the Hunt's didn't put a clause in the contract that he could move the team operations elsewhere, but the Crew name and History belong in Columbus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Never been to a game, no care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BStowers023 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Does the stadium have to be downtown? Plenty of cheap RE in other parts of town that could use the economic stimulus and it could be packaged differently to help with that public spending. Current stadium is not downtown, so....why the sudden desire for prime RE? I have to say, I have lived in a few cities with MLS teams and this has been the most supportive city of it's club that I have ever seen. For Cbus to lose the crew it would be a real shame... The Crew ranked like 20th out of 22 MLS teams in attendance this year and from my understanding it has been around that for a while. The stadium is old and stupid. It's pretty much a big high school football stadium. The new owner is making a business decision and not an emotional one. He has no ties to this city so why would he care? It's a business after all and right now his business is failing. Any good Owner, President, CEO would make a big move to save it. Good for him. I hope they move and make a lot of money. I'm only saying this because I don't give 2 fucks about soccer but if it were the Cavaliers, Bengals or Indians I would be right there with you guys bitching. But seeing through non-biased glasses, this is a very smart move that is almost guaranteed to pay off. Don't they only play good soccer in other countries anyways? Isn't the MLS regarded as a joke around the world to other soccer fans/organizations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 The Crew ranked like 20th out of 22 MLS teams in attendance this year and from my understanding it has been around that for a while. The stadium is old and stupid. It's pretty much a big high school football stadium. The new owner is making a business decision and not an emotional one. He has no ties to this city so why would he care? It's a business after all and right now his business is failing. Any good Owner, President, CEO would make a big move to save it. Good for him. I hope they move and make a lot of money. I'm only saying this because I don't give 2 fucks about soccer but if it were the Cavaliers, Bengals or Indians I would be right there with you guys bitching. But seeing through non-biased glasses, this is a very smart move that is almost guaranteed to pay off. Don't they only play good soccer in other countries anyways? Isn't the MLS regarded as a joke around the world to other soccer fans/organizations? The attendance is his own damn fault. They have made tons of decisions that were puzzling at the time (getting rid of promotions, etc) but now all make sense at is seems the goal the entire time was to buy a team cheaper than the Expansion teams will cost, and then move them to where he wants to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeto67 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 The Crew ranked like 20th out of 22 MLS teams in attendance this year and from my understanding it has been around that for a while. The stadium is old and stupid. It's pretty much a big high school football stadium. The new owner is making a business decision and not an emotional one. He has no ties to this city so why would he care? It's a business after all and right now his business is failing. Any good Owner, President, CEO would make a big move to save it. Good for him. I hope they move and make a lot of money. I'm only saying this because I don't give 2 fucks about soccer but if it were the Cavaliers, Bengals or Indians I would be right there with you guys bitching. But seeing through non-biased glasses, this is a very smart move that is almost guaranteed to pay off. Don't they only play good soccer in other countries anyways? Isn't the MLS regarded as a joke around the world to other soccer fans/organizations? He bought the team specifically to relocate them, and was forced to stay in Cbus for 10 years as per contract: http://www.espnfc.com/columbus-crew-sc/story/3231574/columbus-crew-sc-exploring-relocation-to-austintx Precourt purchased the team from previous owners Hunt Sports Group in 2013. According to the Columbus Dispatch, he paid a premium price of $68 million for the team because he intended to move it, but the purchase agreement contained a promise to keep the team in Columbus for at least 10 years. However, that agreement critically included an out clause in case Precourt wanted to move the team to Austin. It's entirely possible that the "flagging revenues" were his way of making a better case for relocation based on the Austin clause. It's possible that the revenue just isn't here, but it is also possible he didn't really make an effort to generate it because he knew if it flagged he could get out of that 10 year hold. It wouldn't be the first time this happened in the history of sports. Austin hasn't really been all that interested in a soccer team either. They had one that got relocated to Orlando and weren't trying to win the new expansion spots in MLS. It's entirely possible the owner is working Austin to go along with this so he can then move it somewhere else later on, and they aren't that interested in the team either. As someone who used to go to baseball games in a stadium built in 1962 and had only 1 major renovation (Shea Stadium) between then and when it was torn down, I have little pity for those bitching about a 1999 built stadium that was the first of its kind. But then again, I don't go to many crew games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 FYI, when the Crew moves, the City of Columbus WILL end up owning a stadium. I would almost guarantee they buy Mapfre, put in field turf, and use it for City League Football games and HS football and soccer tournaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 FYI, when the Crew moves, the City of Columbus WILL end up owning a stadium. I would almost guarantee they buy Mapfre, put in field turf, and use it for City League Football games and HS football and soccer tournaments. Don't forget concerts, the state fair may be able to attract some bigger names with a larger venue than the building they use on the fairgrounds now. Not that this is ideal but it's at least making the best out of a shitty situation. They could always petition MLS for an expansion franchise but not sure how that would work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Good call. I can't tell you how much Crew Soccer Stadium, LLC brings in from Rock on the Range... ...but it's a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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