Reporting in briefly from a country that blocked Google News, so the news net may let a few things slip through this week:
- Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder spent $100 million to buy 200 acres land in the middle of nowhere, Virginia for a potential stadium, but may not build there after all because it’s the middle of nowhere, and also the Virginia state senate doesn’t seem inclined to throw money at him. At this point, Snyder is so personally toxic that he should probably just sell the team to someone less universally despised, but he doesn’t wanna and the NFL doesn’t seem inclined to make him, so here we are.
- Oakland A’s president Dave Kaval says the team is still considering whether to move to Las Vegas, been there, done that, read the tweets. Meanwhile, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority CEO Steve Hill says that while he doesn’t think hotel-tax money would be made available to the A’s for a stadium, “there’s a spectrum of possibilities for that partnership and I think it’s worthwhile to explore some of them” and “I think there’s a broad set of options that could be helpful in making this move forward,” which could mean anything or nothing, reply hazy, check again later.
- The NBA is reportedly ready to expand to Seattle and Las Vegas soon, which would keep existing teams from using those cities as relocation threats but would also bring in a potential $6 billion in expansion fees, decisions, decisions.
- The Tempe city council will discuss a potential Arizona Coyotes arena next Thursday. There will be a public comment period, so presumably this meeting won’t be behind closed doors; the council will either vote to ask for more info and begin negotiations or kill the deal entirely, so there’s still a ways to go on this one.
- Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed bills providing a 1% hotel tax hike to put toward a new Tennessee Titans stadium and kicking back state sales taxes to the Chattanooga Lookouts to help them pay for a new stadium. It’s still not exactly clear how much each subsidy will amount to, but 1) it’s a bunch and 2) there’ll almost certainly be more subsidies to come, so no need to try for a final tally right now anyway.
- Long Beach is ready to propose its way-too-small site as the location for a new Los Angeles Angels stadium again, it’s all so adorable.
- The NFL is still hoping Los Angeles Rams pays the $790 million court settlement with St. Louis over him picking up and moving the team, but just in case he doesn’t, the league has forced each of the league’s teams to tithe $7.5 million as a down payment on the cost.
The Coyotes have even created their own PR web site, just so everyone knows how great their proposal is: https://www.coyotesintempe.com/
Looks like a done deal, as Tempe’s own city staff is recommending to go forward.
I may have spoken too soon.
On May 26, 2022 an attorney for the City of Phoenix sent this letter to the Tempe City Attorney amplifying the Phoenix Aviation Department’s concerns about Tempe’s RFP, specifically the inclusion of residential, which violates an Intergovernmental Agreement between Phoenix and Tempe.
Letter link: https://www.skyharbor.com/docs/default-source/pdfs/rio-salado-project/2022-05-26-letter-to-city-of-tempe.pdf
The decision is way too political a decision for city staff to make. They are deflecting to the Council.
Correct, city staff has to make a recommendation, either good or bad.
It is up to the elected city council to vote yes or no.
Also, the scoring showed the ‘shell’ company, Bluebird Development, LLC, got a very low mark on ‘financial strength/ability’.
The A’s moving to Vegas is complete lunacy, which is outweighed only by 99% of the sports media’s reluctance to state this fact.
I tend to agree. The main issue is what will happen when the Howard Terminal Boondoggle fantasy blows up in the face of the A’s/Oakland. Then what?!…
Pirates, ARGH!
Curious Neil,
Not that Long Beach will happen for the Angels, but why is 13 acres “way-to-small” for a ballpark? I believe Target Field was built on 11 acres, and most newer venues in the 14-16 acre range. If you’re also talking potential ancillary development to go with the ballpark, then yes,13 acres is tiny.
Click the link, man, that’s what it’s for.
I love when Neil does this. Just copy and paste the current stadium and look, no room. Obviously the stadium would be built to fit the land. Like Oracle Park did with the Giants. I could care less either way if the Angels decided to move there. It’s not out of the realm of being possible. I think Carson would probably make an interesting bidder if someone in SoCal is trying to snag the Angels.
Take any stadium you like and try to fit it on the site. It’s not going to be possible without a 250-foot foul line.
There’s a Yankee Stadium joke in there somewhere, I just know it…
“Reporting in briefly from a country that blocked Google News”
deMause, I expect that Rungrado 1st of May Stadium funding report on my desk by Monday !
I mean, in fairness to the owner of the Washington Commies, I would bet he has pretty much always been just as toxic as he is right now. What appears to have changed is that the rest of the world has finally noticed.
I’d be willing to bet that he is not the most toxic person in the NFL owners club either. It may be hard to imagine such a thing is possible… but don’t forget that the former owner of the Carolina Panthers required his office staff to give him foot rubs during working hours.
And that’s just what we actually know about.
Think about some of the other people in this group.
Yeah. Those guys.
I’m just thankful that Jim Irsay is merely a hopeless alcoholic who expects people to pay money to see his dumb guitar collection.
Daniel Snyder didn’t buy the land, he just bought an option to buy the land at $100 million in the future. He can still walk away and only lose what he paid for the option.
As someone who has dealt with the hell that is I-95 south of the Beltway on a weekend day, building a football stadium next to Quantico is insane. With no transit (Even VRE goes onwhere near the site) and 95 South being a perpetually jammed clusterf#&k with NO express lanes open between the beltway and the stadium site (At present the lanes are NB only on the weekends) Gameday would be a hell I wouldn’t want, even with the reduced capacity.