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OT: MLB Thread

wiseguy1 said:
This means they wont break the current lease on the exisiting stadium which lasts until 2027 I think. Anyone that buys the Rays will pay alot to break the lease.
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Anyone paying at least $500 million (the Rays are valued at $451 million) to buy a baseball team is not going to worry too much about an acceleration clause in a lease. Just saying.
 
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Aside from regional packages, Bell is shut out of hockey on a national scale and doesn't have the Jays either. They need more than the CFL in the summer time now because those revenues from hockey aren't there anymore.
 
WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou said:
Aside from regional packages, Bell is shut out of hockey on a national scale and doesn't have the Jays either. They need more than the CFL in the summer time now because those revenues from hockey aren't there anymore.
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It's ok, Bell and Rogers increased their cellphone plans now to like 100/mo
 
WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou said:
Aside from regional packages, Bell is shut out of hockey on a national scale and doesn't have the Jays either. They need more than the CFL in the summer time now because those revenues from hockey aren't there anymore.
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Unless they can break the monopoly Bronfman handed the Jays re: Broadcast rights back in 1976 (Southern Ontario out West) it's meaningless for Bell to get involved, just so they could get programming for Quebec & Maritimes.
 
You think BCE lawyers wouldn't be able to do so? "Marketplace competition"? And, in 2015, what do we mean by 1970s-style "broadcast" rights? I mean, I can watch the A's v the Angels on a regular basis on a cable sports package. And the web-based platforms? You think an agreement with the Washington Nationals franchise from way back then would hold water now?
 
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Dont know that bell needs a mlb franchise. They have already secured rights to show all the espn national baseball games in canada as well as a big nba package... nearly every nfl game... a big epl package and all the champions league games and europa league games starting next year.

They may not have hockey or the blue jays but they got a nice portfolio of everything else and spent way less than sportsnet to do it.

The question now is... can sportsnet ever make a profit based on what they are spending for hockey or does tsn do better with more under the radar stuff.... buy cheap... and actually turn a profit.

Next up... sportsnet is dropping ufc rights in the new year. Watch tsn scoop those on the cheap toi
 
Krustchev said:
Anyone paying at least $500 million (the Rays are valued at $451 million) to buy a baseball team is not going to worry too much about an acceleration clause in a lease. Just saying.
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The team’s failure to secure the necessary council support was a stunning development. Those voting against local relocation cited the proposed compensation as being too low.

As a result, the prospects of the Rays staying in Tampa Bay have never been so bleak. The team is not going to move now or within the next few years. As I wrote here, the Rays don’t have a traditional lease agreement, but rather are bound by a highly restrictive and onerous Use Agreement that potentially calls for catastrophic monetary damages should the team abandon Tropicana Field before its deal expires in 2027. This prohibitive Use Agreement is in stark contrast to a traditional lease, where a tenant owes the landlord what’s left on that lease after breaking it. Those monetary damages are far more predictable and manageable. Strong lawyering can soften the blow of the Use Agreement’s punitive measures, but it still looms over the team.
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The idiots signed a Use Agreement. I'd agree with you about paying out a regular lease but a Use Agreement if far more tricky. The City will argue damages from lost revenues from everything from parking to hotdog vendors.

Sure it can be done but it will be pricey and the only way it would get done is for the current owner to eat a lot of that cost. The Use Agreement seriously devalues the franchise.
 
lecoqsportif said:
You think BCE lawyers wouldn't be able to do so? "Marketplace competition"? And, in 2015, what do we mean by 1970s-style "broadcast" rights? I mean, I can watch the A's v the Angels on a regular basis on a cable sports package. And the web-based platforms? You think an agreement with the Washington Nationals franchise from way back then would hold water now?
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Perhaps as WeHave stated in the past, should a team return to Mtl under something other than "Expos" moniker, there's an arguement to be had. I'll leave it to the legal experts on this board to comment on that..

However, the "broadcast rights" Bronfman agreed to in 76 were blackout restrictions, which are still in effect today for all North American pro sports except NFL (?) - even though some fans have gone to court.

Living in Connecticut, I can never see the Habs play the Rangers (in Mtl or NYC) even though I've got Centre Ice (considered Bruins territory), only exception is a national broadcast on NBC (even NHL-US national broadcast on Centre Ice is blacked out).
 
Habsy said:
The idiots signed a Use Agreement. I'd agree with you about paying out a regular lease but a Use Agreement if far more tricky. The City will argue damages from lost revenues from everything from parking to hotdog vendors.

Sure it can be done but it will be pricey and the only way it would get done is for the current owner to eat a lot of that cost. The Use Agreement seriously devalues the franchise.
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How could the city argue for lost revenues when nobody shows up to watch the team play? Who's car is being parked? Who's buying hot dogs and beer? The friggin' stadium is empty!
 
BKerr said:
Dont know that bell needs a mlb franchise. They have already secured rights to show all the espn national baseball games in canada as well as a big nba package... nearly every nfl game... a big epl package and all the champions league games and europa league games starting next year.

They may not have hockey or the blue jays but they got a nice portfolio of everything else and spent way less than sportsnet to do it.

The question now is... can sportsnet ever make a profit based on what they are spending for hockey or does tsn do better with more under the radar stuff.... buy cheap... and actually turn a profit.

Next up... sportsnet is dropping ufc rights in the new year. Watch tsn scoop those on the cheap toi
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If Rogers owns a team then Bell has to own one too. Besides, having Sunday night baseball isn't as lucrative as having the LCS and World Series which TSN does not have. They need to be able to show a lot of games involving a team that a lot of people care about, not just two random teams.

In any case, Montreal is going to get a team again because money abhors a vaccuum. There's no money to be made in Tampa, there is money to be made in Montreal. It's that simple. Sooner or later BCE or some other corporation is going to find a way to get in there and get it. And I guarantee you that whatever the old model was in terms of territorial rights will be out the window. The landscape changed when Toronto entered the bigs and it will change again when Montreal re-enters it.

Never underestimate the power of lawyers in large groups.
 
There is maybe money to ve made in montreal.... maybe.... after you factor the cost of a team... breaking a lease... buying land downtown... and building a stadium.

The Big O does not work long term... you need a stadium and thats minimum another 500 million
 
BKerr said:
There is maybe money to ve made in montreal.... maybe.... after you factor the cost of a team... breaking a lease... buying land downtown... and building a stadium.

The Big O does not work long term... you need a stadium and thats minimum another 500 million
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In Quebec, the estimate starts at 500m. When it's time to build, the estimate gets raised 50-85%, and then when it's complete, you're looking at min a 1b+ stadium. Look at the the turcot interchange, and every other piece of infrastructure that's been built lately. If the US dollar gets to 1.20+ , I'm not sure how viable any MLB franchise will be here.

But realistically figure 50-75m to break the lease, 750-900m to build a stadium with land, and what if Rays ownership just decides to move, not sell? Then there's no cost of a team, it's just relocating an existing franchise. If they are selling, then it's 500-600m for the franchise. So, in all you are looking at min 1.5b to get a Montreal Expos team back in Montreal if the Rays are selling out and plan to move here.
 
xposbrad said:
In Quebec, the estimate starts at 500m. When it's time to build, the estimate gets raised 50-85%, and then when it's complete, you're looking at min a 1b+ stadium. Look at the the turcot interchange, and every other piece of infrastructure that's been built lately. If the US dollar gets to 1.20+ , I'm not sure how viable any MLB franchise will be here.

But realistically figure 50-75m to break the lease, 750-900m to build a stadium with land, and what if Rays ownership just decides to move, not sell? Then there's no cost of a team, it's just relocating an existing franchise. If they are selling, then it's 500-600m for the franchise. So, in all you are looking at min 1.5b to get a Montreal Expos team back in Montreal if the Rays are selling out and plan to move here.
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Depends, if privately financed as the Habs did with the Molson Centre, which came in on schedule & within allotted budget. The Giants built their park privately, remember their Prez taking a lot of slack from fellow owner & Selig back in the day. The question is whether Bell would be willing to do what Molson did in the 90's & get a group of privates to finance a stadium? Very unlikely....

BTW - as I said earlier the only chance in hell of even trying to break even starts with a privately financed stadium & Bell overcoming blackout restrictions across Canada to air a Mtl baseball team.

I still can't envision a viable business case.
 
xposbrad said:
In Quebec, the estimate starts at 500m. When it's time to build, the estimate gets raised 50-85%, and then when it's complete, you're looking at min a 1b+ stadium. Look at the the turcot interchange, and every other piece of infrastructure that's been built lately. If the US dollar gets to 1.20+ , I'm not sure how viable any MLB franchise will be here.

But realistically figure 50-75m to break the lease, 750-900m to build a stadium with land, and what if Rays ownership just decides to move, not sell? Then there's no cost of a team, it's just relocating an existing franchise. If they are selling, then it's 500-600m for the franchise. So, in all you are looking at min 1.5b to get a Montreal Expos team back in Montreal if the Rays are selling out and plan to move here.
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So yeah minimum 1.5b and thats a low estimate on breaking the lease.

I dont know how thats financially viable for bell.

Yeah they will get some summer programming... buy i cant see the value here.

You can get a lot cheaper sports programming that may not do as well in revenues but also costs far less... so the profit is actually better.
 
XPOFAN said:
You have to try a little harder Sal
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Can't think of any Terry Pegula's or Mark Cuban's in Mtl - it'll take one wealthy individual who can cough up $1.5B - $2B, as their pro sports toy to play with.

Consortiums don't work, need a single grand poobah. To that end, not sure the Saputos are willing to spend that kind of $ on baseball, Jr Bronfman may have the will but not the might, Mons Circle du Soleil doesn't strike me as a baseball fan, and don't think baseball addresses PKP's nationalist dreams.

Agree, u never say never, but.......
 
Sal_Butera said:
Can't think of any Terry Pegula's or Mark Cuban's in Mtl - it'll take one wealthy individual who can cough up $1.5B - $2B, as their pro sports toy to play with.

Consortiums don't work, need a single grand poobah. To that end, not sure the Saputos are willing to spend that kind of $ on baseball, Jr Bronfman may have the will but not the might, Mons Circle du Soleil doesn't strike me as a baseball fan, and don't think baseball addresses PKP's nationalist dreams.

Agree, u never say never, but.......
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How about you?
 
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