Magic Johnson wants to bring a team to LA

[Alphadawg7]

There is no LA stadium currently under construction. NFL stadiums cost more than $500 million. The majority owner must own 30% of the team. Johnson's not even close. Banks aren't excited to loan a billion+ to an idea that begins with "I'd like to bring an NFL to LA!".

 

Again, you severly underestimate his net worth...Magics net worth is approaching $1 billion dollars...his company alone is worth over $700 million, he just added $102 million from the sale of his Laker shares and Starbucks interest, plus he has many other investments and what ever other cash he already had...

 

Magic could easily take a 30% share in an NFL franchise or more if he chose to.

[UConn James]

I think if the team moves it will be to Toronto. LA failed with the Chargers, Raiders & Rams. They don't have the stomach for football

 

To be fair, though, that was in an era when the NFL wasn't nearly as popular as it's become in the last 10 years. And LA had divided loyalty.

 

The main argument for why LA shouldn't want the Bills is that they should want a good team b/c to remain popular in LA, they have to be contenders right away. Fixing the Bills roster as it is will probably take 4-5 years. I wouldn't want to be saddled like that.

 

Yes, the saving grace for the Bills remaining in Buffalo might be that they're a really ****ty team.

[GOBILLS78]

To be fair, though, that was in an era when the NFL wasn't nearly as popular as it's become in the last 10 years. And LA had divided loyalty.

 

The main argument for why LA shouldn't want the Bills is that they should want a good team b/c to remain popular in LA, they have to be contenders right away. Fixing the Bills roster as it is will probably take 4-5 years. I wouldn't want to be saddled like that.

 

Yes, the saving grace for the Bills remaining in Buffalo might be that they're a really ****ty team.

 

I'm a little skeptical about that one. It seems to me they'd take what they can get. For example, with a new stadium, they'd probably gladly accept an expansion team -- which could be below average for years.

[billsfreak]

You gotta know that he will come after the Bills for one reason-A team with Wood, Levitre and Wang needs a Magic Johnson!

 

Also, if they moved to L.A. would they by the L.A. Bills? The Lakers are named as such from their time in Minneapolis? There aren't any lakes that I am aware of in L.A.

[Buftex]

FWIW, Jim Kelly and Magic are buddies, going back to the early 1990's. They did a bunch of trading card promotions for SkyBox, and got along famously, it is said. Maybe Jimbo can talk his "old freind" into keeping the team in WNY?

[erynthered]

 

I guess "worry" is too strong a word for variables you can't control. But things you can control should be blamed on nobody but yourself.

 

 

Ah, hell. Dont worry about it.

[1B4IDie]

No one can leverage $100mm into $1.5b.

 

 

 

Well hey, that only leaves him short about $1.5 billion - but what's a few shekels, eh?

 

 

The point is the guy has $100 mil in loose change, and a business valued at least $700 million. Plus he is Ervin Magic Johnson, Not Crazy Al Davis.

People in LA will go to the game with Magic led ownership group.

 

This is real.

 

Jim Kelly trying to scrape together his couple dozen million dollars is a joke at best. Magic Johnson scraping together his 100s of millions is real.

 

It'll be the first stadium with front row luxury boxes, right at sideline level. You can't see the game but Jack Nicholson can high five Spiller after a TD.

 

Why does everyone think he only has $100 million liquid to put into an NFL franchise? He got $102 million liquidated from his sale of his ownership in the Lakers and Starbucks, that does no mean thats all the cash he has to put into an NFL franchise. Magic is a very successful business man here in LA and I can assure you that if he decided to be part of an ownership group he could contribute significantly more than $100 million if he chose to.

Thanks, I was wondering why everyone was missing that point.

 

You gotta know that he will come after the Bills for one reason-A team with Wood, Levitre and Wang needs a Magic Johnson!

 

Also, if they moved to L.A. would they by the L.A. Bills? The Lakers are named as such from their time in Minneapolis? There aren't any lakes that I am aware of in L.A.

Nice!

They could be the LA Magic Johnsons and you can have a giant Tallywacker with wings as the mascot, very LA.

 

Buffalo Bill Cody is a loose association with Buffalo anyway. California is the Wild Wild West after all.

[pmacla]

Reason L.A. lost the Raiders and Rams are easy, 1 fans didnt want to go to the Coliseum and hope you came back unharmed or that your car would still be in the parking lot when you came out, for those of you who dont know the Coliseum is smack in the middle of South Central and in those days gang violence was rampant, and alot of the customers where the gang bangers.

 

Who wants to take or risk their family to that and pay premium $$ at that, also, the city refused to pay Al Davis to stay and burden the tax payers wit hthe cost of a new stadium with no guarntees from Al.

 

The Rams slightly different story, first off the Rams where in Orange County where the Angels currently play the stadium was a mess and Georgia was running the team in the ground and wanted a big pay day once again with no guarantees of the Rams staying they didnt cower to the team demands and they left

 

Both franchises had a few down years before they left and both struggled to fill the stadiums because the product sucked and constant threats of moving where like well then leave already.

 

If you bring in quality ownership in the Los Angeles area and a team that is at least competitive any owner would make a killing, but in my opinion though Buffalo is always mentioned I seriously doubt they would be the franchise to move, remeber the Vikings still dont have a new stadium approved and jacksonville situation to me is a mess.

 

Not to mention San Diego lease is up and the city wont approve a new stadium either. If and this is a big IF Magic is trying to bring a team here it would be a huge success based on his name alone. Other rumors are he is preparing to run for Mayor of Los Angeles or that his health is failing and he is gonna go out wit ha bang and spend his money while he can

[1B4IDie]

Why do people continue to ignore the existence of Jeremy Jacobs??

 

Here is an excerpt from one of my previous posts regarding Jacobs:

"I don't understand why so many people discredit Jeremy Jacobs as a potential buyer. Currently, his net worth would place him 4th highest among NFL owners, surpassing even Jerry Jones. While Jacobs hasn't been the most popular man in Boston, he has a proven track record of maximizing revenue as an owner, and from a purely investment standpoint, it wouldn't be a bad move on his part. While Delaware North is already the current concession vendor of the Buffalo Bills, as the owner of the Bills he would get a much greater return through concessions, and I'm sure he would be able to increase suite sales as well.

 

The man has made a killing off the Boston Bruins, from his ownership of the team to the selling of concessions and his stake in the New England Sports Network, he has a proven track record of success though his investments in sports. Not to mention, the past couples of years have shown that Jacobs is investing more and more into new ventures, and is not one to merely rest on his laurels."

 

 

I never really heard of the Delaware North Companies Guy buying the Bills.

 

That idea to me seems like the most realistic chance of the Bills staying in Buffalo after Ralph Wilson dies.

 

Jim Kelly ownership is as real as Big Foot. Jim Kelly couldn't get a business loan for $100M let alone $1000 million he has proven not to be successful in business.

 

All the "faithful" that think the Bills will by default stay in Buffalo after Ralphie passes, I ask you how?

Seriously?

 

Why would someone that is investing 900 Million dollars leave a team in an area that could never see the growth in value that Deadskins or Cowgirls have seen?

It makes zero sense.

If someone is going to invest 900 million dollars they are going to try and maximize that investment in a region that is growing not shrinking.

 

However Jacobs is the first time I have heard of any realistic ownership group that would keep the Bills in Buffalo once Ralphie is gone.

 

Has he said anything about trying to buy the Bills?

Edited October 21, 2010 by Levitre + Wang = Wood

[PromoTheRobot]

Reason L.A. lost the Raiders and Rams are easy, 1 fans didnt want to go to the Coliseum and hope you came back unharmed or that your car would still be in the parking lot when you came out, for those of you who dont know the Coliseum is smack in the middle of South Central and in those days gang violence was rampant, and alot of the customers where the gang bangers.

 

Who wants to take or risk their family to that and pay premium $$ at that, also, the city refused to pay Al Davis to stay and burden the tax payers wit hthe cost of a new stadium with no guarntees from Al.

 

The Rams slightly different story, first off the Rams where in Orange County where the Angels currently play the stadium was a mess and Georgia was running the team in the ground and wanted a big pay day once again with no guarantees of the Rams staying they didnt cower to the team demands and they left

 

Both franchises had a few down years before they left and both struggled to fill the stadiums because the product sucked and constant threats of moving where like well then leave already.

 

If you bring in quality ownership in the Los Angeles area and a team that is at least competitive any owner would make a killing, but in my opinion though Buffalo is always mentioned I seriously doubt they would be the franchise to move, remeber the Vikings still dont have a new stadium approved and jacksonville situation to me is a mess.

 

Not to mention San Diego lease is up and the city wont approve a new stadium either. If and this is a big IF Magic is trying to bring a team here it would be a huge success based on his name alone. Other rumors are he is preparing to run for Mayor of Los Angeles or that his health is failing and he is gonna go out wit ha bang and spend his money while he can

 

Build a new stadium somewhere south of L.A. and move the Chargers there. SoCal Chargers. Problem solved. They don't need a 4th Cali franchise.

 

PTR

[thewildrabbit]

Just stop with the LA business. They tried and failed.

 

Twice.

 

Totally agree, so many other things to do in LA that if the teams play starts to decline ...then so do the ticket sales...Al Davis couldn't make it work with 100k + seats. The team would need to be a winner and stay a winner, something that escapes the current owner and so difficult that only a handful of teams out of the current 32 are competitive year after year.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Harvey lives

[1B4IDie]

Build a new stadium somewhere south of L.A. and move the Chargers there. SoCal Chargers. Problem solved. They don't need a 4th Cali franchise.

 

PTR

 

Build a stadium in Hamilton, Ontario and a bridge.

The Niagara Bills.

You get Toronto, Southern Ontario, and WNY.

Problem Solved.

Edited October 21, 2010 by Levitre + Wang = Wood

[Wayne Cubed]

Yes there are plans to build a stadium... they haven't started.

http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/

 

 

But, and its a big one. Being from LA, it is in THE worst location. It says on the website its a hour away from 15 million people. All the money in LA is mostly located on the west side of the city. Traffic, which is already a huge issue, would be the worst trying to get out there. It even states its 20 mins from downtown. I want to know in what universe do these people think it'll be a 20 min drive. Hell Obama visited a month ago and it literally took me 2 hours to drive about 3 miles. There is going to have to be some major construction on a couple of freeways to handle it out in city of industry. Yes its a privately funded stadium, but fixing the freeways to handle the traffic is going to have to come from the state. Also people in LA can see football, USC/UCLA, and not have to drive nearly as far. I just don't see this succeeding when LA gets another team. I use the word when, because I think it will happen, but it'll end up being Jacksonville. Did you see that monday night game? The team had a 3-2 record going into monday night, and they couldn't even sell out the stadium. There were empty seats all around the 50 yard line and in the upper area where they always put that tarp over entire sections that they don't sell. Honestly I think it will end up being Jacksonville that comes to LA and ultimately fails for the 4th time, IMO.

[1B4IDie]

Yes there are plans to build a stadium... they haven't started.

http://www.losangelesfootballstadium.com/

 

 

But, and its a big one. Being from LA, it is in THE worst location. It says on the website its a hour away from 15 million people. All the money in LA is mostly located on the west side of the city. Traffic, which is already a huge issue, would be the worst trying to get out there. It even states its 20 mins from downtown. I want to know in what universe do these people think it'll be a 20 min drive. Hell Obama visited a month ago and it literally took me 2 hours to drive about 3 miles. There is going to have to be some major construction on a couple of freeways to handle it out in city of industry. Yes its a privately funded stadium, but fixing the freeways to handle the traffic is going to have to come from the state. Also people in LA can see football, USC/UCLA, and not have to drive nearly as far. I just don't see this succeeding when LA gets another team. I use the word when, because I think it will happen, but it'll end up being Jacksonville. Did you see that monday night game? The team had a 3-2 record going into monday night, and they couldn't even sell out the stadium. There were empty seats all around the 50 yard line and in the upper area where they always put that tarp over entire sections that they don't sell. Honestly I think it will end up being Jacksonville that comes to LA and ultimately fails for the 4th time, IMO.

 

The Little, I know about LA, I know that ain't twenty minutes from downtown LA.

 

I do know NFL stadiums though. I go to two road games a year. This year will be three (Green Bay, Baltimore, Minnesota) Stadiums aren't always located in convenient locations, but the games are held on Sundays generally and LA traffic has to die down a bit on Sunday?

[CodeMonkey]

Not saying it can't happen, just that you'd need 5 Magic Johnson's to make that purchase.

Or how many Jim Kellys?

 

Besides, the whole 1,5 billion is a made up number anyway. Just because someone "values" the Bills at 800 or 900 million doesn't mean it will sell for that. Hell, I value my house at that much but I suspect I'd only get a couple hundred thousand for it

Edited October 21, 2010 by CodeMonkey

[Billshank Redemption]

man its kindof boss that daniel snyder bought the team at 34. say what you want but the dude is a great business man and hes still only 45 that would be the life right there

[marauderswr80]

was listening to the dan patrick show, guess he's selling his share of the lakers and all 121 starbucks he owns in cali...

[Alphadawg7]

was listening to the dan patrick show, guess he's selling his share of the lakers and all 121 starbucks he owns in cali...

 

His estimated value of his ownership in the Lakers is $27 million but its reported that he got "much more" than that in his private deal. So between his $700 million dollar company, the $100 mil to say $130 mil he is getting for selling his Starbucks and Lakers ownership, and all his personal cash on hand, investments, etc. his net worth is probably above $800 million. He can easily be a 30% owner or more in an NFL franchise if he chooses to be.

[notwoz]

Build a stadium in Hamilton, Ontario and a bridge.The Niagara Bills.

You get Toronto, Southern Ontario, and WNY.

Problem Solved.

The only way that would work is if you could get Western New York to secede from New York State and get Ontario to adopt it. Which, for my money, isn't a bad idea. That way you wouldn't have to deal with the Customs folks at the bridge.

[RTW2012]

I will never understand why so many fans worry about the Bills leaving Buffalo. It seems to me that every team that left a city was replaced by another owner or team. Cleveland,Oakland,Baltimore,St Louis,Houston,Al Davis moved back to Oakland. Why,no support for a losing football team in LA.

 

If the Browns can lose a team, get one back,so can Buffalo

 

I am telling you guys,"If" the Bills ever did move........ Jacksonville would move to Buffalo in a heartbeat.( Just my opinion)

 

That's right, Trent Edwards could be the starter!

 

Yes, those cities did get another franchise after their team moved, but the smallest of those metro areas is Cleveland with 2 million, which is twice as much as Buffalo metro (1.1 million). Plus remember that Cleveland threatened the NFL with legal action to get another team.

 

Right now, the best bet for keeping the team here is the mysterious Kelly group (Golisano?, Jacobs?, Rich?), plus the political clout of Sen. Schumer, who will no doubt go toe-to-toe with Goodell if there is noise about moving the team. Even with those, there is still no guarantee of the Bills staying, or getting another team if they leave.