The Bombshell

[burgold]

Honestly, we have no idea whether it’s this guy or Bezos or someone else how it will go. Could be great change or epic losing. Just no way to know. Obviously this guy, unlike Dan Snyder, is very bright, got a fantastic education, and has thrived in the business world. Only time will tell.

Just hope for a full sale. And that any change is a good change.

I think the craziest part is hearing that someone has a net worth of seven billion dollars and me thinking, Is that enough? Is that rich enough to be effective as an NFL owner.

 

[Boone]

And that Bezos could outbid the guy in the blink of an eye.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I would expect so, but he also pays that man’s salary. So he had to be on board with that and let it continue. However I looked at their GM history and they have been through more GMs in his tenure than Snyder was through coaches in his early tenure. Perhaps he didn’t put up with it. They are currently on a nice run, so at least it had produced results.

Sam Hinkie is the "Trust the Process" guy. They eventually fired him and replaced him, but it was a bit unclear about all of the underpinnings of that move. There was definitely some discord that had been growing, and as I recall some NBA elites were kind of put in place in 76ers executive positions at the same time Hinkie was fired. So, it was kind of as you (or Boone?) described in a previous post, where they had good players and were still tanking, and then some changes happened but it wasn't altogether clear who truly initiated those (NBA or 76ers on their own volition). I don't remember the timeline but I believe it is in the Harris era.

Personally, I think the overall concept is a definite cheat to the fans, a cheat on the system; in particular to do it in a multi-year fashion like that. It's one thing, in a season, to kind of figure out that winning isn't going to help you and not really improve your team that season. Trying to tank a full season or set of seasons? That's another level that I think is really uncalled for. I personally draw the line there.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Sam Hinkie is the "Trust the Process" guy. They eventually fired him and replaced him, but it was a bit unclear about all of the underpinnings of that move. There was definitely some discord that had been growing, and as I recall some NBA elites were kind of put in place in 76ers executive positions at the same time Hinkie was fired. So, it was kind of as you (or Boone?) described in a previous post, where they had good players and were still tanking, and then some changes happened but it wasn't altogether clear who truly initiated those (NBA or 76ers on their own volition). I don't remember the timeline but I believe it is in the Harris era.

Personally, I think the overall concept is a definite cheat to the fans, a cheat on the system; in particular to do it in a multi-year fashion like that. It's one thing, in a season, to kind of figure out that winning isn't going to help you and not really improve your team that season. Trying to tank a full season or set of seasons? That's another level that I think is really uncalled for. I personally draw the line there.

Thank you for filling in the details. I don’t follow the NBA much any more, but I remember plenty of sports talk shows discussing this when it was happening. I didn’t know the full details nor the ins and outs. I just know that they kept getting top picks and top players and still tanking. The “process” was never happening. As an Orioles fan, I know that feeling. Although we finally started to see something with them. It just took a long time.

This doesn’t sway my opinion on the guy as I don’t know what type of staff he would put in place. But I was curious if he was in charge during all of that. It’s possible he could be looking at doing the same thing. Some guys, that’s how they build. They tear down and build back up. Other guys, they fix what is in place.

 

[Chris]

Maybe this is why Bezos hasn’t bid.

‘The half-dozen bidders, however, have been told that Snyder plans to offload enough to clear the way for a new controlling owner, a person with knowledge of the situation told Front Office Sports.’

 

[Boone]

If that fucker is still a part of this team when the dust settles, I’m done.

 

[Neophyte]

If I'm Bezos and if I want the team, knowing that the rumor is the top bid right now is $6.3B, I put in a bid for $7B contingent on getting 100% of the team.

And I make that last part non-negotiable.

 

[burgold]

If I'm Bezos and if I want the team, knowing that the rumor is the top bid right now is $6.3B, I put in a bid for $7B contingent on getting 100% of the team.

And I make that last part non-negotiable.

Is that your offer Snyder can't refuse?

If the latest report that Snyder wants to stay a minority owner is true then the bids should actually be going down I would think. I might even pull my offer if part of the deal is having him be apart of it. I wouldn't want Snyder as my silent or minority partner.

 

[Neophyte]

I don't think anyone will want him as a minority partner.

In fact, where I the governments of DC, VA, and MD, I'd be letting the bidders (and the NFL) know that a deal with even a Snyder minority ownership won't be getting help for a stadium.

 

[Chris]

Question for you Bob.

On the Take Command podcast w/ guest John Keim it was mentioned that the Walton family did not bid until the very end of the process because they didn’t want their vast wealth to force the price up.

I know you have taken a deep dive into prior sales, is that accurate info?

 

[Kel Varnsen]

I don't think anyone will want him as a minority partner.

In fact, where I the governments of DC, VA, and MD, I'd be letting the bidders (and the NFL) know that a deal with even a Snyder minority ownership won't be getting help for a stadium.

I agree with this. There is significant leverage potential owners, the NFL, and the governments in the DMV have over Snyder in this sale. They can leave him with no other options but to sell. We all believe the NFL is afraid to force a sale, but they could step in and say he has to sell it all with no minority ownership for Snyder. The governments can say no stadium as you mentioned. And potential owners could say they won’t buy without him giving it all up.

 

[Neophyte]

Question for you Bob.

On the Take Command podcast w/ guest John Keim it was mentioned that the Walton family did not bid until the very end of the process because they didn’t want their vast wealth to force the price up.

I know you have taken a deep dive into prior sales, is that accurate info?

I don't remember reading that anywhere, Chris, but my research was aimed more at how the timing went from the announcement (if there was one) that a team was for sale to when that sale was complete, along with any milestones. I was also looking for what rumors might have been reported and how accurate those turned out to be.

I recall reading that someone dropped out of the Denver bidding because they figured the Walton group would just go over them every time and driving up the price on the Broncos sale would only raise the floor on the sale price of the next team to hit the market. I want to say that was the media guy, Byron Allen, or Matt Ishbia, who just dropped out after buying the Phoenix Suns.

 

[Boone]

 

[Rhino-Rhino]

When you hear an answer like that it's not hard to realize that we are the polar opposite of almost everything he described

 

[Boone]

I’m warming up to the idea of Harris. Smart guy but doesn’t seem to want to run the day to day and would let his hires do their thing.

 

[Chris]

That might be the best thing about the fact that multiple billionaire status is now required to be an owner. I can’t see any new owner being interested in being a day to day operator.

 

[Neophyte]

I have two words for you Chris - Elon Musk

 

[Bulldog]

The only reason I can think of that Snyder wants to stay on as a minority owner is to bask in the glow of a turnaround engineered by someone else.

Selling 100% of the team and then watching a new group come in and win a Super Bowl or get a new stadium built in record time would be yet another kick in the ass for a guy that has done little else for 20 plus years other than take kicks in the ass owning this team.

 

[Neophyte]

I can think of a couple of other reasons, BD - Snyder has talked for years of leaving the team to his kids. It is possible that providing that inheritance is supremely important for him on a level we don't understand.

There is also the financial aspect. As we have seen throughout the professional sports world, the team will continue to grow in value and, as an asset, appears one of the only largely recession-proof investments out there. Even holding on to a minority stake would be lucrative over time.

 

[Boone]

You’re not wrong Neo, but then again when you are are worth 6+ billion, recession and profits cease to really be a big concern

I think we’re missing the obvious reason he might prefer retaining an ownership stake. Because he’s an arrogant prick and that would allow him to preempt any argument that he was forced ‘out’ due to being a pathetic excuse of a human being. It would also give him (or his progeny) a potential avenue to return as majority owners at a later date.