AEG has spoken with five teams about purchase, relocation

[.infamous]

As Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times recently said during an episode of PFT Live, the biggest threat to the push for a new stadium in L.A. comes from a slowing of the momentum toward a deal.

The momentum train received a hot salsa enema on Thursday night, when AEG president Tim Leiweke said that his boss, Philip Anschutz, is prepared to purchase majority interest in a team — and that AEG has spoken to five franchises about this possibility.

According to the Orange County Register (via SportsBusiness Daily), the teams are the Vikings, Chargers, Rams, Raiders, and Jaguars.

“St. Louis, Jacksonville, not extensively, certainly Oakland, San Diego, Minnesota are still in the mix,” Leiweke said. “We’re not packing any [moving] vans right now.”

Leiweke also said that AEG is prepared to pay any fees associated with a team getting out of its current lease. “Just as an example, if it’s San Diego, they would have to pay $24 million under their agreement to get out of the lease,” Leiweke said. “We would pay that.”

In our view, that helps make the Vikings the top candidate, given that after the 2011 season the cost of getting out of the lease at the Metrodome will be zero dollars, and zero cents.

Leiweke undoubtedly made the disclosure in order to build momentum toward the finalization of a “memorandum of understanding” with the Los Angeles City Council. Leiweke has said that the so-called “MOU” must be finalized by July 31 in order to keep the project on track.

“If it [the council] goes away for the summer without the MOU we’ve got to rekindle this again in mid-September and we’re not going to make 2016,” Leiweke said. “If we get the MOU by July 31st, what it proves to the NFL is that we could in fact get a deal done here.”

Meanwhile, anyone in Minnesota who hopes to keep the Vikings from going the way of the Lakers should realize that, if they don’t get a deal done for a new stadium in Minnesota soon, the time for packing the moving vans could be coming.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

That's the teams you'd expect to be listed.

 

[kam.]

They can say they've talked to Jacksonville all they want.

We just signed a new stadium deal for 4 years. We're not going anywhere.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

I thought that deal was just for naming rights?

 

[kam.]

I thought that deal was just for naming rights?

It was, but whenever the deal was broken.. Wayne Weaver said "This will finally put a end to the relocation talk" So Im guessing that its important to staying.

 

[Mexi]

Anyone but the Raiders or Chargers

last sentence is pretty much it
minnesota better get that stadium...

im predicting Chargers and Vikings move
AEG wants 2 teams

 

[Elite]

You can't own two teams...

 

[Mexi]

You can't own two teams...

AEG isnt going to own any team

what are you talking about?

 

[Mooche]

Minnesota I've been hearing is working really close to striking this deal for the new stadium.

I really don't want a team in L.A -- whether it's the Jags, Vikings or who the fuck ever.

 

[Mexi]

lol you're not even in L.A., why would you care?

is there really a difference between the San Diego Chargers and L.A. Chargers?

 

[Mooche]

Why would I want to see a team like the Minnesota Vikings, taken away from die-hard fans in the northern USA who I've seen first hand numerous times, for just ANOTHER team in the California area if that happens?

It doesn't really matter to me location wise, no, but it's just what I want to see.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Cali doesn't need another team, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, chess, debate team, I don't care. They got enough.

 

[Mexi]

2nd biggest state(lower 48), they should have more teams...

 

[Dorado]

2nd biggest state(lower 48), they should have more teams...

Texas needs more teams then too!!!!!

 

[kam.]

2nd biggest city or not.

They dont deserve another team;

They've had 2 so far, and fucked them both up.

 

[Mooche]

2nd biggest city or not.

They dont deserve another team;

They've had 2 so far, and fucked them both up.

Thank you!

They have USC. And they have all the surrounding NFL markets around them. They don't need more teams man..

 

[lakerfan]

2nd biggest city or not.

They dont deserve another team;

They've had 2 so far, and fucked them both up.

'deserve ain't got nothing to do with it'
-Snoop Pearson, The Wire

 

[kam.]

'deserve ain't got nothing to do with it'
-Snoop Pearson, The Wire

Lets face it.

They're going to get a team because of how big they are.

But they dont give a fuck about the NFL. Theres like a small few, but lack of interest is one of the reasons they DONT have one.

 

[lakerfan]

But they dont give a fuck about the NFL. Theres like a small few, but lack of interest is one of the reasons they DONT have one.

You are speaking in generalities. Lack of interest from who-- the public? First, I do not know what you are expecting from a city where there hasn't been an NFL team in 15 years. Even then, the city has a better television market share than some cities with franchises at present; ironically, Oakland's 2010 attendance average was about the same as the Raiders last season in Los Angeles at a very dilapidated LA Colosseum in which people knew the team was bound to Oakland. 'Lack of interest' also does not erase the fact that a team in Los Angeles, in the right venue, would outperform Jacksonville or any other on the bubble franchise in attendance either.

But even if one were to grant you that argument, it is far far far down the list of legitimate reasons why the city does not have a team, would certainly not stop a franchise from moving here, and frankly isn't sizable enough for you to make a point about it. As has been explained many, many times on this site and across the wire, LA does not have a team because of a complex web of financial, bureaucratic relationships and interests that have produced a stalemate which will not be resolved in the near future. Its not as simple as 'they had two teams and they fucked it up', therefore no team. These are economic conflicts that have nothing to do with which city has the best fans, will support a team, or is more loyal.

 

[Mexi]

idk kam

dodgers through the 90s and most of the 2000s sucked and still drew crowds
Clippers always suck and still make profit

new stadium, new team, i think the interest would be there

im interested. i'm not a huge NFL guy, but i'm very intrigued about an NFL team(s)

and lakerfan just laid down the law. great post