Lookz like thiz iz veree klose tu goyn down Task forze voted a younanamus YES tu tha PGE Park MLS refubush tuday. New clubz announzed on tha 18th er 19th (lookz lyke Vankouver and Pourtlund) Away machez tu Seeapple will b ace! GET IN!!!!!!
Are you telling me that we could once again have the Whitecaps/Sounders/Timbers Troika? I'm not much of a soccer fan, but I loved the rivalry!
I've been to a Galaxy game, and Soccer is much better in person than on TV. I'd probably see a game or two, but overall I don't think a MLS team would really get me that excited.
Tayk thuz with uh Grayn uv salt but: http://24thminute.blogspot.com/2009/03/vancouver-and-portland-win-expansion.html
It's an opinion, and TV ratings for MLS are down to barely perceptible levels. Even ESPN is giving up on the league. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2009/01/espn_dumps_mls_thursday.html Soccer has a niche audience, and at ~$25/ticket, it's asking a lot of Portlanders to sustain a franchise in a league that will soon have no major TV contract that showcases the league. I'm looking at it from a business perspective, I admit, but to say that people are lining up to get in the league, as another poster said, requires some proof. Here is the take from Forbes. As you can see, finding local corporate sponsorships is key to franchise viability since TV revenue is sure to go down, and with our local economy, I just don't see companies lining up to sponsor a team with no consistent national TV audience. http://www.soccerticketsonline.com/mls-team-valuations/ So anyhow, that's where I based my opinion. Please deconstruct it if you want to have a serious conversation about soccer's long-term viability for both the MLS and a Portland expansion franchise. I just don't see it, and I feel that yet again renovating PGE Park for an MLS team is money spent foolishly. Now, if some private owner wants to pay for everything, great, but as I understand it, Sam Adams wants some public dollars to go toward moving the Portland Beavers and subsequently making PGE Park soccer-only. That's a bad idea, IMO.
You'd be wrong. The Paulson family has personally guaranteed to back the bonds to protect the taxpayers should the team or the league go south. -Pop
So it does use taxpayer money in the form of bonds, as I said. What happens if the Paulsons can't back the bonds?
Coincidently, Miami just dropped out today because of "market conditions", and they had the backing of FC Barcelona. http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/03/02/daily44.html If Paulson can back the bonds, why not just pay upfront and take the area taxpayers off of the hook? As I was saying about public money being used...
Why should he? The city owns the stadium. Merritt Paulson and his clubs are tenants. As long as it stays that way, the city stands to benefit from a refurbished stadium and a more financially viable tenant. Paulson is asking the city to invest in an opportunity that he can help secure, and ensuring that no taxpayer will be on the hook for the money under any worst-case scenario. And if you are such a concerned citizen, why didn't I see you at the numerous city council meetings on this or at the open hearing in front of the state legislature? -Pop
It doesn't make sense for Paulson to sink his own money in a facility that he wont own. Any one with a brain and a mind for business knows this deal is a win win proposition. It is just a case of whether or not the City Council is going to be a forward thinking entity that encourages business and economic growth or they are going to continue to put their tail between their legs and remain with the status quo. Oregon has the 5th highest unemployment rate in the country. This plan would bring around 600 full time jobs. Are they tremendously high paying jobs? No. But they are jobs.
I'm not saying I'm for or against MLS coming. I just don't think it would be a good business move, and it puts Portland taxpayers at risk by having a single source back public bonds. Everything isn't always black/white, and taking the current economy into consideration seems like a valid concern before putting taxpayers on the hook for up to $45 million while at the same time Portland schools are even further cutting days. You seem to be upset at my opinion, and I'd back this 100% if it is 100% privately financed.
600 full-time jobs? Perhaps during the construction phase, but how does an MLS team bring 600 full-time jobs for any sustainable period?
600 full-time jobs? Perhaps during the construction phase, but how does an MLS team bring 600 full-time jobs for any sustainable period? Also, I'm still not sure how the city investing money into a league that has not once shown a profit in 14 years is a lock-solid move. Why not push for a real big-league opportunity such as the Oakland A's? That would be forward-thinking. The MLS is a B- or C- league in the world of FIFA.
ESPN2 will carry an MLS game of the week, which will air on four different nights during the season. The weekly matches will occur on Thursdays (10 times), Saturdays (eight times), Wednesdays (six times) and Fridays (three times)."
They no longer have a "Showcase" night due to horrendous ratings, which makes it all the more difficult for people to plan to watch the MLS. Good luck renewing the deal for the same amount. RIF
