Danno

Hmmm, I wonder...

Maybe Benson wants the team to start failing. Coaches will resign, high dollar players will get traded off or leave via FA, attendance starts to drop dramatically, fans get ugly, stadium deals get squashed. The NFL elite recognizes the Saints as a team in need of re-location. They easily vote yes for re-location.

His financial liabilities shrink to nothing. An NFL franchise to be moved to Los Angeles will get top dollar regardless of the shape of the franchise. He maximizes his profit by selling a cheap team for a huge amount of money.

Would he? Could he? Should he?

Halo

I love the topic but I will say this again... There is no way the Saints will leave New Orleans because the owner and the NFL have a sweetheart deal where they make money. Because Louisiana is the first state in history to give money to the bottom line of any organization. Because the State is about to significantly re-engineer the Dome which will change its structure and make it state of the art. Because Tom Benson will never physically move to anywhere else because he\'s too old and not interested. Because Tom Benson has already left his estate in the hands of his Daughter-in-Law who is already involved with the day to day operations of the team. Because the team has sold out the Dome for years and even after the latest trash play the Dome is still very close to being sold out.

But also, if you look in Forbes Magazine, the Saints are a very expensive club to own, worth over 750 million dollars (and that was 4 years ago). The Saints are worth that much because they are one of the highest merchandized teams being that their colors already include \"black\" which is very popular. As of a few years ago 2 organizations topped retail merchandize and clothing sales, Oakland and New Orleans. Since then every team in the NFL including Philly, Jacksonville, San Fran etc have tried to include \"black\" in their colors, but it is not a main color.

The Saints are very expensive, so much so you might as well buy a franchise and pay a fee.

If the Saints would leave for any reason they would have to pay every penny of the money they have received from the State back including all the money it cost to build the new practice facilities on Ailine Drive. They, and the NFL, may also be exposed to a huge lawsuit from the State of Louisiana for taking away one of it\'s fortune 500 companies which the State benefits millions from in travel and tourism dollars.

The Saints are a mess for anyone to deal with. They apprear to be planted where they are. The rumors you hear come from media sources in New York who have only heard that New Orleans is a poor town with no money and no support. If you ask anyone in the New York media about New Orleans they will tell you they think the Dome is mostly empty and fans do not exist. They say this because New Orleans is not on Monday night football and has not been a winner in 4 years which is an eternity for the memory of journalists. Just think, if the Saints won the Superbowl or even made it to the NFC championship, do you think anyone would dare say they would move?... no that would be impossible.... right?

BrooksMustGo

Halo, you really should post more. Good post.

shadowdrinker_x

that sounds good and all..but the browns sold out..and they have a rich history..and an enormous fan base...and..the team wasn\'t half as bad as ours...plus..there really wasn\'t a big urgency to expand the league..now there is...every nfl team experiences financial success to some degree...but..the league is dead set on getting a team in there..and we are one of the top on the list..we all know that...i don\'t know if a winning record would really squash the chance of us going...the stadium negotiations are just negotiations right now...to me it seems like they\'re trying to gift wrap ...its like when you sell your house..you paint the walls..put new carpet down..but..i haven\'t read anywhere stating the kind of overhaul they are going to do if any to the superdome...what i mean is...what sort of renovations will they do?..we really don\'t know for sure..and thats whats causing all the speculation...i would fell much better if benson and the state came together on a contract that was solid in its effort to keep this team here..that just hasn\'t happened..but..like i said before..to count us out totally from bieng moved..may set you up for serious heartbreak...because we are still very much in the spotlight for bieng the team in la

mutineer10

Just a brief aside here, but has anyone really noticed any real neglect or deprivation regarding the Dome? Sure, it\'s aging, but I\'ve always found it to be a pretty decent facility. Is there something I don\'t know, other than the fact that Benson is using the idea of the Dome as a horrible, dangerous place as a bargaining chip?

WhoDat

I\'ve said it, Halo\'s said it... why don\'t people get it? Winning and Losing IS MOSTLY IRRELEVANT, at least in terms of this issue. Cincinnati was terrible for a decade? If a team being bad makes the difference, why didn\'t they move? Tampa Bay was a much much smaler market than NO in the 70\'s and 80\'s and they were the worst team ever in football year in and year out - why didn\'t they move? If the Saints move, it will be b/c the State stops paying them to stay and the economy declines even moe so, and the town simply can\'t support the team anymore. I mean c\'mon people. NO is supporting TWO professional franchises and you guys talk like b/c the Saints can\'t win a game that moving to LA all of a sudden becomes a good idea.

1) How would moving to LA make the Saints a better team?
2) How does that effect Benson\'s bottom line?

The Saints have a football crazy fan base of anywhere from 4 to 8 million people in NO, and the gulf coast from Texas to Alabama. Why move to a city where at best you have 10 million fans split between half a dozen franchises who have shown they won\'t support a losing football team... or any football team for that matter?

\"Excuses, excuses, excuses. That’s all anyone ever makes for the New Orleans Saints’ organization.\" - Eric Narcisse


\"Being a Saints fan is almost like being addicted to crack,\" he said.[i]\"You know you should stop, but you just can\'t.\"

shadowdrinker_x

well..from an ownership point of view...you have to remember..the superdome has hosted more superbowl games than any stadium ever....and thats huge for the new orleans area...with houston making the stadium of the century...and others getting newer ..better facilities..its only natural to assume that we will be getting much less consideration when it comes to choosing a spot to play...although im aware it is also dictated by the likelihood of the team playing homefield in the superbowl..which the nfl doesn\'t want...i doubt we\'re gonna have to feal with that possibility for a while..haha

shadowdrinker_x

1 - the nfl has expressed a sense of urgency to get a team in la..thats a fact

2 - of the four teams of interest..we are among the top...

will it help the team?..i don\'t know..and it doesn\'t look like they care...any expansion team gets supplemental picks...both in the draft..and f.a. teams have to offer up players to be considered for resigning to the expansion team...its the rules..

3 will it help benson\'s bottom line?..im sure that selling an nfl franchise won\'t make you broke..haha

duece4pres

Houston may have the \"stadium of the century,\" but they don\'t have the FRENCH QUARTER, which is a five minute walk from the DOME. The Quarter is the very reason the Sugar Bowl is played here every year, and why the Dome has hosted more Super Bowls than any other city.

Danno

Jeez, it was just a whacky thought. I don\'t even believe it myself.

Oh, great post Halo. Might be the only time I agree with libby.