Gretzky Trying To Bring Hockey To Seattle...???

According to the New York Post, he is...

In an article by Larry Brooks and Josh Kosman, they say that he is a party in one of three groups trying to get a team into town.

But, remember, Commissioner Gary Bettman is in no mood to expand.
So, that means that a franchise like San Jose (looking for a new barn) or Arizona (in need of any kind of financial stability still) are under the looking glass from this moment forward.

That way, the geographic balance won't be upset- until the National Hockey League ultimately decides to expand...

Chris Hansen has said he won't put any kind of weight behind building his new arena that he is accumulating property for in South Downtown Seattle unless an NBA franchise is ready to be brought to town.

Chris Daniels had the story back in May about one of the groups that might be chasing an NHL franchise- led by Victor Coleman- that met with the mayor of Seattle.
Sportsnet's John Shannon had contact with those aligned with any Gretzky effort- from his Twitter: Gretzky source tells Sportsnet: "Potential ownership groups have reached out, but we certainly haven't aligned with anyone"
The HQ recalls just how involved Gretzky was with the Coyotes franchise, and it makes sense that his name would be attached to activities out west again.

Vince Neil Following In Kiss' Footsteps...???

The Las Vegas Sun is reporting that Motley Crue's Vince Neil, minority owner in the Jacksonville Sharks, wants to bring a franchise back to Las Vegas and call them the Las Vegas Outlaws.

Robin Leach (yes, THAT Robin Leach) is reporting that the team should be up and running by the 2015 season and will be the third incarnation of Arenaball in Vegas with the Sting and the Gladiators having been there before.

Two prevailing thoughts:

Here's what the HQ thinks about when we think about the Las Vegas Gladiators
((HT: arenafootballleague))


But, Neil wants the Las Vegas Outlaws and this is what the HQ thinks about that idea...
((HT: XFL Football 2001))


He Hate Me!!!

And Atlanta MLS Makes 22 By 2017

((HT: 11Alive.com))

It's an interesting thought...

Can a mega-owner, whose town is (in pockets) quite soccer-rabid, and is a soccer dad himself make soccer a success at the largest professional level in the United States...??? Or is it just another loss leader for a vertically-integrated corporation...???

That's only for Arthur Blank to answer over time as he is now the proud owner of the 22nd Major League Soccer franchise...

After the attendance numbers that the Georgia Dome puts out for international friendlies (the last time was with MLS Commissioner Don Garber in attendance), it was a no-brainer for the largest media market in the country that DOESN'T have a team was going to get a team...

Orlando, New York City, and Miami are also on the clock as MLS Atlanta comes on board for 2017...

Here's FOSG Jeff Hullinger at the party...

Looking at the attendance numbers that Julie Wolfe put in the piece above, it will be interesting to see if MLS Atlanta turns into more like Seattle (which the town traditionally has not shown) or Chivas (and you'd have to be gawd awful for that to happen...)

The HQ is looking at somewhere close to the middle...

BREAKING: MLS To Atlanta

((HT: AJC/Roberson))

According to the Roberson piece, the announcement (although not official) would be in the neighborhood of April 16th.

The league and prospective owner Arthur Blank have been dancing around the topic for a few years now. All the attendance figures that have been accumulated over the friendlies and exhibitions have been a good carrot to dangle under the nose of the "Soccer Don"- MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Miami, along with David Beckham's cache and ownership, are in the queue and the league would like to get to an even 24 franchises in the next five years or so. The team will be looking to play in the new and improved Georgia Dome by 2017.

Adding Atlanta would give the league another top-nine media TV market and another team in the under-served southeast.

As an example as to how the market responds to international football (the Mexico-Nigeria friendly), here's what happens when 68,000 show up...
((HT: MyFoxAtlanta))
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

More when we know more...

Becks Brings MLS To Miami...

((HT: WSVN-TV))

It's official...

With a high falooting presser at an art gallery, David Beckham, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, and Miami-Dade County mayor Carlos Gimenez said their peace about bringing the 22nd franchise in the league to a city where they're still trying to find a location to play...

Here's the short version...
WSVN-TV - 7NEWS Miam Ft. Lauderdale News, Weather, Deco

Beckham and his folks will pay for the stadium their own selves.

The next piece is wondering who his partners are. He has been seen scouting the city with Marcelo Claure, the owner of Brightstar Corporation. Miami will start up in either 2016 or 2017 and wil have a natural rivalry with the Orlando City FC group...

Orlando City SC= MLS 21

((HT: MLS))

It's now 21... the number of franchises in Major League Soccer...

Orlando City SC had their announcement of joining MLS...

They'll be playing their first year at the Citrus Bowl before moving into their new, soccer-specific 18,000-seat joint for the 2016 schedule.

Phil Rawlins, OCSC President, wants his joint to be one of the loudest in the league...


Now, David Beckham and LeBron are on the clock to get Miami moving for an MLS franchise. Word is that they now have until the end of the year to get their problems squared away- along with the cut-rate $25-million franchise fee to get things moving...

Orlando Approves New Soccer Stadium, MLS Around The Corner...

((HT: Orlando Sentinel))

It's almost official...

With the city approval of constructing a new soccer-only facility last night, the Orlando Lions will become a part of the new wave of expansion into Major League Soccer...

Here's the announcement after the 5-2 vote...


But Mike Bianchi's column caught up with an economist (and county commissioner) in Fred Brummer that calls the numbers for economic impact and bunch of bunk...

"The technical term for their (Orlando City's) economic study is 'twaddle.'" said Brummer on our Open Mike radio show Wednesday morning. "It reminds me of the old joke about CPAs and it goes like this: A client calls a CPA and says, 'You're a math expert, how much is 2 plus 2?' And the CPA says to the client, 'What did you have in mind?'

"The fact is when someone is paying for the economic study, you get the economic study numbers that you want," added Brummer one of the two dissenting votes in the County Commission's 5-2 tally Tuesday to approve the soccer stadium. "... If you hire me, I assure you I can come up with the numbers you want for your economic report, but in unfunded academic (studies), the results are that these stadiums do not increase economic development or per capita income."

MLS has all but guaranteed that Orlando would be a part of the league's growth if the stadium was built. They would be a part of the new Miami, Orlando, (insert third team here) gambit for the new round of expansion dollars to infuse the league with more capital and average play...

The HQ is looking forward to seeing another boondoggle in action...
Here's the report from MyFoxOrlando on $84-million to the building...
FOX 35 News Orlando