In Buffalo, Tim Graham notes the NFL Finance Committee yesterday “unanimously recommended" Kim and Terry Pegula "to be the team’s next owners.” The transfer of ownership from the trust of late Bills Owner Ralph Wilson Jr. to the Pegulas “should happen when NFL owners vote at the annual fall meeting” on Oct. 8. A source said that the Pegulas will pay for the entire $1.4B purchase "in cash.” To avoid a conflict of interest, the Pegulas “must divest themselves from NFL player agency Five Star Athlete Management.” NFL Exec VP Eric Grubman said that the divestment “already has happened but wouldn’t comment further” (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/18).
SEEING STARS: In Dallas, Candace Carlisle reported the Stars “netted more than 2,000 new season ticket holders during the off-season, bringing the club's total to more than 10,000.” It is a “major step forward, considering the Stars' season ticket holder base shrank to under 5,000 in recent years.” Stars Exec VP & Chief Revenue Officer Brad Alberts said, “The franchise is very stable. On the business end over the summer, things went grand. We're at the top of the league in new season tickets.” He added, "We now have 10,000 full season equivalents, which is a great barometer on the stabilization of your business” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/17).
LET THINGS PLAY OUT: In L.A., Bill Shaikin writes this time last year, as the Angels “limped to their worst finish in 10 years,” GM Jerry Dipoto “had no idea” whether Owner Arte Moreno would fire him. But last night, the team won its first AL West title in five years, “yet another reminder to ignore the headlines at the winter meetings.” Shaikin: “Winning the winter wins you nothing” (L.A. TIMES, 9/18).
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: In Baltimore, Michael Dresser reported the Maryland Republican Party yesterday admitted that it “used a trademarked logo” of the Ravens to “raise funds without seeking the team's permission.” The unauthorized use “came as the party publicized a fundraiser at a private home in Edgewater.” The state GOP used the logo in e-mails, on Facebook and on the party website to “invite people to ‘an afternoon of Ravens football and Republican Party politics’ during Sunday's game” against the Browns (BALTIMORESUN.com, 9/17).
