Getting Paul Allen to purchase the Seahawks would be the
team's "greatest acquisition," writes SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
columnist Art Thiel this morning. But the "Seattle sports
question of the moment" is whether Ken Behring would sell the
team. Last week, Allen -- owner of the Blazers, Starwave and 80%
of Ticketmaster, a co-founder of Microsoft and No. 4 on the
Forbes 400 list -- said he "might take a look" at the Seahawks if
they were available. Seahawks President David Behring has said
the team is not for sale, but Thiel notes two things in response:
"Everything is for sale," and, lately, Behring Sr. and Behring
Jr. have been "at some odds." While Ken Behring is upset at King
County over the handling of the ceiling tile episode and at the
fact the Kingdome was not included in recent baseball stadium
legislation, David enjoys running the team. As for moving the
team to the vacant L.A. market, Thiel notes the legal problems in
breaking the Kingdome lease and the fact the NFL likes the
Seattle market. Thiel writes, "Rather than going up against the
hostiles in Seattle and the hostiles in the NFL, it may occur in
the coming months to the Behrings that the hassles of continuing
ownership simply aren't worth it. Thus, Paul Allen." Allen not
only could write a check for the team, but also guarantee
construction loans with his wealth as collateral (SEATTLE POST-
INTELLIGENCER, 10/25).
