Whenever the owner of the new Browns franchise is
chosen, he or she could make $12M in profits the first year
alone, according to David Adams of the AKRON BEACON JOURNAL.
Adams wrote that after paying the initial franchise fee,
"estimated between" $275-$325M, the new owner "will have a
guaranteed ride on the NFL's gravy train." Adams reported
that the new owner will have about $24M in revenue per year
that former Browns Owner Art Modell "did not." The team's
new stadium deal will generate "more than" $20M alone in
revenue, increasing the value of the Browns to "somewhere
among the top five or six teams in the league." The new
owner will also be able to collect fees from premium seating
-- loges and club seats -- and from higher ticket prices.
Average Browns tickets will be $45 in '99. The new owner
can also expect to take in $3M a year from signage, plus
another $2M "or so a year" for the first 10 years from
selling the naming rights of the stadium. Modell's signage
revenues were $1.5M in '94 (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 3/15).
WHILE ON THE TOPIC: In Cleveland, Tony Grossi wrote
that the NFL league office "needs all the help it can get
because the league-ownership concept" of the Browns "makes
sense (and dollars) to some owners. Some are envious of the
stadium revenues and built-in rabid market awaiting the
future owner of the Browns" (PLAIN-DEALER, 3/15). In Denver,
Todd Phipers reported that if the NFL were to assume control
of the Browns, the owners "will share in the revenues from
the" $240M stadium (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 3/15).
