NFL owners were privately "clicking their heels at the news" of the Dodgers being sold for $2.15B, according to sources cited by Len Pasquarelli of THE SPORTS XCHANGE. An AFC team owner said, "This is pretty big for us." NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the Dodgers' sale "an extraordinary price. ... I really don't have anything beyond that." Several NFL owners "suggested over the past few days that a return" to L.A. is "not imminent." However, the "trickle-down effect of the Dodgers' sale ... will not be ignored by NFL owners." SportsCorp President Marc Ganis said, "It definitely raises the bar." He added, "There a lot of (NFL) owners smiling today, and rightly so" (THE SPORTS XCHANGE, 3/28). ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported NFL owners were "very happy to hear that the Dodgers went for $2 billion." Chavez Ravine is a site in which the NFL "always has looked at as highly desirable, and if somehow Magic Johnson and his group of investors can figure out a way to work that land and somehow create space for an NFL stadium, that would enhance the chances of an NFL team going back to L.A." ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 3/28). In Dallas, David Moore notes the Cowboys "sit atop the Forbes list as the most valuable North American sports franchise" at $1.81B. If Owner Jerry Jones wanted to sell the team, the sale of the Dodgers for $2B "just sent his asking price through the Cowboys Stadium roof." Jones said, "It's impressive. It's very impressive.'' He added, "Evaluations are estimates of value. The real value is when you see the market place decide what they're worth, and that's the value. Period" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/29). In L.A., Sam Farmer notes some NFL owners called the Dodgers sale a "reminder of how valuable" the L.A. market could be. Jones said, "I think it reflects the value ... of being involved in the sports business in L.A." Giants Chair & Exec VP Steve Tisch said the sale is "going to draw a lot of attention to L.A. as a super-valuable market for sports teams." Tisch added, "It kind of raises the bar for all of us. When a baseball club sells for over $2 billion when you fold in the real estate, it makes all of us stand up and say, 'Wow!'" (L.A. TIMES, 3/29).
WIN FOR THE LEAGUES: In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz writes Rams Owner Stan Kroenke's failure to land the Dodgers was a "win for the NFL." Miklasz: "I don't think the NFL wanted Kroenke further distracted by adding yet another toy to his collection of sports franchises." MLB "wasn't enthusiastic about handing a crown-jewel franchise to a largely absentee owner who has so many other teams and business interests." Moreover, MLB "probably didn't want the Dodgers and Chavez Ravine to be in the middle of Kroenke's potential maneuvering for an NFL franchise" in L.A. (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/29).
