Quote:
Originally Posted by pylon
I think there is really no more point of debating this whole thing. If the City were to hand the Flames an Arena for free at this point in time, they wouldn't take it. And I have actually heard that. The end game here is relocation. Think about the math:
A) With a new FREE arena, what's the team gonna make? $10 Million a year? $20 million if they hit it out of the park, and we have a good dollar?
Or, option:
B) Relocate, sell and cash out. for +/- $500-600 million.... US dollars. Plus the league gets a nice tidy relocation fee.
Edwards & Co. would be brain dead not to cash out in the short term, they'll all be dead by the time they see $500 million in US profits keeping the team here.
So this is what you do:
Let attendance dwindle (which it definitely is).
Not address team issues (Gulutzan, which they aren't) making the fans apathetic, which they are doing very well at. Second market tickets have never been easier to get for pennies on the dollar, even though we have the most star studded roster we've had in 20 years.
Upper management has been absolutely invisible this season, and won't address the media for any reason.
The Flames just need to lose money for a season or two with a downward attendance trend, combine that with the fact an arena will never happen as long as Nenshi is in power, it works perfect for Bettman and the BOG to move the team to Houston with no future prospects.They have a scapegoat in Nenshi, and the dwindling attendance / team revenue. By losing 10 or 20 million/season the next couple of years, CSEC is positioned to win MASSIVELY if the team gets to relocate.
There is just too much money at stake for CSEC to 'do the right thing' and it is clear, Bettman isn't on the side of anyone but the league and owners, and like it or not, that's what he's paid to do. And to be honest, Edwards and Co. would be stupid not to become apathetic themselves for a season or two, to get the chance to move. It would actually be a pretty savvy business move, and I'd do the same thing if I was at the helm. We're talking half a billion dollars. Loyalty only goes so far when those types of numbers are in play.
My prediction is 2018-2019 is the last season for the Flames, as 2019-2020 will be the inaugural season for the Houston ________s.
This is also going to go down like the Ryan Smyth trade, what was it? They were 170k apart? And they looked like fools for being so stingy. If the city took the teams original deal in the first place, we aren't here. We are going to lose an NHL franchise for what amounts to about a $100 million dollar gap. What's that? A bridge and a couple interchanges? Ask every Calgarian out there what they would rather have, what gives them more sense of community and pride. An NHL team?
Or a bridge and two interchanges that'll speed up their morning commute by 4 minutes on a snowy day.
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This is a bad post for a lot of reasons and your math is way off. Whoever told you that "they wouldn't stay even if they were handed an arena" is a) a liar; b) a moron.
how much do you think the Calgary Flames would be with a sweetheart arena deal in this market? Edwards could probably sell that team for a fortune.
Why would the flames sell for 480 million to a houston owner when they could sell for 650 to a local owner?
Why would the BOG approve relocation of a profitable franchise when they have at least 5 if not 10 teams bleeding cash?
Why would the NHL move to a market where they are the first banana when they can move to a market where they are 4th, 5th or 6th?
Before you say "because Houston is one of the biggest cities in NA". that doesn't matter. Look at Phoenix. Look at Atlanta. Look at all of the entertainment industries today. It's not about mass appeal it's about milking your dedicated fan base for every, single, last dollar.
The one reason they might move is to show other cities balking at handing over an arena to billionaires that you don't mess with the NHL or they will take their toy and leave.
People can try and use all the logic they want but there is only one reason the Flames leave and it's to mark their territory. Won't give us a new rink? don't think we'll relocate your team? We moved the Calgary Flames, just watch us.