I guess television and video games have rotted my brain.
You’re right it might not be a struggle but Stan kind of seems like a D-Bag when it comes to business and the fact that he was in ligation with previous partners for so long it really doesn’t seem like he’s the type of guy that is going to just hammer this out over a couple of beers. This would be his stadium and he is going to want as much of the pie as possible including the crust. Now he may be more agreeable if it is his only way to LA but I just don’t see an agreement going well. Plus since he wants to be there for at least a season alone that means the second team will have to endure a second possible lame duck season in a less than desirable stadium. I don’t think the owner of that team is going to be happy about it.
Everything I have read has indicated they will finance the deal. Andy Strickland of CBS Sports radio 920 AM in St. Louis reported Friday that according to high-ranking officials in St. Louis, Chargers owner Dean Spanos has a deal in place with Goldman Sachs to build a stadium in Los Angeles, and the NFL asked him to hold off from announcing or releasing those plans (Hall 2015). Now I am not sure how they will provide the money and through what avenue but as far as the NFL goes they know the money is coming from GS. And that is all they care about. Goldman Sachs will finance the Chargers’ move from San Diego and also cover any losses sustained by the franchise in the first few years in Los Angeles, the Sports Business Journal reported Monday (Fox 5 2015). The fact that not only is GS going to finance the stadium but cover any losses is big and very telling IMO.
Well that is a lot of what ifs. I think the financing is solid. And as far as the cleanup goes according to Emad Yemut of the Toxic Substance Control Department “It is safe”. The site still needs a series of extraction wells to remove methane and other gases which can be installed in 6 months. The property, which includes an additional 11 acres outside the landfill, is already equipped with wells that pull out groundwater fouled with industrial solvents, he said. The water is then treated and piped into the sewer system (Pringle 2015). The land is as good as sold. It has not been reported that is has been finalized so I will concede that much but Fabiani has stated on many occasions that they have to sell and we have to buy. “The project is subject to a binding purchase and sale agreement,” Fabiani wrote in the email. “All parties are bound by the agreement.” When NBC 7 first reached out to Fabiani he said, the "land has been purchased through a binding agreement with the seller." (Walsh 2015). Now Walsh reported that back in February and the agreement was supposed to be finalized in March. I don’t think it has been reported one way or another if that land has been secured yet.
I think Carson could win out over Inglewood if STL comes through with a plan and the other markets don’t which looks to be the case as we sit here today. The Carson project would provide the two California teams with a solution in the California market, the Raiders and the Chargers have been working on stadium solutions much longer than the Rams, and you aren’t allowing a team to move back to LA that abandoned that market effective diluting the market while vacating another. Of course we are dealing in hypotheticals.
Reference:
Hall, Mathew T.
Goldman Sachs shows Chargers are serious about sharing Carson stadium with Raiders. U-T San Diego, February 20, 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/20/goldman-sachs-chargers-raiders-stadium/
Fox 5.
Report: Goldman Sachs offers to finance Charges move to LA. Fox 5 San Diego, March 2, 2015. Retrieved from:
http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/03/02/report-goldman-sachs-offers-to-finance-chargers-move-to-la/
Pringle, Paul.
State says Carson site ready for construction of NFL stadium. LA Times, February 21, 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nfl-carson-stadium-20150221-story.html
Walsh, Lynn.
Chargers Carson Stadium Land Purchase Not Finalized. NBC San Diego, February 20, 2015. Retrieved from:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/loc...um-Land-Purchase-Not-Finalized-293108931.html
Nice work Goose. Sorry to put you through that.
SAN DIEGO -- Goldman Sachs,
the longtime investment banker of the San Diego Chargers, is committed to cover any operating losses suffered by the team in the first few years of a potential relocation to Los Angeles, along with any costs for renovations necessary to a temporary venue, according to the Sports Business Journal.
"
We are in a hypercompetitive environment regarding Los Angeles at this moment, and so we won't be releasing specifics on our work with Goldman Sachs," Fabiani said. "The bottom line is that we, along with Goldman Sachs, are completely confident that the Raiders/Chargers L.A. stadium proposal can feasibly be financed."
I believe they are the broker, not the lender. The fact that they draw a distinction between covering operating losses / temp renovations is the tip. Also they are certain it
can be financed, which sounds like they aren't the ones funding it or there would be no question mark.
In the grand scene of things that doesn't really matter where the money comes from and they say they can get it.
To the underscored, who knows what these guys have agreed to, and GS admits to have not released any comments about the stadium financing.
Your point about keeping California teams in CA is valid although those who don't live here don't get the demographics or the massive size of this state.
I pointed out the other day the distance between these cities.
Where I can understand an argument being made for the Chargers and their proximity to LA. Oakland isn't even in the same state. For example if you add the distance in miles from San Diego to LA , then add entire width of the sate of Missouri, the sum of the two would be the equivalent of the distance from Oakland to LA. So adding a former team back into the "state" of SoCal, would be doable. It always worked before and Spanos is freaking dreaming if he thinks he has some sort of right over the LA region. You won't find any Chargers gear or fans around here.
What the league thinks or prefers, I dunno.
As far as the toxicity of the Carson site. Goose honestly, I can't believe anyone would want to build anything there except a fwy or a refinery. It is an awful area and the geology is very suspect. Besides the $3.6 mm a year just to capture and pump the methane out from the TOXIC landfill in the area, they would have to pump water out from under it constantly and in the event of an earthquake (which CA has been known to have) the mass of a stadium could easily slip or sink a little through a process known as liquefaction. Unless they drill 100's of caissons down to actual bedrock to support the footings and foundation, basically suspending the stadium over the landfill, I can't see any municipality approving the engineering plan. Of course the municipality who might have at least the local say has much to gain from the stadium so who knows.
Perhaps this is why the NFL abandoned this site in the past. ?
Is ESK a -----? Not sure but he's acting like one. He has created fear and animosity in StL, provided a reason to divide the old and new fan base, freaked out Spano's, put 100's of people to work on possibly impossible processes and all so he can make more money. This sentiment can't be lost on all parties involved and he knows it.
This is one the strangest times in NFL history that this 50 year long NFL fan has ever experienced. Where a very settled league suddenly becomes a battle off the gridiron between football teams to be the first to cross the bottom line,, not the goal line.
Cheers Rambro!