Woj Bomb: Celtics Ownership looking to Sell

[Roy H.]

Why do the Celtics need a new stadium?

They don't necessarily need one. But if they sell for a record price, whoever pays it could very well want to control as much of the revenue from game days as possible. Which means you want to own the surrounding businesses where fans eat and drink before an after games. You also want to control parking and maximize revenue from your arena.

Also whoever gets the team may not share the fans affinity for the current venue. How many arena's and stadiums across the country have made it past 40 years old?

I'm not saying it will happen, but it very well could.

Plus potential revenue from non-basketball events, such as concerts.

That said, news stadiums almost always come with significant public money.  Would Boston or the surrounding communities go for that?

[BitterJim]

I don't really care if Bezos buys the Celtics.  At the cost of a sports franchise these days, pretty much every one is going to be owned by someone like him in time anyway.  The stadium aspect of this is getting a lot of talk, with the thinking being that Bezos would build a stadium for the Celtics.  I don't think Boston needs a stadium for Hockey and a stadium for Basketball.  That doesn't make sense to me.  I suppose Bezos could buy the Garden from Jacobs.

Financially, it seems that investing in a sports franchise would be a good diversification for him.  It would only take a few of his 100s of billions to buy it.  I am not sure he has the personal bandwidth to get too involved in the business of the Celtics.  It would probably be better than Henry buying the Celtics.

That would make a lot of sense. I could definitely see Jacobs selling it for the right price, but paying that price plus the cost of the Celtics would be astronomical. It would have to be someone like Bezos for that to be viable.

[green_bballers13]

Why do the Celtics need a new stadium?

They don't necessarily need one. But if they sell for a record price, whoever pays it could very well want to control as much of the revenue from game days as possible. Which means you want to own the surrounding businesses where fans eat and drink before an after games. You also want to control parking and maximize revenue from your arena.

Also whoever gets the team may not share the fans affinity for the current venue. How many arena's and stadiums across the country have made it past 40 years old?

I'm not saying it will happen, but it very well could.

So they've invested a ton of money into the North Station area, which is a hub. What new owner isn't going to try for public financing if it's available? So the city would build something very expensive that isn't needed to satisfy one guy (or group of investors)?

[Kernewek]

Why do the Celtics need a new stadium?

They don't necessarily need one. But if they sell for a record price, whoever pays it could very well want to control as much of the revenue from game days as possible. Which means you want to own the surrounding businesses where fans eat and drink before an after games. You also want to control parking and maximize revenue from your arena.

Also whoever gets the team may not share the fans affinity for the current venue. How many arena's and stadiums across the country have made it past 40 years old?

I'm not saying it will happen, but it very well could.

So they've invested a ton of money into the North Station area, which is a hub. What new owner isn't going to try for public financing if it's available? So the city would build something very expensive that isn't needed to satisfy one guy (or group of investors)?

I mean, yes, historically this is exactly what happens with new stadiums. Someone brought up the Sonics earlier - whether you believe that ownership group was going to try and keep the team in Seattle (unlikely), the public financing of a new stadium was a big part of that discussion.

[green_bballers13]

As much as I loathe Bezos, he didn't really mess with WAPO like some power-crazed self-obsessed/deluded psychopath, like Musk did with Twitter.

Bezos has at least enough acumen to realize that if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I wonder if the interest starts to pick up when Tatum starts going supernova in week 2.

I think you have things backwards....Twitter is a much better place now, both sides are represented and we have freedom of Speech....Washington Post is HOT GARBAGE.

At the very least haven't notice any change with the exception of the name and not being used as a political tool anymore.

Huh? Elon Musk's social media platform is a haven for angry white men. It's weird, and I don't want my kids anywhere near it.

[green_bballers13]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

It would also be interesting if the Celtics moved... they have far more success in North Station than the Bruins.

[Kernewek]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

I don't think there is one - and I really like the Garden as-is. Just pointing out that the demands on the side of a prospective new owner are likely to include a new stadium, or at least overtures towards one. If the Warriors could leave Oracle, the Celtics could leave TD.

[Celtics2021]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

I don't think there is one - and I really like the Garden as-is. Just pointing out that the demands on the side of a prospective new owner are likely to include a new stadium, or at least overtures towards one. If the Warriors could leave Oracle, the Celtics could leave TD.

It?s a little different for Warriors vs the Celtics tho.  They were able to go to a wealthier city where a lot of the fan-base already lived.  It?s pretty unlikely the Celtics would be able to leverage Boston against Cambridge or Somerville (given the political leanings of those cities? governments) and further removed suburbs are a) going to be less attractive due to NBA games having many weekday night starts mixed with Boston commuting traffic, and b) many major zoning changes needed for a stadium complex that also likely includes additional residential and commercial properties, not to mention infrastructure, will likely require approval by the legislature in MA.  So Boston-based legislators, which is a large bloc, would likely be able to kill any such bill.

That means a new Celtics owner would need to look outside the state.  Maybe they could convince Providence to do something, but otherwise they need to find a completely different market without a team, likely after the NBA has expanded to Vegas and Seattle.  Choices exist, but there it?s not a slam dunk option.  More likely the deal they would be able to get from Boston/Mass is the rezoning of certain parcels and infrastructure development to support the redevelopment of an area that has the Celtics as the anchor, although that is easier said than done as the Revolution have found out.

[perks-a-beast]

As much as I loathe Bezos, he didn't really mess with WAPO like some power-crazed self-obsessed/deluded psychopath, like Musk did with Twitter.

Bezos has at least enough acumen to realize that if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I wonder if the interest starts to pick up when Tatum starts going supernova in week 2.

I think you have things backwards....Twitter is a much better place now, both sides are represented and we have freedom of Speech....Washington Post is HOT GARBAGE.

At the very least haven't notice any change with the exception of the name and not being used as a political tool anymore.

Huh? Elon Musk's social media platform is a haven for angry white men. It's weird, and I don't want my kids anywhere near it.

 

[Phantom255x]

I'm not really sure why there's an outcry for a new stadium. I like it as is. But also, where would they even put one? For reference, the NE Revolution have seemingly been trying to get one for a while but they can't and even some of the rumors have them located in somewhere like Revere/Everett which honestly isn't *that* close to Boston either. And that's probably where the C's would have to look too unless somehow they can find land or property in Boston?

[Kernewek]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

I don't think there is one - and I really like the Garden as-is. Just pointing out that the demands on the side of a prospective new owner are likely to include a new stadium, or at least overtures towards one. If the Warriors could leave Oracle, the Celtics could leave TD.

It?s a little different for Warriors vs the Celtics tho.  They were able to go to a wealthier city where a lot of the fan-base already lived.  It?s pretty unlikely the Celtics would be able to leverage Boston against Cambridge or Somerville (given the political leanings of those cities? governments) and further removed suburbs are a) going to be less attractive due to NBA games having many weekday night starts mixed with Boston commuting traffic, and b) many major zoning changes needed for a stadium complex that also likely includes additional residential and commercial properties, not to mention infrastructure, will likely require approval by the legislature in MA.  So Boston-based legislators, which is a large bloc, would likely be able to kill any such bill.

That means a new Celtics owner would need to look outside the state.  Maybe they could convince Providence to do something, but otherwise they need to find a completely different market without a team, likely after the NBA has expanded to Vegas and Seattle.  Choices exist, but there it?s not a slam dunk option.  More likely the deal they would be able to get from Boston/Mass is the rezoning of certain parcels and infrastructure development to support the redevelopment of an area that has the Celtics as the anchor, although that is easier said than done as the Revolution have found out.

Get ready for the Lynn Celtics.

[Donoghus]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

I don't think there is one - and I really like the Garden as-is. Just pointing out that the demands on the side of a prospective new owner are likely to include a new stadium, or at least overtures towards one. If the Warriors could leave Oracle, the Celtics could leave TD.

It?s a little different for Warriors vs the Celtics tho.  They were able to go to a wealthier city where a lot of the fan-base already lived.  It?s pretty unlikely the Celtics would be able to leverage Boston against Cambridge or Somerville (given the political leanings of those cities? governments) and further removed suburbs are a) going to be less attractive due to NBA games having many weekday night starts mixed with Boston commuting traffic, and b) many major zoning changes needed for a stadium complex that also likely includes additional residential and commercial properties, not to mention infrastructure, will likely require approval by the legislature in MA.  So Boston-based legislators, which is a large bloc, would likely be able to kill any such bill.

That means a new Celtics owner would need to look outside the state.  Maybe they could convince Providence to do something, but otherwise they need to find a completely different market without a team, likely after the NBA has expanded to Vegas and Seattle.  Choices exist, but there it?s not a slam dunk option.  More likely the deal they would be able to get from Boston/Mass is the rezoning of certain parcels and infrastructure development to support the redevelopment of an area that has the Celtics as the anchor, although that is easier said than done as the Revolution have found out.

Giving me Megaplex vibes all over again.  People remember that boondoggle?

I'm not really sure why there's an outcry for a new stadium. I like it as is. But also, where would they even put one? For reference, the NE Revolution have seemingly been trying to get one for a while but they can't and even some of the rumors have them located in somewhere like Revere/Everett which honestly isn't *that* close to Boston either. And that's probably where the C's would have to look too unless somehow they can find land or property in Boston?

In hindsight & in a perfect world, the Seaport in the 2000s probably would've been the right play but that ship has long sailed plus the timing just wouldn't have been right.

[Celtics2021]

I personally like having the Bruins and the Celtics in the same spot. Boston is small, and the Garden's location is good. I'm curious where a better location would be?

I don't think there is one - and I really like the Garden as-is. Just pointing out that the demands on the side of a prospective new owner are likely to include a new stadium, or at least overtures towards one. If the Warriors could leave Oracle, the Celtics could leave TD.

It?s a little different for Warriors vs the Celtics tho.  They were able to go to a wealthier city where a lot of the fan-base already lived.  It?s pretty unlikely the Celtics would be able to leverage Boston against Cambridge or Somerville (given the political leanings of those cities? governments) and further removed suburbs are a) going to be less attractive due to NBA games having many weekday night starts mixed with Boston commuting traffic, and b) many major zoning changes needed for a stadium complex that also likely includes additional residential and commercial properties, not to mention infrastructure, will likely require approval by the legislature in MA.  So Boston-based legislators, which is a large bloc, would likely be able to kill any such bill.

That means a new Celtics owner would need to look outside the state.  Maybe they could convince Providence to do something, but otherwise they need to find a completely different market without a team, likely after the NBA has expanded to Vegas and Seattle.  Choices exist, but there it?s not a slam dunk option.  More likely the deal they would be able to get from Boston/Mass is the rezoning of certain parcels and infrastructure development to support the redevelopment of an area that has the Celtics as the anchor, although that is easier said than done as the Revolution have found out.

Giving me Megaplex vibes all over again.  People remember that boondoggle?

I'm not really sure why there's an outcry for a new stadium. I like it as is. But also, where would they even put one? For reference, the NE Revolution have seemingly been trying to get one for a while but they can't and even some of the rumors have them located in somewhere like Revere/Everett which honestly isn't *that* close to Boston either. And that's probably where the C's would have to look too unless somehow they can find land or property in Boston?

In hindsight & in a perfect world, the Seaport in the 2000s probably would've been the right play but that ship has long sailed plus the timing just wouldn't have been right.

Megaplex predates my arrival in Boston, or if not, predates my interest in urban planning.

[Vermont Green]

Jeff Bezos has no interest in bidding for Celtics
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos "has no plans to bid on" the Celtics, according to a source close to Bezos. Sports media "has been abuzz about the possibility" ever since The Ringer's Bill Simmons "gave credence to the rumors" in an episode of his podcast. But according to the source, there's "zero truth" to the idea that Bezos is interested in bidding on the team. 16 hours ago ? via Sports Business Journal

Jeff Bezos' biggest competitor to buy the Boston Celtics, John Henry and the Fenway Sports group, are dropping out of the race to buy the team, per Tony Massarotti. 19 hours ago ? via Sporting News

[gift]

Jeff Bezos has no interest in bidding for Celtics
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos "has no plans to bid on" the Celtics, according to a source close to Bezos. Sports media "has been abuzz about the possibility" ever since The Ringer's Bill Simmons "gave credence to the rumors" in an episode of his podcast. But according to the source, there's "zero truth" to the idea that Bezos is interested in bidding on the team. 16 hours ago ? via Sports Business Journal

Jeff Bezos' biggest competitor to buy the Boston Celtics, John Henry and the Fenway Sports group, are dropping out of the race to buy the team, per Tony Massarotti. 19 hours ago ? via Sporting News

so no one wants to buy the celtics lol