Spanos has allies, Kroenke has money
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Spanos has allies, Kroenke has money
NEW YORK — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has long been, among the other 31 NFL team owners, one of Dean Spanos’ closest friends.
They have, on several occasions, spoken with a warmth that burrows beneath the usual platitudes this exclusive clan of rich men publicly bestow on each other.
“Deano,” a beaming Irsay exclaimed as he grabbed a tearful Spanos in an embrace following the Chargers’ playoff victory in Indianapolis in January of 2008.
They have sat next to each other in countless league meetings. They shared a unique closeness with late Raiders owner Al Davis, whose son, Mark, is now partnered with Spanos on a proposed stadium project in Carson.
It is in a quandary faced by Irsay that Spanos’ challenge is characterized.
“Of course, as owners, personal friendships come into play,” Irsay said. “But in business, mistakes are often made if they’re led by emotion. You have to be very thoughtful.”
Spanos, the Chargers chairman, has spent two decades being the consummate NFL soldier, personifying the catch-phrase of owners and league executives – “in the best interest of the NFL.”
In recent years, Spanos has spent much time demonstrating to the league and his fellow owners that he has exhausted his options for getting a stadium in San Diego. To that end, he has largely succeeded. There is a clear desire by many owners and, it is believed, by commissioner Roger Goodell, to make sure the Chargers are rewarded for Spanos’ assiduousness, be that in facilitating the franchise’s move to Los Angeles or helping ensure a soft landing back in San Diego.
RELATED: Chargers, Rams mediation could happen | NFL on way to L.A., but questions remain
Several sources indicate Spanos has, at least, the nine votes that would block St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke from being approved to move to Los Angeles. He also is believed to have at least the philosophical support of at least two members of the influential Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair and Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
However, there is a puzzle the NFL is engaged in trying to solve, as Kroenke’s stadium proposal in Inglewood is viewed by some influential owners as the grander project, more befitting the nation’s biggest sports league’s return to the nation's second-largest market.
While Irsay was careful to not tip one way or another, he said he has an idea where the process is headed. And it is the Inglewood proposal, with its size and Kroenke’s deep pockets, that seems to fulfill Irsay’s vision.
“It would be exciting if this site is a place … (that) has a Disneyland sort of feel where it is a real location where people go to,” Irsay said.
The thought by Irsay, as well as other owners and league executives, is that the NFL Network would be located on whichever L.A. site is chosen, and there has been talk of an NFL museum. Kroenke’s proposal also includes other entertainment venues, and it is located adjacent to the recently renovated Inglewood Forum.
The Carson site is viewed as more of simply a stadium.
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Among the other highly involved owners who often speaks highly of Spanos is Jerry Jones. The Dallas Cowboys’ boss again heaped praise on Spanos this week.
Jones stopped himself short every time he seemed on the verge of publicly endorsing Inglewood. However, his preference has long seemed clear.
“I think it’s our number one, from my perspective, our number one opportunity, our number one focus should be on doing a project in L.A. that wows ‘em,” Jones said here.
Jones refers often to his team’s AT&T Stadium, the opulent behemoth to which other stadiums can only partially measure in terms of amenities and grandiosity.
“That’s the bar to beat for L.A.,” he said. “This is Jerry Jones talking, and I don’t want to be presumptuous enough to say our stadium is the best stadium. But I know the work it took, I know the money it took, I know the risk it, too. L.A. needs every bit of that.”
It is here, in discussion with the L.A. committee on Tuesday and during meetings and breaks between meetings Wednesday, that Spanos is attempting to demonstrate his project’s viability and also continues his quest for support.
The other owners weigh not only their desire to support other owners but what lifts the league as a whole – and end that, of course, benefits individual teams.
“The 32 teams are interested in what’s best for the long-term success of the league,” said George McCaskey, chairman of the Chicago Bears. “There may be some amount of personal regard involved, but I don’t know how much influence that is going to have in the final analysis.”
Spanos has allies, Kroenke has money
NEW YORK — Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has long been, among the other 31 NFL team owners, one of Dean Spanos’ closest friends.
They have, on several occasions, spoken with a warmth that burrows beneath the usual platitudes this exclusive clan of rich men publicly bestow on each other.
“Deano,” a beaming Irsay exclaimed as he grabbed a tearful Spanos in an embrace following the Chargers’ playoff victory in Indianapolis in January of 2008.
They have sat next to each other in countless league meetings. They shared a unique closeness with late Raiders owner Al Davis, whose son, Mark, is now partnered with Spanos on a proposed stadium project in Carson.
It is in a quandary faced by Irsay that Spanos’ challenge is characterized.
“Of course, as owners, personal friendships come into play,” Irsay said. “But in business, mistakes are often made if they’re led by emotion. You have to be very thoughtful.”
Spanos, the Chargers chairman, has spent two decades being the consummate NFL soldier, personifying the catch-phrase of owners and league executives – “in the best interest of the NFL.”
In recent years, Spanos has spent much time demonstrating to the league and his fellow owners that he has exhausted his options for getting a stadium in San Diego. To that end, he has largely succeeded. There is a clear desire by many owners and, it is believed, by commissioner Roger Goodell, to make sure the Chargers are rewarded for Spanos’ assiduousness, be that in facilitating the franchise’s move to Los Angeles or helping ensure a soft landing back in San Diego.
RELATED: Chargers, Rams mediation could happen | NFL on way to L.A., but questions remain
Several sources indicate Spanos has, at least, the nine votes that would block St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke from being approved to move to Los Angeles. He also is believed to have at least the philosophical support of at least two members of the influential Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair and Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson.
However, there is a puzzle the NFL is engaged in trying to solve, as Kroenke’s stadium proposal in Inglewood is viewed by some influential owners as the grander project, more befitting the nation’s biggest sports league’s return to the nation's second-largest market.
While Irsay was careful to not tip one way or another, he said he has an idea where the process is headed. And it is the Inglewood proposal, with its size and Kroenke’s deep pockets, that seems to fulfill Irsay’s vision.
“It would be exciting if this site is a place … (that) has a Disneyland sort of feel where it is a real location where people go to,” Irsay said.
The thought by Irsay, as well as other owners and league executives, is that the NFL Network would be located on whichever L.A. site is chosen, and there has been talk of an NFL museum. Kroenke’s proposal also includes other entertainment venues, and it is located adjacent to the recently renovated Inglewood Forum.
The Carson site is viewed as more of simply a stadium.
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Sign up for our daily San Diego Chargers newsletter to get the latest news and analysis on the team from The San Diego Union-Tribune and from around the country. The best Chargers reporting, delivered to your inbox every day by 7 a.m. Don't miss out.
Among the other highly involved owners who often speaks highly of Spanos is Jerry Jones. The Dallas Cowboys’ boss again heaped praise on Spanos this week.
Jones stopped himself short every time he seemed on the verge of publicly endorsing Inglewood. However, his preference has long seemed clear.
“I think it’s our number one, from my perspective, our number one opportunity, our number one focus should be on doing a project in L.A. that wows ‘em,” Jones said here.
Jones refers often to his team’s AT&T Stadium, the opulent behemoth to which other stadiums can only partially measure in terms of amenities and grandiosity.
“That’s the bar to beat for L.A.,” he said. “This is Jerry Jones talking, and I don’t want to be presumptuous enough to say our stadium is the best stadium. But I know the work it took, I know the money it took, I know the risk it, too. L.A. needs every bit of that.”
It is here, in discussion with the L.A. committee on Tuesday and during meetings and breaks between meetings Wednesday, that Spanos is attempting to demonstrate his project’s viability and also continues his quest for support.
The other owners weigh not only their desire to support other owners but what lifts the league as a whole – and end that, of course, benefits individual teams.
“The 32 teams are interested in what’s best for the long-term success of the league,” said George McCaskey, chairman of the Chicago Bears. “There may be some amount of personal regard involved, but I don’t know how much influence that is going to have in the final analysis.”
