My sources have uncovered the identities of the the five bidders cometing with the much-publicized Checketts/Limbaugh group for the controlling ownership interest in the St. Louis Rams.
Since I had such a great time at this year's Bash, I decided to break the news here at ClanRam, rather than on the Post-Dispatch's website.
The five groups are:
The Lay Estate Group: This group is headed by the benificiaries of the late Kenneth Lay, former Enron executive. The biggest plus of this group is its vast assets and connections to Missouri (Lay was born in Tyrone, Missouri). There are some questions, though, about the source of the estate's funds.
The Francis Group: Headed by Joseph Francis who, ironically, has a background in filmmaking, much like current owner Chip Rosenbloom. He is viewed as a potential owner who would bring a great deal of youth to the league, though certain legal obsticles are a concern.
The Al Maktoum Group: The Royal Family of Dubai has been looking to get into American sports ownership, and this could be their (pardon the pun) gateway. The NFL currently does not maintain any anti-foreign ownership rules. However, concerns have been raised after blueprints for an NFL stadium in Dubai were leaked.
The Cowell Group: Another wealthy potential owner, Simon Cowell has excelled in the selection of talent, and believes he can do the same in the NFL. He has already proposed a real-time text message interactive fan draft warroom plan for any team he is able to purchase. The biggest hurdle would be a recent poll in which 75% of current NFL owners reported that they consider him to be a "wanker."
The Orlando Group: Little is known regarding this group, which apparently would like to move the team to Central Florida, other than that it is headed by a prominent Winter Park, Florida, attorney.
So, there you have it. Clearly, there are some viable alternatives to the Checketts/Limbaugh group.
--B
Since I had such a great time at this year's Bash, I decided to break the news here at ClanRam, rather than on the Post-Dispatch's website.
The five groups are:
The Lay Estate Group: This group is headed by the benificiaries of the late Kenneth Lay, former Enron executive. The biggest plus of this group is its vast assets and connections to Missouri (Lay was born in Tyrone, Missouri). There are some questions, though, about the source of the estate's funds.
The Francis Group: Headed by Joseph Francis who, ironically, has a background in filmmaking, much like current owner Chip Rosenbloom. He is viewed as a potential owner who would bring a great deal of youth to the league, though certain legal obsticles are a concern.
The Al Maktoum Group: The Royal Family of Dubai has been looking to get into American sports ownership, and this could be their (pardon the pun) gateway. The NFL currently does not maintain any anti-foreign ownership rules. However, concerns have been raised after blueprints for an NFL stadium in Dubai were leaked.
The Cowell Group: Another wealthy potential owner, Simon Cowell has excelled in the selection of talent, and believes he can do the same in the NFL. He has already proposed a real-time text message interactive fan draft warroom plan for any team he is able to purchase. The biggest hurdle would be a recent poll in which 75% of current NFL owners reported that they consider him to be a "wanker."
The Orlando Group: Little is known regarding this group, which apparently would like to move the team to Central Florida, other than that it is headed by a prominent Winter Park, Florida, attorney.
So, there you have it. Clearly, there are some viable alternatives to the Checketts/Limbaugh group.
--B
Comment