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Off yesterday's headlines, the sports dad Joe Gud, I am Phil Mackie. This is a team of all of the podcast. Flagron house presented in Park by our friends at Eco Fund before we start the show. Eco Fund Motorsports is your summertime fund headquarters.
They carry a full line of suitors, motorcycles, ATVs, even golf carts. You see on the YouTube channel here, electric bikes, side by side, premium brands like Yamaha, and Kawasaki Best Buy, then tell you. On the water side, which you can find all sorts of watercraft at the forest lake location, Eco Fund. They have a fully stock line of 2024 Kawasaki and Yamaha watercraft.
Two locations for us lake where you also can get the watercraft, Burnsville, Eco Fund Motorsports.com, Tell them Flagron House or Scornhouse, St. Eco Fund Motorsports.com. So, Jeff, this is from the athletic yesterday. Billionaire businessman and former three-term New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has reached an agreement to join the perspective of Minnesota Timberworld's ownership group of Mark Laurie and Alex Rodriguez, League sources, tell the athletic.
Bloomberg is ranked as the 12th richest person in the world with a net worth over $100 billion and he brings a major investor to the Laurie A. Raghrew, which currently owns nearly 40% of the Timeroles and links and is an available blend tailor from the Jordy control of the franchise's adding Bloomberg to the group would allow the world's new ownership group if they win this legal proceeding to go forward immediately with the final $300 plus million investment to buy out Glenn Taylor rather than waiting until the end of next season, League sources said. What do you think of this? Well, I'm glad now that the idea has come up that if this does work for Mark and Alex, that there is not going to be a continuation of like a plan where well, eventually, well, right this, yeah, it's a very good idea.
And now the things are falling completely. And if they get the team, they're just going to buy out land because actually, it would help in 2021. I think there's only strengthens their case. And now we don't, we still don't know exactly what in the arbitration case, Glenn and his lawyers are going to use as like Laurie and A.
Ryan misdeadlines. Like we still don't know, it's not been documented. We don't know exactly what they missed. But if they do win the case or at least when they go to the arbitration, which I believe is three, three percent arbitration board, they've got a pretty strong case now of having enough capital.
They have enough to basically say, okay, we just involved a 12th richest man in the world. So I think it's a good idea. I would love to know though, like what, what did they supposedly miss and is that going to be used against them where the Taylor campus going to say, well, yeah, too late now. But I think the most interesting takeaway I have is this.
And we talk about this during the finals well for during the white conference finals. Well, there has been nothing in this entire thing since it's supposedly set the parking light march that lead you to believe that in any way, shape or form Alex and Mark are backing off. No, nothing. In fact, they've like, if anything, they've been more frontal.
They've been, we documented this throughout the playoffs. I was basically hanging out courtside. You're at the games two, two and a half hours before hands. You're like, four games before fans come in.
They're out of end or Laurie are holding courts, courtside or in the back in that sort of revamp to the old media room that's now an ownership room. I mean, they are everywhere in and around the battles of targets enter during this playoff run and you know, they're encouraging and then yeah, where it's in currently the town, they are there. It doesn't feel like a put on to me. It feels like they are here.
This is our team. It felt like it was their team throughout the entire playoff run to me. Obviously the courts will decide if it actually does become their team. And that's where this Bloomberg thing is interesting.
I don't think this announcement has any impact on what's going to happen in arbitration. Because what's going to happen in arbitration is about past deadlines that Glenn Taylor is accusing a right of Laurie of not hitting or not hitting with enough money, whatever the specifics are. And the Bloomberg edition as a minority owner by just being clear, Bloomberg is the richest of all of these people by far, but Bloomberg is coming in as a minority owner as part of the a right of the group. And I think it adds some credibility financially because here's a guy if we are ever real short on funds or if there's ever any question about whether we have an liquid or capital.
I mean, we've got Michael Bloomberg in the mix here. So I think it provides some peace of mind for the NBA, the NBA board directors, and it also provides another big chunk of money to get Glenn Taylor out as soon as possible. But none of that matters. None of this, none of this Bloomberg stuff matters if arbitration goes Glenn's way because Glenn would still be the majority owner of the team.
Right. Well, if we knew what was supposedly missed, that's my question. And that does not involve Bloomberg at all. But what were these deadlines?
Like were they missed is somebody reading the contract incorrectly? So like there's a lot here. There's a lot here. We don't know.
And Bloomberg takes two. But let's say they're going to buy lines. Like let's say they're going to build. Let's say we're going to get to this.
They're going to launch our SN. Bloomberging on the ground floor, that could help fund those things. Like huge. So like there is, in stories like this, there's always a ton of stuff you don't know.
And owning a sports franchise in 2024 is not just owning a team. It's potentially building a building a television network. It's potentially a ton of things. Like if you build out in the suburbs, you can build a tenor-world village now.
Like look at the Vikings. TCO, yes, it's a huge campus that the Vikings use, but they have built hotels. They have built apartments. Like it is a full business operation that goes far beyond sports team.
So like Bloomberg could be investor in the basketball team. But he could also be the plan to compete that he's going to be a major investor in other business endeavors, which are going to be focused around things again like television, like arenas, who knows, man, like apartments. You know? Yeah, I mean, let's get to that part of it.
Let's get to the arena part of it. Because I've heard some buzz going back to late last summer and we've reported this on Flagler House that A. Rod and Laurie understand the uphill climb that it would be in this market for the public to pay another huge chunk for another stadium arena. At the time US-Mankstadium was funded, the public paid $500 million in taxpayer money to get that stadium up and built.
And that was the biggest chunk at the time that the public had ever paid for any stadium in the history of the United States. I think there's been some, that's about 10 years ago now. So I think there's been some bigger chunks. But you know, the goal for football stadium, the target field had involved a lot of public to find his money.
Part of the target center renovation. So the same, same pulsates like we've paid for a lot of stadiums around here. Now if it's me and you, yeah, take some more of my tax money. This is part of our lives and whatever.
But I think if you can avoid that mess and how many years it would take working with local lawmakers and just the muddsling that would have to happen, the threat of maybe moving the team, which is that started to percolate with the Vikings. But hey, Los Angeles is sitting over there. So I have heard going back almost a year that A. Rod and Laurie understand that uphill climb.
It's a pretty small, a really, a relatively fine against a new arena. Somehow. Even if it's a different group than the group that they put together to buy from Georgia ownership. So Nick Holtter from Axios came out on Twitter yesterday.
And he took a screenshot. Here's the tweet. Here's a map of the area where A. Rod has told people he's putting together a deal for a new Tittle arena.
It's the farmer's market area. The green area that he draws up is the broader site. The problem is the family that owns the buildings in the Red area, he's circling a couple buildings that you have to have those buildings in that area of that footprint to build arena. He said the problem is the family that owns this section of the land told me yesterday, we haven't heard anything from anybody.
I mean, this is kind of a gadget tweet. Well, maybe Alex and Mark and some people are like, putting together ideas for where the footprint could be. Maybe they haven't gotten this up of actually entering a discussion about purchasing. So it might just be early in the process.
But what's interesting is, Target Center right now is almost certainly too small of a footprint to just build a new state of the art arena. It's just crammed between first Avenue and Target Field. There's just, you know, Keerans and all those restaurants that will tell, you can't really create a broader footprint there. You have to go somewhere else if you want a modern state of the art arena with restaurants and bars and stuff, laundry seating.
So that's gonna be interesting. But one thing I had heard, and I think I feel like Johnny put part of this in his athletic article that Alex and Mark would essentially partner with Live Nation to fill 75, 80, 100 days a year with concerts and events to help generate more revenue. So this is a discussion taking place behind the scenes that they would put together a group to privately finance a wolves village or a new arena or whatever it may be. And they are looking at that farmer's market site.
Yeah, and they might actually be talking about that before that they make contact because that's where the United soccer team was actually going to play. The original goal was, I believe that McGuire was going to fund at the stadium there, build it privately. But all they asked for was some land help. Yeah, and this is like, no, no, no, we can't.
They wanted to tax break on the property tax. And this is where it gets intriguing because I know despite the fact that we built all of these stadiums and arenas now that there's going to be a faction of people who say, you know, screw these guys, they're rich by law. But those tax breaks, I think you're going to come into play here. Like I'm not saying that they might not build the entire building.
In fact, if you go back, Marvin Harv, built Target Center back in the day and it's what dragged them down. Like they damn yourself that the team to the box in Northropab, Aaron, who was going to move the team to New Orleans, not because the team's right now, but because the building did. But there's no question in my mind that wherever the wolves are going to go, they're going to need tax out, tax breaks. And those are the, they might seem like small questions that they're big, but I could very well see that Alex and Mark are sniffing around his site that has been talking about before without yet having made calls because they know it was at least previously available.
I just think we need to be prepared for this and possibly take some turns. And I know many Appleys is ideal. It's close to, you know, you're really close to me. It's close to you.
It's fantastic. But the most important thing here is that the wolves don't move. And so wherever they have to play in this town, if they have to play, if they can play downtown, that's ideal. If they move out to the verbs, that might not be ideal.
But it's your being in Seattle. Which one of the other people think, I mean, the wolves chose Eden for, well, the different, the different advice is like, because the NFL is a once a week game day ritual. So you can have your stadium downtown once a week for eight to 10 days a year. And then you can have your practice facility somewhere else where all of your staff is, that's where all the offices are.
For a basketball team, it all probably needs to be in the same area. Like, you arena would have practice courts and stuff attached. Right? Absolutely.
Absolutely. Here's my recklessly speculated question. Don't get you some safe cover. I'm like, congratulations.
Speculation. What is the potential tie in between the wolves and Michael Bloomberg? Because they're both New York, Jersey, East Coast guys. They're both billionaires.
There's no question. And it might be good, it might be bad. I don't know. But there's no question that there is a familiar, airdy there.
And I just think it's very interesting every time. And I am, by the way, I am not for having to drive to eat in for basketball games. Okay? It's a little extra guy.
It takes me 35 minutes on a good day to get to TCL. So I'm not pushing for this. But all I know is when I go out there, there is a ton of land, a ton of land. And I wonder if Bloomberg is involved.
I mean, it would be, I think it would be something to think that Alex and Mark have not talked to the wolves and the wolves on a ton of land there. And even as far as I'm a potential, then you site is really convenient. It's right by the airport, which the opposing team absolutely loves. But I mean, I was out there at the practice for the Vikings on the last three days, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I mean, I was looking around.
And the amount of just land out there is incredible. So I do think that Blue, I think the potential Blue or Will of Tied on real estate would be really interesting to find out. I mean, option A, I mean, self-slicher me too. I would be so convenient, but putting us aside, I think it would be a really, really interesting discussion about it.
I mean, there's certain people that think Minneapolis has already dead in burning. And I can tell you it's not. It is Minneapolis. It's not what was 2020 when everybody was home and there was unrest.
Maybe it's not thriving like it was 20 years ago. But if you took the table, especially a thriving table of steam out last few years, I would have downtown Minneapolis. You still have your bike in game days, and you still have concerts and stuff once in a while. But you have Target Field.
There's just something to about. Target Center has events. And if you built a bigger and better arena, and there was more events happening, 50, 70, 100 times a year. There's just something about the hard city in that way.
But from a financial standpoint, especially if the farmers market footprint was just not for sale in the way that you hoped. Where else would you look? Because I don't think they're going to build another arena on top of Target Center. I don't think the footprint's big enough.
I think you're right. So if they can't get the farmers market location, they probably would have to look toward the burbs somewhere, which opens up a whole interesting discussion. Which, you know, but that keeps them in a soda. Okay.
Like I think all rest would, you know, we know some of us would love everything to be kind of downtown Target Field, Target Center. But you know. And if you go to the burbs as well, I mean, if you built an arena in Eden, you could, one, if you own the team, keep all the party. So like every part of the party, you get that.
Right now, like a twin, nothing. The world is far, I know nothing from parking. And parking's a big, big potential. Reminds, you also could build, again, a village of shops, of restaurants.
So like there's just, it's really go Bears French cuisine experience. It's so different now, man, because it used to be, you know, hey, you almost worked in the next great. So many opportunities there. So that's why I wouldn't just mess up.
But I do think that the introduction of Bloomberg to the group is really, really interesting. Because I'm not convinced that just about the basketball. No. So yeah, Michael Bloomberg, he was on the Forbes last list.
He was the 12th richest person in the entire world with a net worth of over $100 billion. So I'd have to go take a look at like, I'm assuming he has a vast real estate portfolio as well. I'm gonna look out of look there too. Because here's my question.
Bloomberg and the Wilts, who both are, because I mean, the Wilts, their dad made his bones actually in the real estate market. Do they get along? Like is there a good relationship there or an adversarial one or that I know? Okay, there's another tentacle to all of this here that is the TV network thing that we're gonna get to in a second.
But a quick reminder that over at scornoff.com slash shop, we have clearance pricing on all of your flagrant houses merchandise. That's right. All of your bring ass, all of your, what's anything flagrant houses related? Scornoff.com slash shop is end of the season at lower prices, break every record from that's from a time to cage these tweet from a couple months ago.
And Wolz culture as well. So you can either scan the QR code on the YouTube channel or there's 40 minutes of how well T-shirts and hoodies. Everything's going. Everything's going.
Except for Anthony Edwards, scornoff.com slash shop, scornoff.com slash shop. So let's get to the TV network. Part of the news from yesterday reading from the athletic. Laurie and Rodriguez have also had conversations with redbird capital founders at Jerry Cardinal, Cardinal about collaborating on a new regional sports station to carry tingles and links games in addition to other teams in the area, leaks are said.
Cardinal has deepened acts with the New York Yankees and played a leading role in the formation of the Yes Network in New York, which would serve as a model for potential new venture in the Twin Cities area. So the Yes Network is widely successful. I think it's financially successful in the Yankees. Certainly have a huge payroll.
I'll back up the Yes Network. And I think the Yankees have actually sold a bunch of it. I want to say class is involved now. But yeah, they definitely launched it.
It's already with their back. So it's when the twins tried this with victory sports 20 years ago. And it was a little early. They didn't have a deal with confidence.
And they didn't have a stadium yet. And so basically all politicians said, we're not going to support your ask for a stadium for your game to back on TV. It was a full-life timing, man. It was a mess.
But we're now in a point where, man, like it's such a wild, wild west with local TV sports rights that if somebody can come in and organize a platform and a brand that has tingles and links games. And oh, by the way, we're looking to fill out a ton of programming here. So we could easily put twins games, maybe wild games, maybe have secondary alternate channels like you have with Valley Sports, Valley Sports Plus. And I was just kind of curious.
And you could probably have that brand, create visual content, content, and cast in YouTube and streaming them. Directed consumers, streaming customers. So it wouldn't be this pain in the ass that we're currently involved in. So I was looking at the yes network.
What's on how do they fill a 24-hour linear, streaming and cable channel? Yeah, geography. Dude, it is. Yeah, geography's a great with Michael.
So you've got here. So they have like starting early this morning recording this on Friday morning. They've got Yankees twins rerun from 3 to 6 AM. Yankees twins rerun from 6 to 9.
And then they're running back. So basically Yankees twins rerun all the way from 3 AM until noon. And then they have a show called Live Online from noon to 1. Home grown path to the pinstripe from 1 to 1.30.
Yankee magazine, Yankeeography. So they have like pre-packaged programming, which values us together in the past two. But then you have the Michael K show, which is in ESPN, New York radio show, that they also simulcast on the yes network from 3 to 6. You can have flagrant houses, streaming live on.
What would this network be called? Just a rod, who would call it a rod, probably. Fill in John and Kyle, Jim Pete, ready? Huh?
From 3 to 6. And then Yankees pre-game from 6 to 7. So it's just like a lot of Yankee stuff. But yeah, if there was a Minneapolis-based, I think it would have to be a brand that probably transcends Timber wolves.
And it would be linear available on cable, but also streaming. And probably some digital branches on YouTube and podcast. Interesting. So true.
And found some of the new ideas here. OK? Because like the old ideas, we got to be on cable inside. Like once we are covered, and we're going to charge a lot for our network.
In fact, one reason why I victory failed was because the Timber wolves tried to get involved. And the twins, according to my sources at the time, didn't want to give the wolves enough. Because if they had gotten the wolves, they probably forced their way at the time on to cable. Because then they got winter programming and summer programming.
And this market is not big enough to really substantiate but it's all like it's only like twins channel. Anyway, so I found this though. You touched as the VINXON's and the Vegas Golden Knights all have now directed to the Timber's subscription streaming services. And they're making their games available as well.
And this is the important thing. Over the air, which means free as well. So take your picket channels channel, 45, something like that. And cut a deal.
But what you're doing is you are allowing consumers who don't have cable or satellite to watch your team. And the realization is this, it's more important in 2024 that we have eyeballs watching us. Then we're milking the last dollar out of every person that we can. The interesting one, and this is the one that I think they would duplicate if they could.
In Chicago, this was announced I think this week. Set to debut in October is a new network called Chicago Sports Network. It will carry the blackox and bulls, this fall in winter. And the White Sox starting next spring, 24-7 multi-sport programming network, available on cable, streaming, again incredibly important.
And also, they're going to find a free outlet to show the games on. So like, you don't like the cost, is the direct the DTC direct the consumer. They don't have a cost yet. They don't have a cost yet.
But you know what? There's enough Young's or fans now. I think that we gladly paid that price. So they can watch games consistently on their phones under iPad without blackout restrictions.
So this to me is the direction. So it's not just this, like when you're launched, it took them a while to get carried because again, you're fighting with cable operators and satellite providers. It goes like to take a fight away. And just to make sure everyone can see your damn games, which is the twins problem right now.
They're not on Comcast. And that means they're absolutely getting stuck. So just to sum all this up from my perspective here, I know that there's still plenty of people, the wolf fans that are skeptical. Maybe you don't love Link Taylor, but you're skeptical about these guys coming in.
What's really behind door number two? I get that skepticism. But we're talking about between Lori A. Ryan Bloomberg.
We're talking about some wild, these successful business people here, especially with Bloomberg and Lori and just what they've built from a business perspective. A. Rod brings a ton of sports acumen and connections. And to his credit that dude has been caught side at every freaking game.
He's got a house out in the Western suburbs. I mean, if you're wondering if A. Ryan was going to just be in New York and dropping one some while. Right.
He's becoming Judd or in the Western suburbs. Both of them have a team of all his custom half-courts in their backyard with their shots. So you've got these three guys that are coming in. And they're big thinkers.
They're aggressive. They go hunting for guys like Tim Conley. They're thinking about inner read-a-solution. They're thinking about a TV network solution.
Guess who isn't doing barely any of these things. Glenn Taylor. Link Taylor is thinking about how can I innovatively launch a new yes and work and put together the next big thing in local sports media. Do you think he's talking about a new arena?
It's not like, well, Blur's 80. Do you remember these 80s? But he's just in the group. He's just going to be here.
He's just going to be here. Send me a little t-shirt and all right. He's in check. So I don't know.
Obviously, the unknown is what it is. But I'm just, I'm willing to, whatever the risk is, he's here as a fan as a podcaster. Which isn't much. I'm ready for door number two.
Well, I agree with you. And let me discuss on the last flight with an IP run. This also comes down to this. If we're going to say no, if as a state, or as a metropolitan area, these guys are going to ask for things.
Everything we're going to be like, no, they're probably going to lose the team. But you have to be prepared to play ball. And I feel like, at least in the past one years, we started to play ball more. Like, Norm Green doesn't leave.
If Norm Green finds a solution here, he left because he didn't find a solution. So like if we're going to say, you're saying it's our center, the, you know, if we're going to say no tax breaks, the farmers markets like you have to do everything, it's probably not going to end well. And I don't care who we're talking about. Mark and Alex, we can be talking about the next don't hear it coming down.
So, you know, part of this is, I think the question says, do we want the wolves to be owned by a current modern conglomerate that's going to one damage such? Or do we want the mod paw, which by the way is probably going to drag him back down because him probably going to stay around. Dude, it would be a disaster if when Taylor won this arbitration hearing and maintained. Now, if you want to say he's going to win it and then turn around and sell it to a different group that's similarly big, they can't like that.
That's a good show, actually. Yeah, but we don't know who that is or what like there's not he's not even, he's not even throwing. You know, he wins the arbitration hearing and then he just sits on the team for the two years. If he wins the arbitration hearing and doesn't open the team back up for sale, this thing will absolutely erode back the other way.
You're going to have Tim Connolly's been only in here for now. I could see like other things deteriorating behind the scenes. And what does that lead to? Anthony Edwards is one point you're like, I could, I could see that happening if one Taylor doesn't step out of the way at some point in the next one.
So, yeah. All right. And you got to some other podcast recording. You're going to do a jut hockey show or drop it on a fry.
Some drama in the for the champion P W H. El team. We're breaking up the organization. Yes, it's going to update us because you know, only in this day could you win a championship and sack the GM.
Let's see. So thank you guys for hanging out with us here. The offseason episodes of Liger House are going to be spicy, both with the ownership stuff. Anthony Edwards in the Olympics later on.
We've got free agency and player movement coming up in a month. Plus the world's have a cool draft. So I'm going to start the network guys. Let's get that one.
Put us on, guys. He's the sports dad.