Looks like the NFL will make an exception to the rule forbidding their owners to own teams from different sports in the same market. And, a Benson-appointed GM will be infinitely easier to deal with than with the Commissar himself, for obvious reasons. http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2012/04/nba_board_of_governors_makes_i.html http://www.forbes.com/sites/brianso...-side-steps-bountygate-snatches-nbas-hornets/
On the NFL ownership issue: No problem, then. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>NFL rules allow owners to own an NHL, NBA, or MLB team in their home market, so no league issues with Benson purchase.</p>— daniel kaplan (@dkaplanSBJ) <a href="https://twitter.com/dkaplanSBJ/status/190823799090978816" data-datetime="2012-04-13T15:28:33+00:00">April 13, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In another embarrassment to Mr. Benson's sports team portfolio, audio of Monty Williams urging his players to "knock Lebron's head sideways" and urging them to "take out Al Jefferson's ACL" is expected to be leaked. Speculation is that the agent for former Hornet, David West, was disgusted by these comments and are releasing them as revenge for the Hornets not resigning his client.
I think it's always been okay to own multiple teams, provided they are in the same market. Stan Kroenke had to sell his ownership in the nuggets so he could buy the rams, because of the broncos already being in Denver.
If any of us won the lotto and if no one else split the pot, the winner could've bought the team and have another $100 million lying around. As everyone else has stated, this was an incredibly cheap deal.
Why was this incredibly cheap? I'm not seeing it? It's not a big market. It's a team that doesn't generate a ton of revenues (relative to other teams). Outside of someone like Benson owning it, which probably has some synergistic value to him, in that city, I don't see a ton of "other value" that you might see in owning a team like the Nets.
