Monster numbers
Stats are the secret sauce for sports. The numbers give perspective, and when applicable, power to the accomplishments, nature and history of the game.
Yes, that’s a vague intro, and no, this is not an opening ode to the 900 feet of solo homers Ronald Acuña Jr. launched into the Atlanta night Tuesday. (Side note: Buckets, every time I think I can appreciate how great Acuña is, he goes a stretch like this and makes MLB pitching look like slow-pitch softball. Acuña has six hits and three homers in his last two games. That’s a week for a lot of good players. Egad.)
No, this morning, the number that caught my eye is 4,650,000,000.
That’s the number in dollars Rob Walton paid for the Denver Broncos.
Yes, I know owning an NFL team is a license to print money. Currently, TV dollars – which will only rise in future years – cover all expenses, including salaries, which means the ownership’s cut of tickets, concessions, march, you name it, is profit.
So business-wise I get the want to in terms of owning an NFL ATM.
But the eye-popping questions from $4.65 billion start here: If the Denver Broncos, a fine franchise but certainly not one of the top 10 brands in the sport considering where the Cowboys, Packers, Patriots, New York clubs, etc., must rank, are worth that, what could Jerry Jones ask for his Dallas franchise, as if Jerry Jones would ever sell his Dallas franchise? Is $7 billion too low?
Finally, and maybe most pointedly, Rob Walton is, as you likely knew, part of the Walmart Waltons, so yeah he has the money. Heck, he may have written a personal check for the Broncos.
According to Darren Rovell, Walton becomes the second-richest majority owner of an American major sports franchise. The top five: Clippers owner Steve Ballmer (worth $89.4 billion), Walton ($58.2B), Cleveland Cavs owner Dan Gilbert ($18.6B), Mets owner Steve Cohen ($17.4B) and Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper ($16.7B).
Which made me wonder: How much of that $4.65 billion is my money that I spent at the Walmart over the years? Is $10,000 too high a guess all things considered?
How about you? How much do you supposed you have dropped at the Walmart in your life? And considering its status as the nation’s country store, are the Broncos now America’s Team? (Sorry Jerry.)
NBA Finals
How the Celtics come out – both to start tonight’s Game 3 and maybe more importantly the decisive third quarter – will be a telling glance into the state of the lesser-experienced Finals contender.
You expect Golden State – in its fourth Finals in six years – to handle the moment well tonight. Even on the road.
How Boston handles the pressure will be telling. And in some ways there’s more pressure being at home, especially early. Because a sluggish start will make an already stressed and energetic Boston crowd antsy, which will only amp up the pressure for the Celtics players.
Speaking of sluggish, and we mentioned Tuesday how the Warriors have become the primary team drawing card in an individual star-driven NBA, the TV numbers for this Finals so far have been less than good.
Both games of these finals have been one-sided down the stretch, but if you take away the last two COVID-impacted Finals, Sunday’s Game 2 numbers (6.2 rating and 11.91 million viewers) made it the least-watched Game 2 since 2007.
The last non-COVID-effected Game 2 was between the Warriors and the Raptors in 2019 and that broadcast drew an 8.0 rating and 13.89 million viewers.
It’s especially concerning for an NBA and broadcast partner ABC, considering the match-up of the most popular current team and the league’s most-historic franchise – as well as two of the top 10 media markets in the country – had to generate larger projections.
The NBA is not alone in these diminished TV numbers, according to SportsMediaWatch.com, as there is a continued decline across all of TV with a “26% decline in primetime viewing levels, (and) there has been a 15% decline in pay-TV subscriptions since June of 2019.”
Ouch-standing.
Stadium shots
Boondoggle is a good word. But is it a fair one?
It’s what Mark Cunningham, the spokesman for the Beacon Center, a conservative Nashville group, called the plan to use county, city and state funds for a new Lookouts Stadium at the abandoned site where the Wheland Foundry used to be. Here’s more from TFP business ace Mike Pare.
Webster defines boondoggle as a braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament. Hmmmmmm.
Oh wait, the second definition of boondoggle is a wasteful or impractical project or activity often involving graft. That’s likely the reference. (Unless County Mayor Jim Coppinger has changed his wardrobe recently.)
Thanks Mr. Webster and tell Merriam we said hello.
So is the stadium idea a boondoggle? I don’t see that.
I certainly can see – and have written – that Lookouts ownership should be putting more coin into the upfront costs.
I certainly can see how many people in these times can point to a lot of other public needs for tax dollars beyond a ballpark.
I certainly can see how some would surely recognize that Coppinger – a staunch fiscal conservative his 11 years in office – is not concerned with answering questions since if he does participate in another campaign it would be the ‘Best ‘stache in Chattanooga’ voting.
But boondoggle? Nope. That’s over-the-top, and it is magnified by the reason Cunningham used to follow up the claim.
“The owners of the Lookouts would rather focus on trying to get a new stadium on the tab of taxpayers than the fact that 60% of the stadium sat empty in 2021,” Cunningham said in a statement. “The state wisely chose not to finance the new Lookouts stadium and because of that, it seems like Mayor Coppinger is trying to bilk Hamilton County taxpayers for even more money before he leaves office.”
Of course the owners are focused on a new stadium, but it has nothing to do with attendance. It originally centered on the Hardball Capital group’s plan to maximize profitability – a plan it has used with its two other minor league clubs – and it now has added weight with Major League Baseball’s demands for better minor league facilities.
And if we are being frank, the state put up a Lookouts-red stop sign more for political positioning and payback than fiscal reasons if you ask me. Especially since the state backed a Knoxville ballpark just last year and is pitching half a billion to the Titans ownership.Look, there are valid reasons for public funds to be used for the stadium and for public funds to be redirected to other public needs and avenues.
In fact, there are so many on each side that spin is hardly needed.
Whether you’re wearing a Boy Scout neckerchief or not.
This and that
– Wow, the LIV Tour hired Ari Fleischer as its head media flack and is prepared to toss any heckler clear out of the tournament for conduct unbecoming. And who’s doubting their intentions on that, and who knows what else could happen with those scary mother bleepers, right Phil? Best not three-putt just to be safe.
– Double wow. Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau have joined the LIV according to this report from The Telegraph. And there are reports Rickie Fowler is headed that way too. The Telegraph report says that DeChambeau and Reed will participate in the second LIV event in Portland starting July 3. All the hand-wringing aside, a top-three of Phil, DJ, and Bryson in a Tiger-less world is every bit as eye-catching as Rory, JT and Jordan. And the PGA Tour knows it – or it better realize it fast.
– Saw this on social media this morning. Here’s a Facebook video from the scene Sunday morning at the shooting on McCallie Avenue. Strong language advisory friends, including the N-word. Very NSFW or kids.
– We spoke of stats and their craziness. And maybe no place other than baseball do those stats truly make you scratch your head. To that end, from the master baseball head-scratcher Jayson Stark comes this number: Last night Brewers relief ace Josh Hader had his season-long scoreless run ended. Hader had allowed one extra-base hit and no runs against 64 batters faced this season. Alec Brohm, who had not had an extra-base hit in more than two weeks, and Matt Vierling, who had all of two extra-base hits in 54 plate appearances this season, each took Hader deep. So there’s that.
– We mentioned Ronald Acuna’s majestic homers earlier, but we can’t complete a full morning 5-at-10 – which original started as five things I was thinking about at 10 a.m. and has morphed into this over the last11-plus years – without at least tipping the visor to the amazing catch Braves center fielder Michael Harris made last night. And as this video clip shows, when you can make Andruw Jones raise his eyebrows with a defensive play in the outfield, well, you’ve done something. And to make it even more impressive, Harris got to the shot in the right-center-field gap without leaving his feet.
– So the downtown cameras around the McCallie Avenue shooting were not working. So there’s that. Yeah, making sure the downtown cameras are, you know, working, would be a pretty good job for some one at City Hall, don’t you think? Hmmmmm.
– Speaking of the shooting, here’s a sad testament that a group of Brainerd students shared their fear at a conversation with Lighthouse Collective co-founder LaDarius Price and others. Side note: I am a fan of the work Mr. Price does and is trying to do as our community faces the scourge of downtown gun violence.
– Side rant: OK, if you will allow me a “Get off my porch and turn down your rock and roll” old guy tangent, there are a lot of changes in our culture that have directly impacted the quality of all of our lives. Andy Griffith Show going colorized; Ted McKinley joining the “Happy Days” cast; the microwave oven (don’t get me started); the cultural pressure to replace the spanking with whatever a time out is; and the simple fact that no teenagers have and, more importantly, are willing to just lose, a good-old-fashioned fist fight. How many fist fights did you get into in your teenage years? I got into several. Won a few; lost a couple. But when it was done, it was done. No returning to the scene with bats or knives and eventually with guns. Now beat it, you meddling kids.
– The latest rounds of details and numbers about the DeShawn Watson message story are staggering. And surreal.
– Many congratulations to those being honored tonight at the annual Best of Preps banquet. It’s easily one of the coolest things the TFP does every year. And good luck to Stephen Hargis and David Paschall and the rest of the TFP staff as they host the event.
Today’s questions
Wow, that got wordy, huh? So it goes I guess.
Which way Wednesday starts this way: If you could own one American professional sports franchise, which one would it be? Which golfer will head to the LIV next? (And tip of the visor to Spy, who called Patrick Reed in an email on Monday.)Which trio is more appealing to the common sports fan, Phil, DJ and Bryson or Rory, JT and Jordan? Which is more accurate, you have spent more than $10,000 at Walmart in your life or less than $10,000 in your life?
Answer some Which Ways, leave some Which Ways.
Also, which teams says no first if a Shohei for Acuña trade is on the table?
As for today, June 8, let’s review.Mickey Mantle retired today, and there are few player-number connections as memorable as Mickey and 7.
On this day in 1920, Reds outfielder Edd Roush was ejected for delay of game after he fell asleep in the outfield during a long argument between Heinie Groh and the ump.
Rushmore of baseball ejections. Go.