Romano: Rays? Rowdies? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/9krd8e/romano_rays_rowdies_let_the_conspiracy_theories/

Romano: Rays? Rowdies? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

As boring as it may be, the last explanation really probably is why they bought them.

But if you think about it, it does show the owners commitment to the TB area. If they were ready to jump ship out of TB, this doesn’t seem like it. At least thats what I get out of it.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/Romano-Rays-Rowdies-Let-the-conspiracy-theories-begin-_172291483

Romano: Rays? Rowdies? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Is this what a midlife crisis looks like for a baseball owner?

Instead of an expensive sports car or a hip new tattoo, you buy the keys to the waterfront stadium that was once the ballpark of your dreams?

Because this purchase of the Tampa Bay Rowdies by the Tampa Bay Rays ownership seems, if you’ll pardon the phrase, straight out of leftfield.

You’ve been trying to move your baseball team out of downtown St. Petersburg, and now you’ve bought a soccer team a few blocks away? You’re negotiating with Hillsborough County about the amount of money you can afford to put into a baseball stadium, and now you’re investing in a soccer team?

It’s almost as if they’re buying conspiracy theories in bulk now.

"This was so unexpected, I’m sure those thoughts are going to cross a lot of people’s minds,’’ said St. Petersburg City Council member Darden Rice. "I’m still putting the puzzle together myself.’’

So let’s take some of the theories one at a time:

Theory: This is an enticement to get the baseball stadium built in Ybor City. Reality: Probably not.

It’s true the Rowdies’ lease at Al Lang Stadium is up in 2020, and so the soccer team would be free to move to Tampa if the Ybor stadium opens as scheduled in 2023. But there would likely be logistical problems with the artificial turf, not to mention scheduling problems for sports that overlap.

RELATED: The Rays are buying the Rowdies. What does it mean for Tampa Bay?

Theory: Once the Rays leave for Ybor, they will bring spring training back to St. Pete at Al Lang. Reality: Farfetched.

Most everyone agrees Port Charlotte has not been a perfect spring training site, but Al Lang would require extensive renovation, and it does not fit the modern model of having an entire complex with multiple practice fields. Plus, the Port Charlotte lease still has close to a decade remaining.

Theory: The Ybor plan is going poorly, and the Rays are going to take another shot at building on the Al Lang site. Reality: Dream on.

The Ybor stadium still has massive financial hurdles that must be navigated, but that does not change the dynamics that killed the St. Pete waterfront plan proposed by the Rays in 2008. It would take a referendum to allow new construction on the Al Lang site, the stadium would have to be crammed in a small area, and there’s still the question of whether St. Pete can support Major League Baseball.

So where does that leave us?

With a much more boring explanation.

It’s possible this was a deal the Rays simply could not pass up. No one is talking publicly about the purchase price, but there are whispers the Rowdies were sold dirt cheap.

If that’s the case, the purchase makes more sense. The Rays have experience running a sports franchise, and already have infrastructure in place for marketing, ticketing, training staff and other departments. That would seemingly give them a better shot at turning a profit than Rowdies owner Bill Edwards.

Could it be that simple?

The story line isn’t as sexy, but yeah.

We are a little more than a month away from the 10th anniversary of what should have been a November referendum on a waterfront stadium at the Al Lang site. That idea crashed and burned so spectacularly that the Rays pulled the referendum months before the election.

They still don’t have their new baseball stadium, but they finally got a waterfront view.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/9ks70z/so_did_we_just_become_best_friends_a_note_from/

“So, did we just become best friends?” - a note from the mod team and community at r/TampaBayRowdies

Hi all,

While still much is unknown to what this will look like going forward (though some questions starting to get answered), many of us are excited or hopeful for what this could mean for the Rowdies and our future.

We’re a passionate lot...something a bit different about lower division soccer than we typically experience with what we consider minor league sports in this country.

So, a formal (and warm) welcome to anyone who wants to venture over or subscribe at r/TampaBayRowdies. We’re officially family now – we’ll try to make sure we keep the toilet paper stocked and buy beer when we run out.

COYR (Come on you Rowdies...and Rays)

The Mod team and community over at r/TampaBayRowdies

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/9kra8e/topkin_bill_edwards_says_sale_agreement_requires/

[Topkin] - Bill Edwards says sale agreement requires #Rays to keep #Rowdies at Al Lang for 5 years and to keep it in soccer configuration

(Follow link for full article.)

https://twitter.com/TBTimes_Rays/status/1047135929121611776

Marc Topkin
‏
Verified account

@TBTimes_Rays

Follow Follow @TBTimes_Rays

Bill Edwards says sale agreement requires #Rays to keep #Rowdies at Al Lang for 5 years and to keep it in soccer configuration

10:47 AM - 2 Oct 2018 from St Petersburg, FL

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/9ks9v5/behind_the_deal_rowdies_owner_bill_edwards_talks/

Behind the deal: Rowdies owner Bill Edwards talks about how the Rays deal came together and what’s next for him

Text version for those without subscription: After the Tampa Bay Rays announced Monday that the team plans to buy the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer club and gain control of Al Lang Stadium on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront, Rowdies owner Bill Edwards talked extensively with the Tampa Bay Business Journal about how the deal came about.

Edwards, a real estate and entertainment investor, acquired the Rowdies in 2013. Edwards moved the Rowdies to the Tampa-based United Soccer League from the North American Soccer League in 2017. Since then, he’s invested $40 million into the team and the Rowdies have tripled revenue, he told sister news organization the Sports Business Journal in May, when it first reported the team was up for sale. SBJ cited “industry sources” which pegged the team’s value at more than $25 million, as expansion fees for the USL now eclipse $5 million. Those fees were less than $1 million five years ago. Other recent USL team sales are now into the eight figures, SBJ reported.

The Rowdies are making a playoff push this year. In 2017, the team finished with the third-best record in the USL’s Eastern Conference. Last year, the Rowdies set multiple club records, including averaging more than 5,663 fans per game.

What was important to you in this transaction? This is a solid deal. It’s the right thing for the organization. That much I know. When [the Rays] started talking to me, my first concern was, and I made this part and parcel to our agreement, that the Rowdies have to play in downtown for the next five years. It’s an ironic situation. I took over the Rowdies when someone encouraged me to do so because the Rays were leaving and that would mean no professional sports team in St. Pete and how terrible that would be for the community. I bought the Rowdies and we’re finishing our fifth season and the Rays are still here and will still be here for another five years at least, no matter what happens in Ybor City.

How did the deal come together? Rays President Matt Silverman has been on the ground in this town and with the Rays 13-plus years. I have gotten to know him. I’ve never met [Rays Principal Owner] Stu Sternberg, but I saw Matt at lot at panels and speeches and events, and the relationship developed. He’s a nice guy and a St. Pete citizen and he doesn’t live far from me.

I’m surprised that you never met Stu. Why not? I never met Stu because he delegates to people like Matt. The Rays looked at the Rowdies prior to me buying them. They have been looking at the Rowdies for years. If anything, it’s a good investment. The Rowdies are a historical team that is still playing pro soccer and the history goes back to 1975. [The Rays] saw the same thing I did. I believe in what they have to say to me and this is great for the Rowdies. I have accomplished my mission and have had five years of it. It’s a great team and has great fans. To me, if we ever gave the team up, we wanted it to give it to someone locally to take care of it and I believe that they will. We’ve talked about this quite a while off and on. It didn’t surprise me that they looked at it. It took a while for us to assure them what a good team they were getting into. It’s another winning team.

What is the Rays’ motivation? They own other businesses within this community that people don’t know about. They are involved in other things. Matt [Silverman, Rays co-president], has been here 13 years and believes in the community and the Rowdies. He drove the train down the tracks and made this happen. Another local group made offers but Matt was in first and he fulfilled the requirements. He’s been here longer than the other group and I’ve had time to get to know him. He is a solid guy and means what he says. I trust him and that trust is the most important part of what made this happen.

Talk about Al Lang Stadium control. For the Rowdies, all they are doing is taking an existing [management] agreement and transferring it and they are not asking for anything longer. It’s up to the Rays and the Rowdies and to Matt to discuss later. All we have is the use agreement and we want to hand it off to them as part of the transition — and it expires in 2020 and then it’s up to them to get an extension and they may want to build or expand. I have two different stadium expansion plans but it will be up to the Rays and the city to decide on that.

What does this mean for a continued effort at a possible MLS berth? I never gave up on the expansion. But the United Soccer League [where the Rowdies play ] is the largest soccer league on the planet and they are on solid ground and there’s nothing wrong with being in that league. It has great competition and the amount of teams, they are killing it. It has great players and competition so I commend them on that. I have not gone back to MLS to say, gee what do you think? We finally got in a league that we like and the fans seem to like and we’re playing a good game of soccer on the field.

How is the city reacting? I think the mayor is happy and council will like it. I didn’t have to give up the stadium to give up the Rowdies. I can lease and sublease. Big Three Entertainment has the contract to run Al Lang Stadium with the city and they do short terms contracts on the waterfront, four to five years, and they keep getting renewed. It’s the same with the Mahaffey Theater next door, and we’re in our seventh year there. Big Three is the operator. Big Three allows the Rowdies to play in the stadium and as part of the deal, Big Three will transfer rights of the use the stadium from the Rowdies to play in as part of the transaction. The Rays are good stewards. I’m a good steward. We felt that’s the clean way to do it.

What was your exit strategy for the Rowdies? It was hopefully soon. During all this, I went through open heart surgery. This is my six days a week job. It’s the only job I have after work six days, and my goal was always to fix it. I buy things and I fix things. I sell, build and clean them up and make them profitable. It’s what I do for a living. Five years was going to be my max. It took two years for people to believe I was going to stay and that I wasn’t going to go broke. Thankfully we didn’t. Thank god our sponsors and fans grew and everyone supported this team.

Are the Rowdies profitable? This year was our first year to go break even. We have been feeding this thing for a while. You have to have resolve if you take on something like this and you have to take the licks along the way. We have a phenomenal team of people we grew and that’s the reason why we are successful.

What about those people? Will they all still have jobs? There may be economies of scale between what I do and what they do. We’ll take good care of employees that don’t make it. That means providing a good compensation package if they don’t make it. The team employs roughly 100, and on game days about 250 to 300.

Can you share any financial details about the transaction? No. I think that we both agreed to a very fair transaction. I value it much higher than a lot of people and I think we came out with a good transaction. I think [we both] got a good deal.

Does the deal have any impact on another run at the MLS? I’m not sure they are going in that direction. We’re talking to the USL and I’m happy with those conversations. I don’t know if it matters if you are MLS or USL. I don’t think it will make a difference in the soccer world if you have a great team. We developed the Tampa Bay United Academy which now has 3,200 children playing soccer from U-9 to U-17. We’ve been building youth leagues and that will be huge. I’m sure the new management will keep building the youth leagues and I’m sure their philosophy and ours are identical.

What’s next for you? This has taken about 85 to 90 percent of my time, which is 75 percent too much. I have projects on the drawing board I need to get to get to. I have land to develop. I have a shopping center I need to work on and want to expand possibly. There is a lot the city needs to get accomplish.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/10/02/behind-the-deal-rowdies-owner-bill-edwards-talks.html

Behind the deal: Rowdies owner Bill Edwards talks about how the Rays deal came together and what’s next for him

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/tampabayrays/comments/9kh0kt/tampa_bay_rays_buying_tampa_bay_rowdies_control/

Tampa Bay Rays buying Tampa Bay Rowdies & control of Al Lang Stadium

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/the-tampa-bay-rays-are-buying-the-tampa-bay-rowdies-control-of-al-lang-stadium/599741826

The Tampa Bay Rays are buying the Tampa Bay Rowdies, control of Al Lang Stadium

The Rowdies play on the same waterfront site the Rays tried to build a new stadium on in 2008.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9ks769/so_did_we_just_become_best_friends_a_note_from/

“So, did we just become best friends?” - a note from the mod team and community at r/TampaBayRowdies

Hi all,

While still much is unknown to what this will look like going forward (though some questions starting to get answered), many of us are excited or hopeful for what this could mean for the Rowdies and our future.

We’re a passionate lot...something a bit different about lower division soccer than we typically experience with what we consider minor league sports in this country.

So, a formal (and warm) welcome to anyone who wants to venture over or subscribe at r/TampaBayRowdies. We’re officially family now – we’ll try to make sure we keep the toilet paper stocked and buy beer when we run out.

COYR (Come on you Rowdies...and Rays)

The Mod team and community over at r/TampaBayRowdies

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9krjn6/bill_edwards_rowdies_will_stay_in_st_petersburg/

Bill Edwards: Rowdies will stay in St. Petersburg ‘for at least five years’ under deal with Rays

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/rays/2018/10/02/bill-edwards-rowdies-will-stay-in-st-petersburg-for-at-least-five-years-under-deal-with-rays/

Bill Edwards: Rowdies will stay in St. Petersburg ‘for at least five years’ under deal with Rays

Bill Edwards, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, Jake Edwards, president of the (USL) United Soccer League, and Matt Silverman pose together following today's news conference. [DIRK SHADD | Times ]

ST. PETERSBURG — Tampa Bay's baseball team will soon be the proud owner of Tampa Bay's soccer team. In a Tuesday morning press conference at the Mahaffey Theater, Bill Edwards announced the sale of the Rowdies to the Rays after five years of ownership.

"I'm announcing that I am selling the Tampa Bay Rowdies to the Tampa Bay Rays,'' Edwards said. "Why? I wanted to keep it local. I wanted to keep it in town. I've heard a lot of stories about this, but this is a great situation for the city of St. Petersburg. I've done the things I'm supposed to do. Mission accomplished, and I'm out.''

The deal won't become official until Oct. 11, at the earliest. That is the next time the St. Petersburg City Council could approve the deal, a necessary step since the sale includes reauthorization of the Rowdies' lease to play at Al Lang Stadium.

While terms of the deal were not disclosed, Edwards said that the current agreement stipulates that only the Rowdies can play at Al Lang for the duration of the current contract, which runs through Nov. 30, 2020. He also said his agreement with the Rays has a clause that the Rowdies play at Al Lang for at least the next five years.

"I've heard a lot of conspiracies,'' Edwards said. "There's nothing going on. Our agreement is to keep the Rowdies in town for at least five years.''

Rays team president Matt Silverman said the five-year commitment was not an issue and reiterated the Rowdies deal is "unrelated" to plans to build a new baseball stadium in Ybor City they hope to open in 2023.

"It was not a contentious point at all,'' he told the Tampa Bay Times after the event. "In fact, we were in complete agreement that for the foreseeable future the Rowdies should be playing at Al Lang, and we hope that their run at Al Lang continues beyond that.''

With the lease expiring in two years, the Rays will have to work out a new deal with the city to fulfill the five-year promise.

Silverman and St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman said there was no talk of playing baseball there again or re-opening the previously failed idea of building a baseball stadium on that site, which could require public approval.

"Al Lang is a soccer venue now, and it's a great one, and Bill has invested a lot of money into making it a soccer venue,'' Silverman said. "We think it should continue that way for the foreseeable future.''

Edwards, 73, will no longer own the Rowdies, but his company, Big 3 Entertainment, will continue to produce concerts at Al Lang. He will also remain manager of the Mahaffey Theater and will continue to own and operate the downtown Sundial shopping district.

The teams will maintain separate front offices, but the deal will provide the opportunity to combine some operations, some mundanely administrative, such as payroll and HR; some exploratory, such as athletic training, recovery and injury prevention; and some from the business side, such as selling sponsorship packages for both teams and possibly ticket deals. And with input on the schedule for both teams, they could not only limit conflicts but create an event such as a doubleheader day.

"I do think there will be many different opportunities for the organizations to learn from each other,'' Silverman said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to expand both fan bases by bringing them together.''

For now, Rays and Rowdies fans will continue to share St. Petersburg. Kriseman, decked out in a Rays cap and a Rowdies scarf, said he was encouraged by the merger.

"To me, the message it sends is that the Rays recognize what's happening in downtown St. Pete and have made an investment in a franchise that was already drawing well and continues to draw well (average attendance, 5,754) and is bringing a lot of energy and excitement to the community,'' he said.

Currently, the Rowdies play in the United Soccer League. They are 11-13-7 and four points out of playoff contention with three matches left in the season. They play at Atlanta tonight and must win out to even have a chance at the playoffs.

Edwards previously explored the possibility of moving the Rowdies to Major League Soccer, the highest-level professional soccer league in the United States. MLS did not select Tampa/St. Petersburg in its latest round of expansion.

"There is a rich history of professional soccer and the Rowdies in Tampa–St. Petersburg," MLS spokesperson Dan Courtemanche said in a statement, "and we congratulate both Bill Edwards and the Tampa Bay Rays on building on that history through this sale."

Silverman said a jump to MLS is not a top priority.

"It's not something that we categorically rule out, but it's not a part of our plans,'' he said. "We're very happy with the Rowdies' standing in the United Soccer League. We think it's a great fit for the team and the venue we play in. We made this decision that we are going to be in the USL for a long time.''

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9kq6sv/good_tbt_article_by_romano_clears_up_rowdiesrays/

Good TBT article by Romano. Clears up Rowdies/Rays conspiracy theories

So the takeaway by Romano which makes the most logical sense to me as well is that Sternberg saw that the Rowdies value is at an easily attainable price so that he can turn a profit in the future by funneling a small investment in the team.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/Romano-Rays-Rowdies-Let-the-conspiracy-theories-begin-_172291483

Romano: Rays? Rowdies? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9krqqc/behind_the_deal_rowdies_owner_bill_edwards_talks/

Behind the deal: Rowdies owner Bill Edwards talks about how the Rays deal came together and what’s next for him

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2018/10/02/behind-the-deal-rowdies-owner-bill-edwards-talks.html

Behind the deal: Rowdies owner Bill Edwards talks about how the Rays deal came together and what’s next for him

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/9kmhoi/the_rays_are_buying_the_rowdies_what_does_it_mean/

The Rays are buying the Rowdies. What does it mean for Tampa Bay? [Updated Info]

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rowdies/2018/10/01/tampa-bay-rays-to-purchase-rowdies-soccer-club/

The Rays are buying the Rowdies. What does it mean for Tampa Bay?

ST. PETERSBURG — The Rays struck a surprising and curious deal to buy the Rowdies they say was made only to get into the soccer business and has no connection to the effort to find new home for their baseball team.

The deal includes at least short-term control of downtown waterfront Al Lang Stadium. The Rays tried a decade ago to get a new baseball stadium built there and never fully let go of the idea — which is why there was immediate speculation there was more to the Rays-Rowdies deal than just control of a soccer team.

JOHN ROMANO: Rays? Rowdies? Let the conspiracy theories begin!

Most pointedly, were the Rays seeking an alternative St. Petersburg stadium site to their proposed new home in Ybor City, where talks have been ongoing to bridge the funding gap in completing that $892 million deal to build a Tampa ballpark?

Another possibility: Were the Rays considering moving their spring training base back to St. Petersburg from Port Charlotte, or perhaps moving in a minor-league team?

Rays president Brian Auld told St. Petersburg officials it was none of the above. This was just an opportunity to buy the soccer team from businessman Bill Edwards and grow their overall business.

"It's got nothing to do with what's going on in Ybor City, it's got nothing to do with spring training," City Council member Charlie Gerdes said Auld told him. "It's purely a business decision that makes a lot of sense when you look at the relationship the teams have …

"They love downtown St. Pete and are a sports business and they think it's a very smart business decision. He did say (it) … has nothing to do with short-term or immediate plans

An artist’s rendering of the Tampa Bay Rays proposed new ballpark in Ybor City. [Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays]

One of the leaders of the group trying to make the Ybor City stadium a reality said he wasn't worried that about the Rays' intentions.

"I can understand why it could be perceived that way," said Ron Christaldi of Tampa Bay Rays 2020. "But Ybor City is the best by far. The site is much better than where the soccer team plays. That's not a knock on St. Pete. It's just a much better location."

Christaldi said the Rowdies purchase was actually a good sign the Rays want to make the Ybor deal work. He said team officials reiterated to him Monday that a Ybor stadium was their "highest and only focus" after word of the soccer deal got out.

"My initial reaction was that it underscores and reinforces (principal owner) Stu Sternberg and the Rays' commitment to the community,'' Christaldi said. "If they were leaving, they likely wouldn't buy another professional sports team in the market. It's kind of doubling-down on their commitment."

But another St. Petersburg City Council member, Darden Rice, said she came to a different conclusion after speaking to Edwards.

"I would think Hillsborough voters might find it odd that the Rays have the money to buy a soccer team, but not come to the table with money for a stadium," Rice said. "To me, that says the deal in Hillsborough must be dead."

Neither Rays nor Rowdies officials said much about the deal on Monday and scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Thursday. The price tag of the deal was not disclosed. Edwards has been looking to sell for a while, and told Rice he has had several offers for the soccer team.

The deal won't become official until Oct. 11 at the earliest. That is the earliest the City Council could approve the deal, a necessary step since the sale includes reauthorization of the Rowdies' lease to play at Al Lang. The longtime home to spring baseball was reconfigured a few years ago to better accommodate soccer, and the lease runs through Nov. 30, 2020.

Al Lang Stadium, current home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The soccer team and stadium lease could soon be owned by the Tampa Bay Rays. [CHRIS URSO | Times]

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, who was briefed last week on the agreement, said in statement that it was good deal for all sides:

"Mr. Edwards deserves much appreciation for remaking the Tampa Bay Rowdies and investing in Al Lang Stadium and our community. Similarly, the Tampa Bay Rays' leadership has remade their baseball organization and placed considerable emphasis on community engagement. I am confident that this is a positive development for all parties, the great fans of both teams, and the City of St. Petersburg."

Gerdes said Auld told him the Rays were interested in buying the Rowdies last year, when Edwards expressed interest in selling the team. The Rays looked into that option again and decided it made sense from a business standpoint, citing, for example, the potential to package sponsorships together for both teams.

Rice said Edwards told her "the soccer team has been extraordinarily time consuming" and he wanted to move on to other ventures, though he would maintain promotional rights for concerts held at Al Lang.

The Rowdies currently play in the United Soccer League. The Rays plan to continue playing at that level initially, but could eventually explore securing a franchise with the more prominent Major League Soccer group.

Edwards attempted such a move last year, but the league passed over St. Petersburg when it awarded expansion teams (were the Rays to land an MLS franchise, that would raise the question of whether the soccer team could also be bound for the new Ybor stadium.)

Last year St. Petersburg voters approved a referendum that would have allowed Edwards to expand and upgrade Al Lang for MLS play and negotiate a 25-year lease for the stadium. City Council member Amy Foster said the stadium could be altered to accommodate baseball, but any substantial change to the footprint would require new approval from voters.

The Rays are planning to play at least four more seasons at Tropicana Field, assuming all goes right for the new Ybor stadium and it is ready by 2023. The team has a Dec. 31 deadline to let St. Petersburg officials know if they will use a pre-negotiated deal for an early departure from the Trop, where they are signed through 2027.

The Rays have not formally ruled out building a new stadium in St. Petersburg — the city has offered the Trop site and its lucrative redevelopment fees — if the Ybor deal falls through. But the team has indicated that Major League Baseball officials prefer Tampa because it's much closer to the population center of the bay area region.