Is the city of Baltimore no better than the Irsays?

Pre-70's renovation at Yankee Stadium.

 

So much FUCKING disinformation being thrown around this thread like bloody ejaculate/sputum, it's hard to know where to start first.

-- The Browns' bank debts and historically bad credit were Modell's doing.
-- Cleveland Municipal Stadium's loge occupancy was at 100 percent capacity since they were built, and steady price increases were tolerated by corporate customers.
-- The entire city of Cleveland experienced an unexpected deficit in the early years of the 1990s. Funding for pro sports toys were part of no one's fantasy.
-- In 1992, the jack of all asses Belichick was the only head coach with a defensive background serving as offensive coordinator.

 

BINGO! The last straw for Modell was when city council said, "Yeah, yeah, Art. We hear ya. Tell ya what? keep playing in that dilapidated piece of shit and we'll get back to you after we're finished with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." If memory serves me correctly, Modell just wanted Municipal Stadium renovated, which shouldnt have been out of the question since it's ribbon cutting ceremony was a week after the War of 1812 ended.

And I think I get tired of hearing the "true fan" bullshit more than any other rhetoric. If I'm married with the two kids and the mortgage and all that bullshit and also paying thousands (and thats what they are with PSLs) and the team sucks for an extended period of time, your damn right I'm dropping 'em and using that money for more constructive things.

We watch sports because it's an enjoyable diversion from our lives for a few hours each week. Not because it's some kind of endurance test to see how many tough times/ losses/ dumbass coaching hires/ other bullshit you can live through.

 

I'll take the word of noted Stanford economists over Baltimore columnists, scholars way far removed from the situation and with no interest, thank you. And those economists proved the measures Modell (and jackass Belichick, as viceroy) enacted to be terribly wasteful. Opposite of a tourniquet. Andre Rison, anyone? In what other industry would this, under those circumstances, be considered a smart fiscal move?

 

Total fiction, as been addressed several times on this thread.

The stadium-renovation plan on was on the ballot while Art was secretly plotting to move.

 

Look, the major problem that Cleveland corporations came to the party after the beer ran clear out. Many signataries in the post-exodus litigation were not loge customers during the Jackass Belichick years, when the team hemorrhaged the most money and needed the most.

THAT FALLS ON MODELL AS A CIVIC BUSINESSMAN.

 

Um...actually it is fiction. Several posts in this thread have mentioned the Gateway Project - - which became Jacobs Field. Modell declined to have the Browns play in the new stadium, saying he preferred to have the Browns play in a renovated Municipal Stadium.

Seriously, what is fiction about that?

 

As others have said, Modell declined to be a part of the Gateway Project. He figured he could make more money off the revenue he made from parking and concessions from Cleveland Stadium than from a new stadium, where that revenue would instead go to the city. Big mistake. When he realized that too late, the city simply couldn't stop with the projects that it already began (Gund Arena, Jacobs Field, rock HOF) to accomodate the Browns, who were told they would have been the city's top priority with this project from the start.

But Modell wasn't a great businessman and passed on a dream offer; he compounded that mistake with a move to Baltimore.

 

Junkie,

I'm confused. You continue to suggest the city "took care of the other teams" and ignored the Browns. That is simply not true.

As originally planned, the Gateway project would include an indoor facility (now the Gund) and a dual-purpose outdoor stadium. Modell declined, saying he preferred the Browns continue to play in Municipal Stadium. The dual-purpose stadium was revised and became Jacobs Field.

Nobody disputes this.

Modell's lease for for the Browns to play at Municipal Stadium was through his company, Cleveland Stadium Corporation (CSC). The lease was innovative in that CSC, not the city, was responsible for upkeep, maintenance, etc. Of course, CSC also kept all the $$$ from concessions, parking, etc. That was true for all stadium events, such as Indians games, concerts, etc. Modell calculated that because the planned Gateway stadium would be smaller than 80,000+ Municipal, and because revenue from concessions et al would go to the city, not CSC, it would be a better deal for him to continue at Municipal.

Fast forward to 1993 & 1994. Modell recognizes the league is changing, and other teams are making huge $$$ from new stadiums with luxury boxes - - money that doesn't get shared with other teams. He realizes that in order to compete, Municipal will need a huge overhaul, costing huge money. Money he does not have.

Thus, Modell begins his two-year dance with the city about renovating Municipal stadium. The city's position was "Sorry Art, but we're building a new baseball stadium, new basketball arena, R&R HoF, we're tapped out." At this point, Modell cries "You took care of the other teams, but you ignore me!"

The city & Modell continue negotiating about fixes to Municipal until early 1995 when Modell abruptly issues a unilateral moratorium on negotiations, saying such discussions are a distraction to the team, which has hopes to make a Super Bowl run. We all know how 1995 played out.

In all seriousness, identify the fiction in this summary.

 

c'mon ig, don't be throwing out facts here.

 

Jesus H. Christ, only on this board would a dung beetle like Art Modell be justified.