The Commanders’ sale situation is such big news region-wide that…it was a tech journalist who broke some news about it this week?
Indeed, Teddy Schleifer of Puck News had the story that Jeff Bezos remains in play to bid on the Washington Commanders, and he had some insight as to why Bezos may want to buy the team – which he shared with Grant & Danny when he joined them on a shortened show Wednesday.
“He’s one of the richest guys in history, and what he’s doing with that fortune very much matters for society,” Schleifer said. “The fact is, this is a guy who has enormous talents and an enormous wallet, and he’s not used to not getting things. Covering the lives of the mega-rich day-to-day, I know sports ownership is one of those things these guys just can’t get their hands on easily, and that’s always a fun narrative to write about.”
So where does Bezos stand at this point?
“I think he’s interested, and that’s 90 percent reporting, 10 percent speculation, because he has told friends over the years that he wants to own an NFL team, even though he’s not a sports guy at heart,” Schleifer said. “As you know, these things don’t just come up that often, so it’s interesting that he didn’t make an offer on the Broncos, and you wonder if the Seahawks come up in a few years if he’d make an offer since he’s in Seattle. I don’t think he has an undying unquenched thirst for the Commanders specifically, but he has time on his hands, and I wouldn’t underestimate the role Lauren Sanchez has played.”
Sanchez, Bezos’ partner, is the ex-wife of Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez, so he’s spent a lot of time around Gonzalez and may have swayed Bezos’ interest in the NFL upwards in recent years…but is now the right time?
“Does he get boxed out this time, and maybe make a bid for the Seahawks in a few years, like Josh Harris is after getting boxed out on the Broncos? Maybe,” Schleifer said.
Why, then, is Bezos being so coy about his potential interest and rumored bid?
“He’s done this for months now,” Schleifer said. “These teams aren’t public companies with fiduciaries, so Dan Snyder can do what he wants – if he wants to sell it to me for $6,000, he can. This isn’t a normal process, so if Jeff can find sort of a side door to this transaction and it works, so be it. He’s definitely playing coy, but whether or not that is wise depends on the end result. If he ends up losing this bid, he’ll look stupid for being so coy, but these are the things you can do when you have such a deep checkbook – if there’s a $6 billion bid and Bezos does 7 or 8, who cares?”
There is one thing Grant wonders, though: Bezos did due diligence, but did that due diligence lead to him not being interested, and that’s why he’s so coy?
“There’s an argument to be made, and I’ve heard it made to me, that Bezos could have a pretty long honeymoon period if he does win this…so at a time where there’s so much scrutiny on him, this could be a pretty big PR win if he buys the team,” Schleifer said. “So, maybe a lot of those lapsed fans would come back? But to me, the way teams are valued is driven so much by media rights, and Amazon is a partner of the NFL so he knows that really well. The media element of this makes a lot of franchises break in at least, so the financials may help Bezos decide how much to bid, but I don’t know if you need that information?”
Related
Oh, and on the notion that the other owners don’t want Bezos in their circle?
“The question about whether or not these other owners want Bezos in this exclusive club…we’re talking about human psychology here,” Schleifer said. “It’s like if your buddy next to you who has the same job makes more than you. But I think all of these owners, whether they like Bezos or not…this is such an illiquid market, and we see two or three of these deals a decade? Every single re-pricing that happens has huge economic ramifications for everyone else, so my sense is that the Amazon conflict aside, they don’t care who buys the team, they want the highest bidder, because it tells them how much their assets keep re-appreciating.”
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
Keep up with 980 The Team via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram