Fred Wilpon has already been reported by Don Garber, Major League Soccer commish, as a potential owner for a New York City soccer franchise. In the state of the league address and subsequent interviews, Garber
confirmed Wilpon rumors and added that other parties were also in discussion with the league about a New York expansion.
But is Wilpon the right man at the right time?
A MLS owner in New York needs four things: the financial resources to buy and operate a football club, a Big Apple network to secure a stadium for soccer, experience in running and marketing a professional sports team, and the passion to bring soccer to NYC.
Money-wise, Wilpon has the ability to buy a team. A $30-40 million franchise fee would not appear to stop a Wilpon-led ownership group. He did pay over $150 to
pay out former Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday.
A lot of Mets fan have call Wilpon cheap, but I think that's compared to the Yankees' George Steinbrenner. Big Stein is definitely not the norm for sports owner. The Mets have the
3rd largest payroll in baseball and are paying some of the new stadium costs.
A New York City FC owner will need to find a home for his team. The Mets are moving into their new stadium, Citi Field, in 2009. That might leave Shea as a viable location. Wilpon will have to negotiate with the City to keep it open, since New York is the landlord.
But what about a new soccer-specific stadium or a multi-purpose stadium featuring soccer? Garber has already mentioned that a multi-purpose stadium next to Citi Field has already been discussed with Wilpon. Wilpon has already show the ability to use his connections to get this done when others have failed.
Let's not forget that Wilpon also built KeySpan Park in Coney Island for the Mets Single-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones. With this proven record of constructing stadiums, I would not bet against a soccer pitch coming to Queens if he does end up buying an MLS franchise.
Sports ownership is limited to a small group of individuals, so having someone like the experienced Wilpon would be a coup for the MLS. He has run a successful franchise in New York City and has shown the desire to improve it.
He spent $150 million to pay out Doubleday and paved the way to Citi Field. Doubleday was a notoriously cheap owner and wanted to renovate Shea Stadium instead. Wilpon has changed the Mets from a generic team to one that is marketed to NYC's diverse population. Has anyone else been to
Korean Night at Shea?
Wilpon's one flaw as a FC owner is that his knowledge and love for soccer is questionable. He has dedicated his sports ventures towards baseball and has been a huge fan of the sport since he was a kid in Brooklyn.
While his passion for soccer is iffy, we do know that Wilpon is not afraid to market towards the Latino market. The Mets have embrace their Latin stars and have even had a "Los Mets" night. The assumption is that these Met fans will become Mets FC supporters.
The Mets have also started to market towards Brooklyn and Manhattan. While New York City remains Yankee Country, Wilpon at least has tried to attract new Met fans outside of Queens. Compare this to the non-existing marketing to New Yorker by the Red Bulls in recent years.
His
SNY cable television station also has to appeal to the MLS. It is a perfect medium to report on and promote soccer in New York. MSG currently shows the Red Bull games locally, but the coverage appears to be more filler content than a cornerstone of the channel.
So to summarize, here's the check list and how Wilpon does:
Finances - YES
Network - YES
Experience - YES
Soccer Fan - NO? (but he is a sports fan)
Wilpon is an
almost ideal candidate for a New York FC owner, if not him, who? I'll post about that soon.
Labels: Brooklyn, Cyclones, Don Garber, expansion, Flushing, Fred Wilpon, Mets, MLS, New York City, NYC FC, Queens, Red Bulls, SNY, soccer, soccer-specific stadium
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