Panthers Relocation?

[Proudiddy]

Oh no... This article says there is serious speculation and worry from the Charlotte Chamber's President that it's very much a possibility that our franchise could relocate because it would be the easiest to do so with the least hassle.

He says because BoA is privately owned, if JR or the next owner decides they're ready to move the franchise to L.A. then it would be easy to do so and basically the local community has no leverage. Add to that, L.A.'s scumbag mayor apparently made overtures to JR during the DNC while he was in town here... What a douche.

If we lost the Panthers, I don't know what I would do... I know I would cry. And I would absolutely hope a giant earthquake hit L.A. (no offense to any current L.A. based Panther fans). They've pissed away their opportunities with numerous NFL franchises in the past and they'll no doubt do it again, and I'm tired of the NFL stealing other franchises to try and make it work. It doesn't and it won't.

I have serious questions about whether I'd even watch the NFL anymore. All I know is, whatever the Panthers ask for, even if it's a new stadium, make it happen Charlotte. PLEASE! And fellow Panther fans, let's write JR and let our voices be heard, tell them we love our Panthers, even when they stink, so please don't take them from us.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2012/11/chamber-chief-says-nfl-exit-scares.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+charlotte_blog_queencity+%28Charlotte+Queen+City+Agenda%29&utm_term=%23cltcc

To some community leaders in Charlotte, finding $100 million or more for an NFL stadium makeover could soon look more attractive than it does today. The imminent negotiations with the Carolina Panthers over potential public investment become more sobering when Charlotte Chamber President Bob Morgan assesses the national landscape.

Consider: Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is 76, he fired his sons as team executives three years ago and he has yet to publicly disclose a succession plan several years after having heart-transplant surgery. He also owns privately built Bank of America Stadium and could leave town with minimal headaches, unencumbered by lease terms with the city.

And Los Angeles wants one, if not two, NFL franchises for a planned downtown stadium. The NFL has not signaled any intent to add teams, meaning Los Angeles would need to find one, if not two, franchises willing to relocate.

Add it all up, Morgan says, and “that reality scares the hell out of me. It’s sobering.”

This sentiment arises just two weeks after Morgan and the chamber took 100 business and political leaders to New York for a pre-Hurricane Sandy visit to New York that included remarks from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a private tour of the $1.6 billion MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Richardson flew in to introduce New York Giants owner John Mara, whose franchise shares the 82,000-seat New Jersey stadium with the New York Jets. All of which delivered a less-than-subtle message to Charlotte power brokers that the Panthers expect some support for their renovations.

The Los Angeles scenario looks to be more than just idle worry. National and local sources say Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa directly or indirectly made overtures to the Panthers and Richardson during the Democratic National Convention in September. President Obama was scheduled to speak at the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium to close the convention, but weather forced the event to be relocated. Villaraigosa served as convention chairman in Charlotte.

A spokesman for Villaraigosa did not offer any immediate comment on discussions with the Panthers.

The Panthers have maintained the same stance throughout the stadium discussions, saying the team is working with sports architect Populous and two other firms on a 10-year master plan. The master plan is scheduled to be ready by the end of the current season.

Richardson, through a team spokesman, declines to comment on the New York trip or stadium plans. Morgan, the chamber executive, says Richardson introduced Mara on the stadium visit in New Jersey but didn’t discuss the renovations for the Panthers.

The Richardson-led ownership group paid $206 million for the expansion NFL franchise in 1993. Forbes estimates the team’s value to be $1 billion today. Bank of America Stadium opened uptown in 1996, with more than half of the cost paid by fans who purchased seat licenses. No public money went into the construction of the 74,000-seat stadium, though state and local government contributed $60 million in land and site preparation. The team pays taxes on the stadium, but it is located on city property.

In September, Mayor Anthony Foxx wrote a letter to Richardson expressing interest in discussing the franchise’s stadium plans with the city. City Councilman James Mitchell, who, like Foxx, is a Democrat, has said several times during the past year that he anticipates council members would support helping the Panthers pay for stadium improvements. Mitchell led the successful campaign to win $8 million in city taxpayer money for a new Charlotte Knights ballpark earlier this year.

The stadium talks come at the same time the mayor and council are grappling with a discussion of property-tax increases as part of a billion-dollar long-range capital-improvement plan for the city.

Privately, some business executives say a likely source for paying for stadium renovations could be hotel taxes. In 2006, the city added 2 percent to the hotel tax to help pay for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The N.C. General Assembly approved the measure. That was in addition to another 6 percent in taxes on hotel rooms, with the revenue divided evenly between general tourism promotion and projects and money dedicated to paying for the convention center construction debt and operating costs. Some of those hotel taxes are being used to repay the cost of building the $265 million NBA arena opened in 2005.

“While I’m reluctant to use tax money for that purpose, I think exploring an option like hotel-motel taxes would be a good idea,” says Michael Barnes, a Democratic member of the City Council. “But the big issue is exploring whether there’s capacity for that. I’m open to listening.”

Scott Greer, city treasurer, says the hotel taxes are dedicated. Whether the city explores other options or additional hotel taxes is up to the mayor and City Council.

The Panthers don’t need more seats in the stadium. Instead, the team wants escalators to move fans to the upper level, and features that would include larger, high-definition scoreboards. All but a handful of the NFL's 32 teams have built new stadiums or completed extensive renovations since Bank of America Stadium opened 16 years ago.

Minnesota and San Francisco are working on new homes, and a handful of other teams — Oakland, San Diego, St. Louis and Jacksonville among them — also face major stadium decisions in the near future. What makes the Panthers’ situation somewhat unique is the team’s private ownership of its current home, making a relocation more palatable. No one has raised the issue yet, but, as much as some onlookers might want to tell the NFL billionaires to foot the bill themselves, it appears local leverage may already be in short supply.

“I don’t think there’s any question that Charlotte having a franchise puts us in the big leagues,” Morgan says. “I don’t know anybody who can dispute that.”

[Proudiddy]

My bad mods, could you please merge this with SMF's thread... I took too long writing my reaction, lol.

[Delhommey]