Braley Wants to Sell Lions

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JohnnyMusso
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If the Aquilini family do buy the Lions Ed Hervey is a goner. They have no problem with firing people and absorbing the losses. My fear is that they would interfere and have a say in hiring the coach.
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B.C.FAN
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Ownership is already involved in the hiring of a new coach. Farhan Lalji mentioned on TSN today that David Braley is interested in Paul LaPolice. The reason is that the he wants to get the most out of the Lions’ investment in Mike Reilly, and LaPolice is an offensive coach with a good record of working with quarterbacks. Farhan said Rick Campbell is still the favourite for the head coaching position. He said an interview with Campbell may be scheduled in the next week.
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The_Pauser
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Happy to see that the Aquilini's wouldn't be Braley's first choice to sell the team to. I absolutely want nothing to do with them owning the Lions. They have destroyed the Canucks in recent years...I don't know that the Lions fanbase could take that kind of destruction.
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Hambone
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I don't really have any problem with a potential Aquilini ownership. Pockets are deep. The potential synergies from being part of a larger corporation that has several sports and entertainment entities under its umbrella would be very positive. Ability to cross promote, access to marketing expertise, leverage of existing staff in areas of marketing, accounting, ticket sales, in game experience etc all become positive factors from both a financial and marketing perspective.

Obviously there are strong opinions on the Aquilinis. Some don't like the direction the team took since 2011 but it's not like that came out of the blue. In 2011 they were a club riding a high but the end of their Stanley Cup window was closing. It always becomes a bit of a Catch 22 for teams in that position as many find need to sacrifice the future to keep that window ajar as long as possible. Eventually such chickens come home to roost. However when they took over Orca Bay and the Canucks it was well documented that they were not shy about spending money on the team to improve facilities and just about everything else to improve the environment for the players.

A big difference I see with Aquilini involvement with the Lions today versus the Canucks in earlier times is that in the latter it was Canucks and the arena only they were concerned with. In the past two years they've added the Warriors NLL club and Vancouver Titans of eSports Overwatch League to their portfolio. The Lions would be a 4th entity in that family. As such I don't see Francisco getting mixed up with the day to day football ops in a manner similar to rumours about the Canucks hockey ops back when it was the only team in his stable. I also don't get the impression he would be as passionate about football as he might about hockey. I think he'd be more inclined to leave football ops to experienced football people with any hands on meddling being on the business ops side. IMO that's as it should be regardless of who replaces Braley.

Bottom line the Aquilini group now known as Canucks Sports & Entertainment is in the business of entertainment through sports. A case can be made that the on ice Canuck product has not been up to standards desired by their fans. However that corner seems to have been turned with a young exciting product that should only get better. Despite on ice shortcomings they still maintained significant focus in the market. They possess significant expertise in the areas the Lions have been criticized for being lacking. That should give them a leg up on other suitors who might come in without the expertise of operating a professional sports organization. Other groups might come in lacking in those areas and likely would have to rebuild the existing Lions business ops and leave it as a stand-alone group.

One thing I'll throw out there and it's totally spitballing on my part. CSE owns and operates Rogers Arena. The Lions play in BC Place and are purely tenants. In addition to owning the Flames, Stamps, Hitmen, Roughnecks and Stockton Heat Calgary Sports & Entertainment also manages the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Bombers operate IG Field in Winnipeg. MLSE operates BMO Field and of course owns the ACC or whatever it's called today. OSEG who owns the REDBLACKS and OHL 67s operate TD Place Stadium. I wonder if at some point CSE with the Lions in the fold might take a run at taking over management of BC Place from Pavco if not attempt to purchase it as the Blue Jays did years ago with Skydome? Certainly they would be in much better financial and operational position to do that than Braley ever was and any other prospective Lions owners might.
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TheLionKing
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My buddy plays squash with one of the Waterboys. Over coffee one day they were discussing the potential sale of the Lions. He is thinking that the Lions won't be sold and will be left with Braley's estate. Also mentioned that Jim Pattison was also interested in purchasing the Lions.
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B.C.FAN
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TheLionKing wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 4:25 pm
My buddy plays squash with one of the Waterboys. Over coffee one day they were discussing the potential sale of the Lions. He is thinking that the Lions won't be sold and will be left with Braley's estate. Also mentioned that Jim Pattison was also interested in purchasing the Lions.
Jim Pattison is 91. If he were interested in the Lions, he could have stepped in when he was younger.
Dusty
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The Aquilini family did not get to where they are by over-paying for their acquisitions. If Braley is intent on getting what he thinks the Lions are worth (to him), then the negotiations with the Acquilini group will stall . The Lions may well be an estate sale some years down the road. In the interim, Mr. Braley will continue to pay the bills.
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Gridiron Ernie
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For what it's worth, here's the latest update. https://3downnation.com/2019/12/26/pres ... the-lions/
jwbavalon
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To paraphrase, "it’s going to happen when it happens". Not very encouraging. A couple said no but 5-6 are interested. Really? I'm curious to know who the potential brides are.
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Hambone
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Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:32 pm
For what it's worth, here's the latest update. https://3downnation.com/2019/12/26/pres ... the-lions/
No surprises. These sorts of transactions are never as simple as something like hanging a for sale sign on your car, boat or house. Far too many complex strings attached. I agree with LeLacheur that the Montreal sale and BC sale cannot be quasi-tied. Having said that for Ambrosie and the rest of the franchises it's in their best interests that both are sold for the highest price possible as that in turn plays a role in shaping all franchise values not to mention the expansion fee for the Schooners if they do actually come into being. When it gets down to it all ownership groups really have to show for their initial investment is the value of their franchises.
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Hambone
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jwbavalon wrote:
Thu Dec 26, 2019 5:40 pm
To paraphrase, "it’s going to happen when it happens". Not very encouraging. A couple said no but 5-6 are interested. Really? I'm curious to know who the potential brides are.
It was always going to happen on that timeline. My belief all along was that we wouldn't hear much of anything until a tentative deal was reached. I still believe, perhaps naively, that Braley is more concerned about who buys it and their longterm intentions than what they pay for it. That's a difficult balance to attract.
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SammyGreene
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Gridiron Ernie wrote:
Thu Dec 26, 2019 4:32 pm
For what it's worth, here's the latest update. https://3downnation.com/2019/12/26/pres ... the-lions/
Nothing really new but can't complain about any kind of Lions news these days. My biggest take was LeLacheur saying how much of Braley's own money he has put into the franchise "especially the last 5 years."
That's saying something for a team he has owned since 1997. I have heard losses of around $2 million annually thrown around. Of course layoffs such as Jamie Cartmell are other signs.

Regardless, the new owners are going to have to come in with deep pockets and a helluva a business plan especially with a stadium that offers no additional revnue.
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BC 1988
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SammyGreene wrote:
Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:56 am
Regardless, the new owners are going to have to come in with deep pockets and a helluva a business plan especially with a stadium that offers no additional revenue.
BC Place is a big factor--I'm sure Aquilini would have bought the Lions by now if there was a way to scoop up the venue cheaply (like Rogers did with Skydome). Tom Mayenknecht speculated about that possibility a few years ago.
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David
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LeLacheur is the first President I'm aware of who has at least been open to the idea that a smaller outdoor facility would be of benefit (per President's Week segment on TSN 1040). Who's going to build it is another story.

He wouldn't go so far as to say the club would be in a better position to have a facility other than BC Place, because we all know it's a first-rate venue. But for CFL purposes, irrespective of Western Finals and Grey Cups, I believe it's been something of a detriment, certainly in the last 5-7 years.

Ownership gets nothing in the way of parking revenue or concessions, and even operating with just the lower bowl, fans don't see any urgency to "buy now or possibly miss out" as anyone can just walk up to the ticket window and purchase a ticket - lots of them - at any price point. Lately, too, it's been viewed as somewhat of a hassle to get to, at least to most who live outside Vancouver proper (certainly not me!).

I will be interested in new ownership's take on this complicated issue. Who knows too, at some point a new government may want to replace this white elephant as it sits on a real estate gold mine.


DH :cool:
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Hambone
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It makes for interesting food for thought David. Like you I like the stadium just where it is for actually the same reasons despite hanging our hats in vastly different locations. I live in PG but downtown Van is still by far the most convenient lower mainland location for me. I can leave my front door in PG and be checking into a downtown hotel in less than 3 hours.

In hindsight a smaller outdoor venue might be better for the Lions but unless it's built close to the current location it might be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul so to speak. In a city becoming more dependent on public transit most roads still point to downtown Vancouver. Live in the west end, North or West Van, south Van or Richmond and to take In an event out in say Surrey or Langley means literally travelling right past BC Place. I don't plan on retiring in PG. When that time comes odds are I'll wind up back home in the Comox Valley which again would render the current downtown location the most desirable if I was to continue being a season ticket holder. Anywhere else would make it too much a pain in the behind to do so.

White elephant or not it is what it is. I don't see any future government doing anything about imploding it for condos until it reaches the end of its useful life. Inside it remains remarkably well kept showing very little signs of wear and tear after 37 years. Having a roof probably adds to its life span due to protection from the elements. I think will be into the 2040's before anybody has to cross that bridge. Who knows what things would look like then not just for the lower mainland, demographics etc but for pro sports and football too. By that time if I'm still on the right side of the grass I'd probably be able to hide my own Easter eggs and be lucky to find half of them much less care where the Lions play.........if I know who they are. :wink:
Last edited by Hambone on Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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