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After three decades of silence and low profile, Philip Anschutz must mean what he says about being more hands-on with this whole Downtown LA transformation thing. There were the media interviews last week — his first since becoming the most powerful player in Los Angeles that most people had never seen. And at tonight's Lakers game, the Time Warner Sports announcers pointed out Anschutz and his wife, Nancy, sitting courtside. With the owner of Staples Center watching, the Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 113-102.
Of course, basketball (or hockey and soccer) aren't why Anschutz's new public profile is interesting. It's all about the NFL. The league's owners hold their annual meeting starting Monday at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, and the LA Times writers seem to agree that Anschutz is suddenly a much bigger player in resolving the NFL in LA riddle.
Anschutz said last week that the NFL deal could get done, but LAT business columnist Michael Hiltzik says Anschutz's wealth and resolve may be a match for the football barons.
In an interview with my colleagues Marla Dickerson and Mike James following the announcement that he is taking AEG off the sales block, Anschutz declared that if the NFL intends to locate a team near the downtown L.A. Live district owned by Anschutz's firm, the league must come to him. He set his minimum terms: He must have an investment in both the stadium and the team "if they're going to be occupying … the middle of our campus."He said that he's "flexible," but does any of that sound like he's willing to be manhandled? ("We won't be pushed into a deal," he said.)
Is Anschutz bluffing? Keep in mind that he terminated the sale of AEG because no one would meet his price. The message to the bidders was, he doesn't need your stinkin' $7 billion; he can hold out for $10 billion.
The thought that the terminally arrogant NFL has finally met its match in a negotiating adversary is comforting, up to a point.
Sam Farmer, the sports writer who covers the NFL, poses and answers some questions and reveals some insight about the end of the Anschutz-Tim Leiweke relationship.
So how does it help that the message is now coming from Anschutz and not Leiweke?We're finally getting the information from the source. Anschutz says he's ready to deal, and that he has already spent about $50 million to get the project this far. He also told The Times that he's "flexible," which is key because the widespread word to this point — most coming from the NFL team side — is that he has been stubborn, rigid and dug-in.
Regardless, this is the moment of truth. In the coming months we should know whether he thinks there's a deal to be had. Surely, he's not going to keep writing checks if he's convinced this is a lost cause.
Is there another factor to consider?
Yes. Several people in position to know have said the tension between Anschutz and Leiweke was palpable near the end of Leiweke's tenure. That's not surprising. But it might be added incentive for Anschutz to get a deal done to prove Leiweke wasn't the linchpin to this process. That wouldn't persuade Anschutz to do a bad deal, but for him it would be a bonus to carrying this across the goal line.
Is the league considering other sites?
Of course. Always. From the league's perspective, there has been no activity on the City of Industry front in recent months. The situation could change, but if that were the right deal for the NFL, it would have been consummated by now.
Meanwhile, for more than a decade, the league — including Commissioner Roger Goodell — has been quietly intrigued by the Dodger Stadium site. What's more, Guggenheim Partners, which owns the Dodgers, has close ties to the NFL. The league and Guggenheim have had conversations, and those will continue.
Anschutz with the Kings' Dustin Brown last June
