Great video. The only Phoenix pro sports team that has had decent owners is the Rising of the USL Championship (the 2nd tier of American soccer behind MLS) who have seen nothing but success since they entered the league & are currently the defending champions. One of the owners is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba who also played for the club for a season in 2017. However the existence of the Rising has been threatened over the years by MLS's increasing desire to expand to Phoenix which would likely create the same scenario that soccer fans in San Diego experienced when San Diego FC was announced as the next MLS expansion club which forced the USL club to shut down. For those wondering why the Rising simply just joins MLS as part of MLS's expansion to Phoenix, it is because they want to help USL grow as a league & build it up to be an alternative to MLS. They also know that if they did join MLS, they would likely be forced to relocate to State Farm Stadium from their current stadium that they built themselves by Sky Harbor Airport & force their fans to commute out to Glendale which would really hurt fan support since most of the Rising's fans live in Phoenix or Tempe.
I remember the Phoenix rising signing Drogba because it was like a year after Sac Republic signed Carlton Cole. The latter move did not work. I think MLS is worried about USL as a whole. They now have more TV visibility, a good product and some passionate soccer markets. MLS is about making money from soccer while USL is about the soccer. It's not perfect, but I find myself watching USL games these days.
As an Arizona native….yeah we suck. It’s a permanent condition amongst many of the transplants out here. These owners are “middle class” people in other states, then move out here because it’s cheap and they can pretend to be rich. The Diamondbacks are the biggest joke amongst all the teams in my opinion. Half the league trains in Phoenix metro during spring training yet they can’t afford to chase after many of the choice free agents who live in their own metroplex. The Cardinals are truly a massive disappointment. They built a solid stadium on the cheap, made a huge success on Latino outreach marketing and really got Christian conservatives to fall for the team when Kurt Warner played quarterback. But they still can’t win. And so many NFL players live in Arizona due to the Scottsdale party life. I guess we should cheer on the true studs in this state….the Rattlers and the Phoenix Mercury.
Ken Kendrick is a guy that if our fanbase wasn’t so apathetic, and American fanbases were more vocal, we’d give him the Allam Family treatment (also known as protesting an owner like Hull City did to the Allams even the team is winning)
Assem "nobody questions my decisions in my business" Allam. Kendrick has done some really dumb, cheap things, but Allam was world-class at making unforced errors that upset fans.
The NFL Cardinals weren't very successful in Chicago, nor St. Louis before. I remember when the Philadelphia Eagles almost moved to Phoenix. It wasn't because the team was bad nor because fans didn't show. It was because the team's owner had huge, inescapable personal debt. Shortly after, Packer legend Bart Starr and a group of investors tried to get the region an NFL expansion team --- the Arizona Firebirds. I'm not sure why this never came to fruition.
If the coyotes were gonna move, Houston would've made more sense because it's more central compared to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is too far west to be in the central. Move the Chargers to Salt Lake City, l don't want another scenario where a city has NBA, MLS and maybe one day MLB and NHL, but no NFL just like Los Angeles from 1995-2015.
I think NHL teams belong where people really love hockey🤷♂️ many cities in Canada would do well, maybe Milwaukee or Grand Rapids MI, Toledo etc... just a thought. I know media markets seem to control where teams go but that doesn't always matter in the NHL
Let's not forget that Bidwell also moved the cardinals not because of poor attendance. It was because he wanted to retire in Arizona.
Great video. The only Phoenix pro sports team that has had decent owners is the Rising of the USL Championship (the 2nd tier of American soccer behind MLS) who have seen nothing but success since they entered the league & are currently the defending champions. One of the owners is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba who also played for the club for a season in 2017. However the existence of the Rising has been threatened over the years by MLS's increasing desire to expand to Phoenix which would likely create the same scenario that soccer fans in San Diego experienced when San Diego FC was announced as the next MLS expansion club which forced the USL club to shut down. For those wondering why the Rising simply just joins MLS as part of MLS's expansion to Phoenix, it is because they want to help USL grow as a league & build it up to be an alternative to MLS. They also know that if they did join MLS, they would likely be forced to relocate to State Farm Stadium from their current stadium that they built themselves by Sky Harbor Airport & force their fans to commute out to Glendale which would really hurt fan support since most of the Rising's fans live in Phoenix or Tempe.
I remember the Phoenix rising signing Drogba because it was like a year after Sac Republic signed Carlton Cole. The latter move did not work.
I think MLS is worried about USL as a whole. They now have more TV visibility, a good product and some passionate soccer markets. MLS is about making money from soccer while USL is about the soccer. It's not perfect, but I find myself watching USL games these days.
Drogba is a legend!
The Coyotes problems were more than just ownership issues. That franchise was a wreck from top to bottom.
Exactly. That franchise NEVER should have left Winnipeg.
The three indoor football team in AZ all have committed owners who regularly compete for titles year in and out. It's something.
As an Arizona native….yeah we suck. It’s a permanent condition amongst many of the transplants out here. These owners are “middle class” people in other states, then move out here because it’s cheap and they can pretend to be rich. The Diamondbacks are the biggest joke amongst all the teams in my opinion. Half the league trains in Phoenix metro during spring training yet they can’t afford to chase after many of the choice free agents who live in their own metroplex. The Cardinals are truly a massive disappointment. They built a solid stadium on the cheap, made a huge success on Latino outreach marketing and really got Christian conservatives to fall for the team when Kurt Warner played quarterback. But they still can’t win. And so many NFL players live in Arizona due to the Scottsdale party life.
I guess we should cheer on the true studs in this state….the Rattlers and the Phoenix Mercury.
Need to do one for Chicago too
yeah, get rid of the F reinsdorf
Ken Kendrick is a guy that if our fanbase wasn’t so apathetic, and American fanbases were more vocal, we’d give him the Allam Family treatment (also known as protesting an owner like Hull City did to the Allams even the team is winning)
Assem "nobody questions my decisions in my business" Allam. Kendrick has done some really dumb, cheap things, but Allam was world-class at making unforced errors that upset fans.
Put the Crown on Rober Sarver....he was the worst.
Look up Leonard Lesser and the Phoenix Fire.
It will be at least five years before a hockey team comes back here. The NHL will wait out Alex Meruelo and his ROFR.
If you could do a video of Mariners ownership lead by John Stanton & his leadership skills of profits over actually sustained winning.
The NFL Cardinals weren't very successful in Chicago, nor St. Louis before. I remember when the Philadelphia Eagles almost moved to Phoenix. It wasn't because the team was bad nor because fans didn't show. It was because the team's owner had huge, inescapable personal debt. Shortly after, Packer legend Bart Starr and a group of investors tried to get the region an NFL expansion team --- the Arizona Firebirds. I'm not sure why this never came to fruition.
If the coyotes were gonna move, Houston would've made more sense because it's more central compared to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City is too far west to be in the central. Move the Chargers to Salt Lake City, l don't want another scenario where a city has NBA, MLS and maybe one day MLB and NHL, but no NFL just like Los Angeles from 1995-2015.
The leagues don’t care if the Cowboys are in the NFC East, Oklahoma City is in the NBA Northwest, etc.
They want their purchase price, full stop.
Ken Kendrick the worst? Interesting....
I think NHL teams belong where people really love hockey🤷♂️ many cities in Canada would do well, maybe Milwaukee or Grand Rapids MI, Toledo etc... just a thought. I know media markets seem to control where teams go but that doesn't always matter in the NHL