Quote Originally Posted by paulwoods13 View Post
No question there have been some terrible owners. But beggars can't be choosers. There's no evidence I'm aware of that any better options existed at the time than Harold Ballard, Nelson Skalbania, Murray Pezim, Larry Ryckman, Bruce McNall, Lonie and Bernie Glieberman, Horn Chen, Sherwood Schwarz, etc. Would it have been preferable to allow those franchises to fold?
Maybe; I basically heard the same story though with the BC and Montreal franchises - just nobody wanted anything to do with those teams to take them over from Braley & Bobby Wetandall; yet - a couple of ultra rich owners (who both seem like smart business guys) did step-up to buy those 2 teams = there was no evidence at the time they were out there.

No franchise should have folded - the BOGoofs should get that it's ultra important for no teams to fold in a 9 team league - so the league runs the team with a commitment to temporary financial support from all other teams; while a detailed, smart search for new owner(s) is going on - and you don't try to gouge the new owner with some greedy, trumped up / ludicrous "franchise fee"; instead you bend over backwards to welcome a new, smart owner, and you don't sell to clown acts like the Gliber-goofs or Horn Chen (note - Americans who have no clue about or respect for Canadian football). Engaging a combo community / business investor ownership group as a possibilty - nah, that could never work, so let's try and gouge some buck$ out of Horn Chen instead.