With another quarter of profits exceeding $10 billion and a total amount of cash on hand that reaches the astronomical level of $170 billion, Apple Inc. could literally purchase any professional sports team in North America. Heck, it could make a play for the National Football League as a whole.
While that’s not happening, I thought it would be fun to look at what professional organizations Apple Inc. might want to get involved in and what it would mean for said franchise.
Buffalo Bills
If it means getting Donald Trump out of the conversation, we should all support this. The Bills, valued at an estimated $870 million, are currently the third least-expensive franchise in the National Football League. It’s still a rather lofty price to pay for a team that hasn’t earned a playoff spot since last century and exists in one of the smallest markets in the league. Just think about this for a second. At $870 million, the Bills are worth more than all but four NBA teams. Is that an investment Apple Inc. is willing to make? Probably not.
Though, it would make for a mighty interesting relationship. The San Francisco 49ers new state-of-the-art location in Santa Clara will end up costing a total of $1.3 billion. That’s just over 10 percent of Apple’s profits last quarter. Just think about what it could do as it relates to a new stadium in Buffalo or elsewhere. I am thinking of something like this.
Courtesy of BBC: Qatar’s plans for World Cup 2022.
Nope, that’s not something out of the Jetson’s. It’s actually going to be built in the most archicturally forward-thinking nation in the world, Qatar. Knowing Apple Inc, I am pretty sure it would come up with something similar…maybe in Toronto.
Oakland Athletics
Yes please. Lewis Wolff out and Apple Inc. in. We couldn’t ask for a more dramatic turnaround in terms of financing here if this pipe dream were to come true. Headquartered in Cupertino, California and one of the founding members of Silicon Valley, Apple’s roots are in the Bay Area. It wouldn’t move the team out of the area, instead opting to do everything in its power to build a state-of-the-art stadium in Oakland or nearby.
With $170 billion on hand, the opportunities are endless here. Like the new 49ers location in Northern California, Yankee Stadium cost the organization and taxpayers $1.3 billion to build. Apple could logically afford another couple hundred million (I know, this money is mind numbing) to purchase lots of land in Oakland. It could also buy out the San Francisco Giants territorial rights in San Jose. I am thinking something to this affect.
Courtesy of Today Online: New Singapore stadium has a nice feel to it.
Then again, Apple could decide to move the team to Las Vegas, which had been discussed as a potential relocation spot for the A’s in the past. Just imagine a new stadium just off the strip..
Courtesy of Wired: This was a stadium complex plan in Vegas back in 2011.
Just think about what Billy Beane could do with a brand-new stadium and the deep pockets of Apple supporting him. It just wouldn’t be fair to the rest of baseball. Of course, we already know that Bud Selig and his chronies hate the A’s and wouldn’t go for this.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment. It sounds somewhat like a horrible Canadian reality show, but it’s actually the group that owns this hockey team. Unfortunately, the richest franchise in the National Hockey League, which is valued at $1.15 billion, hasn’t done anything under this group. MLSE, who was first owned by the great Conn Smythe, has been horrendous in the landscape of canadian professional sports.
For their part, the Maple Leafs have not won a Stanley Cup since 1967, when Harold Ballard purchased MLSE from Smythe. It’s been a downward spiral over the past couple decades, bottoming out with just one playoff appearance in the past nine seasons.
The Air Canada Centre, where Toronto calls home, opened in 1999. It’s considered one of the busiest arenas in the world with the Maple Leafs and Raptors, among other professional sports franchises, calling it home. There wouldn’t be much that Apple Inc. could do as it relates to a new arena, however, it could make some major upgrades to the ridiculously sized 665,000 square-foot complex. It could also move the Maple Leafus to a state-of-the-art arena in the Markham City neighborhood of Toronto, which has long wanted a NHL team.
Oakland Raiders
Kirby Lee, USA Today: Any faith in Davis to do the right thing?
If we are mentioning the Athletics as a possible franchise for Apple Inc. to buy, why not the Raiders? Their Tommy Boy-like owner Mark Davis has been downright atrocious in every aspect since taking over for his late father. There is now some concern among fans in Northern California, that Davis plans on moving his team to Los Angeles. This is only magnified by the fact that he doesn’t seem willing to come to an extension agreement with O.co. In reality, the Raiders could be out of Oakland by 2015.
Does the city need a miracle here? The answer to that question is an obvious yes. It makes sense that if Apple decided to venture into the arena of professional sports that it would look to take over this project.
With a blueprint set in the form of Raiders Coliseum City, led by an investment group in Dubai that has high aspirations, it could be a match made in heaven. Why not go for the juggler here and attempt to find some sort of double whammy that includes the A’s and Raiders? If anyone can do this, it would be a group led by Apple and an investment group from Dubai, right? It’s not like Wolff and Davis are going to get it done. I know, keep dreaming.
Houston Astros
Courtesy of MLB.com
Jim Crane is the type of owner that makes fans want to start supporting another team. He has sacrificed years of contention, or at least decent products on the field, in order to benefit his bottom line. That shouldn’t be allowed in professional sports. It should be all about running an organization because you love the sport, not making a profit. But I don’t need to preach to the choir of fans in Houston that are ready to throw flaming poop at Crane’s door.
Instead, let’s focus exactly on what Apple Inc. could do for this organization. First off, Minute Maid Park is pretty nice. This means that the powers to be wouldn’t really look at building a new stadium. Maybe get rid of that sore thumb of a hill in center field, no? In any event, there is a whole lot that Apple could do for the franchise and the city of Houston. You know…field a competitive team.
Miami Marlins
Courtesy of Wikipedia: Um…
Can you say Jeffrey Loria without cringing? That’s pretty much all you need to know about the situation in Miami, who have gone on three selling sprees since they joined baseball back in 1998. Imagine this team with an ownership group that’s willing to open up its pocket book and actually build a stadium that, two years after the fact, doesn’t look like a generic amusement park?
Cardiff City
Courtesy of Metro.co.uk
A member of the English Premier League, Cardiff City Football Club has been in existence since 1899. It’s had some amazing years of success and some down periods, but owner Vincent Tan has to be consdered the blackest of eyes for this once proud football club. From the glory years of the 1920’s that culminated in a 1-0 FA Cup victory over Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in London to success in the early 2000’s, Tan, who acquired the club in 2010, doesn’t deserve to be associated with Cardiff City.
Purchasing this English Premier League club wouldn’t disable Apple’s ability to go out thre and buy a franchise in one of the major sports here in North America. It would, however, enable the once proud club to modernize and boast an ownership group that doesn’t only buys players with the number eight in their birthday. True story.
All franchise values provided by Forbes.
Photo: Apple.com