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Sports Facilities, Professional Football, Football - General & Miscellaneous, Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings

Glory for Sale

by Jon Morgan, Ann Sjoerdsma
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Overview

Examining the politics, economics, and drama behind the Browns' move to Baltimore, sports journalist Jon Morgan takes you inside the deals that have changed the face of the NFL and profiles the powerful men who've pulled them off. More than 30 b&w photos & illustrations. 320 pp.

Synopsis

Go behind-the-scenes of the most surprising and controversial franchise move in NFL history!

Publishers Weekly

There was a seismic shock among fans when Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns and longtime critic of owners who moved their teams for financial gain, transferred his franchise to Baltimore in 1995. The irony was that Baltimore had lost its beloved Colts in 1984, when the team left for Indianapolis under cover of night. Baltimore Sun journalist Morgan, who covers the economics of sports, not only writes here on the move that saddened Browns fans but also investigates what he calls "the stadium-powered politics of appeasement." He treats instances of team owners threatening to leave their communities if they're not given such amenities as new stadiums, luxury boxes, personal seat licenses and the like. He shows here that it's the public, not the owners, who pay for all this through higher taxes, bond issues, increased ticket prices or sometimes special lotteries. Morgan's thorough account will likely have fans questioning their loyalties. (Oct.)

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

There was a seismic shock among fans when Art Modell, owner of the Cleveland Browns and longtime critic of owners who moved their teams for financial gain, transferred his franchise to Baltimore in 1995. The irony was that Baltimore had lost its beloved Colts in 1984, when the team left for Indianapolis under cover of night. Baltimore Sun journalist Morgan, who covers the economics of sports, not only writes here on the move that saddened Browns fans but also investigates what he calls "the stadium-powered politics of appeasement." He treats instances of team owners threatening to leave their communities if they're not given such amenities as new stadiums, luxury boxes, personal seat licenses and the like. He shows here that it's the public, not the owners, who pay for all this through higher taxes, bond issues, increased ticket prices or sometimes special lotteries. Morgan's thorough account will likely have fans questioning their loyalties. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Morgan, a sports business writer for the Baltimore Sun, believes the major factor behind the flight of professional football franchises from city to city is stadium economics. Items such as skyboxes, retractable roofs, concession contracts, and scoreboard advertising have replaced fan allegiance and municipal loyalty as the deciding issues in the relocation of teams. To illustrate his case, he chronicles in dollar-by-dollar detail the recent move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore, an event determined in the end by the highest bidder. Like the league he targets, this study is more business than sport and thus is likely to frustrate traditional fans who cringe at the commingling of the two. Though the message he delivers may be depressing, it is also necessary for developing an understanding of today's NFL. For comprehensive collections.William H. Hoffman, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Fla.

Book Details

Published
September 1, 1997
Publisher
Bancroft Press
Pages
377
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780963124654

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