AP News, February 7th, 2007
Another reminder that people are the same everywhere came amid reports that fans on both sides of the Atlantic were in a panic over whether the owners of their respective football teams were serious enough about winning.
What made it one of those "the-world-is-getting-smaller" epiphanies is that while the stories were about two different versions of football _ one called "soccer" over here _ the owners in both cases were rich Americans.
In terms of global impact, the bigger story was that George Gillett Jr., who owns the Montreal Canadiens, and Tom Hicks, who owns the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars, had completed their bid to gain control of Liverpool, one of the most fabled teams not just in England but around the world.
Gaining considerably less attention was Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner denying reports he planned to sell his NFL team so he could lavish more of his fortune on Aston Villa, another illustrious club that competes in England's Premier League. A local television station ran promos to that effect during its Super Bowl telecast Sunday, prompting Lerner to tell a rival station, "I can definitely, positively, and categorically say that the Cleveland Browns are not up for sale.
"I adore this team," he added. "I am working feverishly to make this a better team, and you can quote me."
Liverpool fans got essentially the same pledge from their Gillett and Hicks during a news conference in their club's hometown, plus assurances the new owners would do everything necessary to safeguard the tradition they'd inherited. That was after an offer of $430.8 million that includes an agreement to pay off about $89 million of club debt and pledges to build and finance a 60,000-seat stadium.
"When you sit in our little country you get an unusual perspective, and probably an incorrect one, because we think our sports are pretty popular," Gillett said. "Then you come over here and see the tribal aspects of the fans and their affection and support for the team and realize it's a game which is watched by billions."
Lerner bought Aston Villa in September for much less cash, about $119 million, and with considerably less fanfare, in no small part because Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer handed over $1.47 billion in May 2005 for Manchester United, the most recognized sports brand on the planet.
Glazer was called a "leprechaun," a "know-nothing" and the "Great American Satan," and threatened with boycotts and worse. He wasn't the first foreigner to buy a Premier League team: Egyptian-born billionaire Mohammed Al Fayed, who owns Harrod's department store, also owns Fulham; and Russian oil baron Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea two years earlier. In a spending spree that would put George Steinbrenner to shame, he bought every player the Blues needed to win consecutive league titles in 2005-06.
Glazer's purchase was greeted in Manchester the way people in New York would react if some third-rate duke or earl had crossed the pond to buy the Yankees. United, after all, won eight championships since the Premier League was formed, already boasted a sold-out stadium, a worldwide fan base upward of 50 million, and an annual balance sheet that would turn the Yankees' pinstripes green with envy.
What troubled supporters most was how a club essentially free from debt could continue winning just as it was about to become heavily leveraged just to service its debt. Two years later, however, the Red Devils are back on top of the standings and the cries of "Yankee go home" have subsided.
Winning has dissipated most of that anger, and it doesn't hurt that both Lerner and the Gillett-Hicks partnership are much better capitalized operations than Glazer's was. That, plus the fact that Lerner, unlike the fanatically private Glazer, has turned up in the stands for plenty of games and both Gillett and Hicks have promised to.
Their presence will reinforce the quaint English belief that football is still "the people's game," even though the more sophisticated fans already understand it's the Americans' deep pockets and the depth of their commitment that will determine whether they succeed.
"Owning this great franchise is special," Gillett said. "We want to add to that luster, not detract from that luster."
Liverpool fans who know the track record of Gillett and Hicks might end up wishing they got another Texas owner instead, Mark Cuban, who's spared no expense trying to turn the Dallas Mavericks into NBA champions, or perhaps New England Patriots boss Robert Kraft, who's won a few Super Bowls.
Gillett has improved the Canadiens since he took over, although they have yet to win a Stanley Cup and reclaim any past glory. Hicks' hockey team did win the Cup, but he's largely known over here for mismanaging the Rangers and handing out the single-dumbest contract in pro sports, a 10-year, $252-million deal to since-departed Alex Rodriguez.
Lerner faces a tougher task still, since he must satisfy fans in different towns watching different games with the same name. Our version of football is not nearly as old, but he and any other American owners looking to cash in abroad would do well to remember what longtime Raiders boss Al Davis said about making people happy everywhere:
Just win, baby.
___
Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke@ap.org
