The Seattle Seahawks are for sale, and the current ownership group, led by Jody Allen, chairperson of the Paul G. Allen Trust, is hoping a deal gets done this year. 12s have heard a few things so far. Some of that is about potential bidders. Another is that the market for the team is "soft."
That last part is a bit worrying because it implies, whether right or wrong, that the organization is not interesting enough for people to invest $6-10 billion in order to own the franchise. Worse, if no one in the Seattle area is interested, maybe the team turns into the NFL version of what happened with the Seattle SuperSonics. But let's relax for a minute.
Importantly, and hopefully truthfully, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently dismissed the Seahawks' market being "soft." He said as much at the league's spring meetings this week.
Roger Goodell having none of the talk about a "soft" market for the Seattle Seahawks
"There have been some reports that I would say are not accurate with respect to the amount of interest,” the commissioner said. “It’s exactly the opposite. It’s actually been tremendous interest in the team."
The truth is that it doesn't take 50 people to be interested in buying the team to be a positive. Any franchise only needs a few interested parties. Hopefully, at least in the case of the Seahawks, a potential new buyer is local because understanding Seattle can be a boon to selling the profile of the organization.
But it doesn't have to be that way. In a best-case situation, the new ownership runs the team the same way that Paul Allen did, and then the Trust with Jody Allen did. Money was spent to acquire the necessary assets to win lots of games, but the football people made the football decisions. That is the smart way of doing business in the NFL.
While a few names have been leaked as far as potential bidders, such as Wyc Grousbeck, former owner of the Boston Celtics, the eventual buyer might not ever be known until close to the time the purchase is made official. This is business, of course, and lots will happen out of the public view.
The Seattle Seahawks won't be moved, either. The NFL doesn't do business the way the NBA did 20 years ago. The league is not likely to allow someone to buy the team if they plan to move the franchise to a new location soon after.
The hope is that all of the concern about selling the team is soon gone, and a new owner is in place. Until then, most of the talk around buying the Seahawks is simple speculation.
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