The market for the Seahawks was “soft.” Until it wasn’t.
Less than three weeks after Seth Wickersham of ESPN used the “S” word regarding the interest in the only NFL team currently for sale, Ian Rapoport on NFL Network (which makes him now an employee of ESPN) reported during a prime-time edition of Pat McAfee’s show that the market is suddenly “robust.”
Rapoport, who was careful to try to harmonize his reporting with the recent intel from a new colleague, added that the owners could have a special meeting in August to vote on the new owner.
The number, per Rapoport, “could eclipse $10 billion.”
The expected range, as PFT reported in February, was $9 billion to $11 billion. The number could land in the middle of the low and high end of the scale.
So what changed? It could be that the folks who are truly intent on trying to buy the team watched and waited to see how aggressive the competition would be. At the end of the day, the highest bidder will get the team.
Rapoport named no names as to a potential buyer.
The current employees of the the defending NFL champions and their fans should hope and pray that the new owner, whoever it may be, won’t try to fix what currently isn’t broken. That may be easier said than done. The owner of a team can do whatever he or she wants with it. It will be theirs with which to do whatever they choose.
But, in almost all sales of sports teams, it’s not about finding the best steward for the asset. It’s about getting top dollar for it. In this case, that’s what the late Paul Allen’s trust requires.
