Newspaper Page Text
Griffin Daily News
Bud Adams
Houston Oilers
Must a Pro Grid Owner Be Nutty?
NEW YORK—(NEA)—In some cases, the only way to
get into a pro football game is to wait around for a gnarled
aunt to die and will you her season pass. The impression,
for those who do get into games and stand squashed by
crowds and are frozen by climate, is that owners of pro
football clubs are the wealthiest guys this side of the
Tundra.
The impression is misleading:
We project,” said K. S. (Bud) Adams Jr., owner of the
Houston Oilers, “that it will take five additional seasons of
complete sell-outs to regain the loss sustained in the prior
(and first) eight years of the Oilers."
"Financial rewards to be gained by ownership of a pro
fessional football team are relatively small.” said Pan
Reeves. Los Angeles Rams' owner' “They are small
especially in light of the extra-large investments most
franchises represent."
"Frankly,” said Clint Murchison Jr., Dallas Cowboys’
owner. "I am not exactly sure why I own a team; my
brother thinks I’m nuts."
These are some of the responses to a questionnaire sent
by Newspaper Enterprise to AFL/NFL club owners. Two
questions were posed: (1) Does it pay to own a professional
football team? (2) Why do you own a football team?
Most agree that owning a pro football club is not partic
ularly remunerative, especially in comparison to other
investments.
"Very rewarding in many ways.” said Wellington Mara
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Max Winter
Minnesota Vikings
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Dan Reeves
Los Angeles Rams
NEA polled the owners of AFL and NFL
teams to find whether theirs is a profitable
venture and, if not, then why do they
remain involved. Sports Editor Ira Berkow
reports the results....
Allan Phipps
Denver Broncos
Clint Murchison Jr.
Dallas Cowboys
I Ira Berkow
: NEA Sports Editor
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of the New York Giants. “However, at present cost of
franchises, money could be invested in many other ways to
bring a better rate of return than in pro football.”
Joseph Robbie of the Miami Dolphins concurred, but
added: "It must be recognized that the satisfaction of being
engaged in professional football is one of the greatest re
turns on this investment.”
Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers said that owning a
pro football franchise does pay now “But there were
leaner days,” he said
Max Winter of the Minnesota Vikings said, “Yes, it does
pay to own a team in pro football. Financially we have had
some very successful seasons. We bought our franchise for
$600,000 and our return on our investment has been very
good. Had we paid nine or 10 million for same, I doubt
that this would hold true in the average franchise.”
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Lamar Hunt
Kansas City Chiefs
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Wellington Mara
New York Giants
Paul Brown
Cincinnoti Bengals
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Joseph Robbie
Miami Dolphins
“No,” said Allan Phipps, “the operation of the Denver
Broncos will never generate a pay’ proposition in the
generally accepted business sense of the term. It’s certainly
not the type of investment that can be recommended either
for widows or orphans . . . .”
So, if there are greener fields elsewhere, why do these
men remain in pro football?
“It’s a family business,” said Mara.
"I greatly enjoy the challenge presented to attract
spectators,” said Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City
Chiefs.
“It’s a rewarding experience from the standpoints of
helping preserve a well-rounded community, and possibly
of contributing to its future image,” said Denver’s Phipps.
“Football is an exciting and fun way to live,” said
Cincinnati's Paul Brown. “That is why I* came back into
it. I did not return for financial reasons.”
“Football," said Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford,
“provides all the vicarious aspects of competition—from
running a sound management to fielding a winning team.”
“In addition.” said Billy Sullivan of the Boston Patriots,
“our team, like others, has afforded fine job opportunities
to many who otherwise might not have had them.”
It was Rooney, though, who probably summed it up for
all the owners. “I suppose,” he said, "that the most direct
and honest answer is simply: I love the game.”
(Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)
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William Clay Ford
Detroit Lions
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Art Rooney-
Pittsburgh Steelers
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Billy Sullivan
Boston Patriots