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Malcolm Glazer, owner of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Los Angeles Dodgers from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
Glazer, who still must receive approval on the complicated deal from owners in the NFL and in Major League Baseball, is expected to take control of the Dodgers at the conclusion of the season, probably in October or November.
The sale price, said to be between $400 and $450 million, includes the Dodger franchise, Dodger Stadium, the team's spring training facilities in Vero Beach, Fla., and the club's Dominican Republic properties, sources said, but does not include any of the Fox television properties.
Sources speculate Malcolm Glazer would sell his Super Bowl champion Bucs and start an NFL team in L.A.
The deal remains mostly under the radar for now because of the complicated ownership rules in each sport and because of how the sensitive nature of changing ownership in the middle of the baseball season could adversely affect an already struggling Dodger club. For these reasons, sources say, the Dodgers' ownership situation isn't expected to be part of the agenda at the baseball owners' next meeting in August -- the principles in the deal do not want it to become public until at least October.
While chief among the baseball owners' concerns is that Glazer's main source of income is from his Buccaneers (Forbes magazine lists Glazer as the 313th richest American, with a net worth of about $750 million), the NFL prohibits owners from purchasing another franchise in professional baseball, basketball or hockey -- though the league will make an exception if the franchise is in the same city. The precedent there is H. Wayne Huizenga, who owns the Miami Dolphins and formerly owned the Florida Marlins.
Sources speculate Malcolm Glazer would sell his Super Bowl champion Bucs and start an NFL team in L.A.(Getty Images)
Sources say that the current plan is for Glazer's son, Ed, to run the Dodgers, though it is believed the NFL may frown on that arrangement because that might compromise the spirit and integrity of its rules. Ed Glazer is employed as a vice president in the Buccaneers' front office -- as are Malcolm Glazer's other sons Joel and Bryan -- but lives in Los Angeles.
Speculation by several sources is that, by the time the final t's are crossed and the i's are dotted in this deal come the fall, Glazer will agree to sell the Buccaneers in exchange for landing rights to a future NFL franchise to Los Angeles. In fact, the deal between Glazer and the Dodgers ran into some complications several weeks ago, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations, because of issues surrounding the value of the Dodger Stadium Chavez Ravine acreage. Glazer is thought to be considering building a football stadium on the site.
One of baseball's crown jewel franchises, the Dodgers have been controlled by Murdoch's News Corp. since 1997, when the club was purchased from the O'Malley family for $311 million. The tenure has not been nearly as smooth as many would have hoped: The club has yet to make a postseason appearance under current ownership (and hasn't appeared in the playoffs since 1995), the tenure of former general manager Kevin Malone was an embarrassment to the club on a handful of occasions and the player payroll became unwieldy.
In fact, Bob Daly, the Dodgers' chairman and CEO since October 1999, has been described as being much happier and more outgoing in recent days now that the sale of the club is complete and some of his burden has been lifted.
Others in the organization may feel differently. A Glazer ownership is likely to bring sweeping changes to Dodger Stadium, including the possibility of a front-office shakeup and, likely, a replacement for manager Jim Tracy barring a dramatic on-field turnaround during the season's final two months. One person with knowledge of Glazer's plans speculated that he may even tweak one of his most bitter rivals, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and make a run at New York manager Joe Torre -- though Torre leaving New York in that scenario seems almost impossible to believe.
Then again, Glazer already has proven that he isn't afraid to take chances: He pried Jon Gruden away from Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis before the 2002 NFL season, and it helped the Buccaneers earn their first Super Bowl title in club history.
Glazer, who still must receive approval on the complicated deal from owners in the NFL and in Major League Baseball, is expected to take control of the Dodgers at the conclusion of the season, probably in October or November.
The sale price, said to be between $400 and $450 million, includes the Dodger franchise, Dodger Stadium, the team's spring training facilities in Vero Beach, Fla., and the club's Dominican Republic properties, sources said, but does not include any of the Fox television properties.
The deal remains mostly under the radar for now because of the complicated ownership rules in each sport and because of how the sensitive nature of changing ownership in the middle of the baseball season could adversely affect an already struggling Dodger club. For these reasons, sources say, the Dodgers' ownership situation isn't expected to be part of the agenda at the baseball owners' next meeting in August -- the principles in the deal do not want it to become public until at least October.
While chief among the baseball owners' concerns is that Glazer's main source of income is from his Buccaneers (Forbes magazine lists Glazer as the 313th richest American, with a net worth of about $750 million), the NFL prohibits owners from purchasing another franchise in professional baseball, basketball or hockey -- though the league will make an exception if the franchise is in the same city. The precedent there is H. Wayne Huizenga, who owns the Miami Dolphins and formerly owned the Florida Marlins.
Sources speculate Malcolm Glazer would sell his Super Bowl champion Bucs and start an NFL team in L.A.(Getty Images)
Sources say that the current plan is for Glazer's son, Ed, to run the Dodgers, though it is believed the NFL may frown on that arrangement because that might compromise the spirit and integrity of its rules. Ed Glazer is employed as a vice president in the Buccaneers' front office -- as are Malcolm Glazer's other sons Joel and Bryan -- but lives in Los Angeles.
Speculation by several sources is that, by the time the final t's are crossed and the i's are dotted in this deal come the fall, Glazer will agree to sell the Buccaneers in exchange for landing rights to a future NFL franchise to Los Angeles. In fact, the deal between Glazer and the Dodgers ran into some complications several weeks ago, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations, because of issues surrounding the value of the Dodger Stadium Chavez Ravine acreage. Glazer is thought to be considering building a football stadium on the site.
One of baseball's crown jewel franchises, the Dodgers have been controlled by Murdoch's News Corp. since 1997, when the club was purchased from the O'Malley family for $311 million. The tenure has not been nearly as smooth as many would have hoped: The club has yet to make a postseason appearance under current ownership (and hasn't appeared in the playoffs since 1995), the tenure of former general manager Kevin Malone was an embarrassment to the club on a handful of occasions and the player payroll became unwieldy.
In fact, Bob Daly, the Dodgers' chairman and CEO since October 1999, has been described as being much happier and more outgoing in recent days now that the sale of the club is complete and some of his burden has been lifted.
Others in the organization may feel differently. A Glazer ownership is likely to bring sweeping changes to Dodger Stadium, including the possibility of a front-office shakeup and, likely, a replacement for manager Jim Tracy barring a dramatic on-field turnaround during the season's final two months. One person with knowledge of Glazer's plans speculated that he may even tweak one of his most bitter rivals, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, and make a run at New York manager Joe Torre -- though Torre leaving New York in that scenario seems almost impossible to believe.
Then again, Glazer already has proven that he isn't afraid to take chances: He pried Jon Gruden away from Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis before the 2002 NFL season, and it helped the Buccaneers earn their first Super Bowl title in club history.
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