Ot: Mgolawyer perspective on #saveTheCrew lawsuit
I posted last night before falling asleep and had no time to check until tonight. I appreciate the commentary from those with insights into the dormant commerce clause.
I also take the criticism of the quality of the post to heart. This is too little too later, but trying to show good faith.
- The Crew are an original member of the MLS, and have an avid fan base.
- Neighbors, who are avid fans, have told me for years that moving the team was Precourt's (the new crew owner) intention from the day he purchased the crew. The theory is that it was cheaper to buy and move the crew than to pay the MLS expansion fee. This appears to be supported by contract language specifically enabling him to move to Austin.
- This lawsuit appears to be the last Hail Mary to try and preserve the team here in Columbus. The filing of the lawsuit has been on most news reports, but with little substantive evidence of whether it is viable.
I gather from the posts below it is unlikely to work, and while disappointing, it is not unexpected. I hope the courts decide to honor the intention of the law, but understand better why they likely will not.
Ignorance (not seeing the relevant documents, like the Complaint lol) has never kept me from expounding beyond reason before, so here goes...
The lawsuit will die a relatively quick death, and the move to Austin will be able to be made.
MLS expansion has been hella delayed. They only just came out and said "well Cincinnati is kind of in the lead but nothing final yet." Wonder if part of the delay is due to waiting for the outcome of this Columbus stuff. Cincinnati's bid may look stronger to MLS if Columbus loses their team.
At any rate, welcome to the big-time, MLS. You're not a real sports league until you have a dickhead of an owner throw a tantrum and threaten to take his ball and go somewhere else if he doesn't get a new toy.
All comes down to how much public money the Crew had been accepting.
It seems like it’s always the cities with no professional sports that want to fight to the death for stuff like this. MLS is doing their best impression of the NFL right now, either way I hope their reputation is tattered along the way.
As a human I sympathize with anyone or anything trying to move out of Columbus.
As a professional I'd bet we are all wasting our time here. We know hardly anything about the specifics here, especially any agreements or contracts or what the consideration was, or MLS bylaws, and since the team already gave notice of their intent to move, it's likely that six months will have passed by the time that anything gets decided. Looks like a popularity suit to collect some November votes.