MFoy t1_je8f1hw wrote on March 30, 2023 at 3:59 AM

Reply to comment by M3g4d37h in On March 28, 1984, Bob Irsay (1923-1997), owner of the once-mighty Baltimore Colts, moves the team to Indianapolis. Without any sort of public announcement, Irsay hired movers to pack up the team's offices in Owings Mills, Maryland, in the middle of the night, while the city of Baltimore slept. by DfcukinLite

It wasn’t just a threat. The day before the team moved, a new bill passed the State Senate that would amend eminent domain laws to allow the state seize the team. It was being debated in the House of Delegates the next day, and was signed by the Governor within 48 hours of the team moving.

Furthermore, the city of Baltimore literally amended the town charter to make it illegal for the city to spend a penny on a new stadium.

The state refused to spend $25m on upgrades to memorial stadium on things like adequate plumbing, and then after the colts left spent $110m on Camden Yards, $200m on Ravens stadium, and a further $50m on “moving expenses” to help the Browns come from Cleveland all within 15 years.

BlueFalconPunch t1_je92jgt wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:55 AM

"...after the Colts left spent..."

Yes 15 years after the Colts left...Memorial stadium was still being used by the Os for years after they left.

MFoy t1_je97ae4 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:04 AM

Colts left in 1984. Construction on Camden Yards started construction in 1989, opened in 1991. Ravens came back in 1996, M&T Bank Stadium (then Ravens Stadium) opened in 1998. That’s all within 15 years.

Problem was, first Baltimore had to reverse the town charter, did that in the fall of 1984. They couldn’t even hire someone to start thinking about the new stadium. Then they haggled over the site, then the design, then paying for it. I would say 5 years from “it is illegal for this city to spend money towards a stadium” to shovels in the ground is pretty good.

M3g4d37h t1_je8fgj5 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:03 AM

.. And to add to this, Cleveland more or less pulled the same act on Modell. His team was the big draw in Cleveland, and he watched as they built new venues for everyone else, and denied him. As I understand it, the Rock 'n' Roll HOF was the straw that broke the camel's back - But to his credit, he gave them the name, which he didn't owe them - The Irsays floated a $30M price to Baltimore in order for Baltimore to retain the team name.

MFoy t1_je8i5ia wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:30 AM

Actually, in Cleveland, he asked for $175m or else he would move the team. The initiative was put on the ballot, and then 48 hours before the vote, he announced he was moving the team anyways, no matter what happened with the money.

The ballot passed, and the team left, so the city used the money from the ballot to build a new stadium.

M3g4d37h t1_je8ijox wrote on March 30, 2023 at 4:34 AM

Good. Why wait for strike 4? Jacobs Field, the FieldHouse , and the RNRHOF were all built while he was putting asses in the seats. I guess they were more worried about that one fucking guy who was at the Indians games with his big tom-tom drum.

Cleveland treated him like a red-headed stepchild.

hymie0 t1_je9bno9 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:59 AM

He didn't "give them the name." The NFL interfered. They wouldn't let him take the name. They declared the Cleveland Browns to be a still-existing but temporarily-dormant team, and called the Ravens a new expansion team.

hachachachacha t1_jeatj95 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:46 PM

Cleveland sued, keeping the name and getting a new team was part of the settlement the NFL agreed to so it wouldn't go to trial.

vintage2019 t1_jee1bgq wrote on March 31, 2023 at 10:15 AM

I feel like that is the right procedure with any relocating franchises.