Chapter 371: Being Part of NFL

In the bedroom of the Fontainebleau Hotel, Arthur rolled off Catherine Zeta-Jones and kissed her rounded figure, panting, "Want to return to Los Angeles with me first?"

"Ah, probably not. I need to go back to London for some events and then meet with the producer and director as soon as possible," Catherine Zeta-Jones said, satisfied, as she touched Arthur's face and then leaned into his arms.

"Mirage Enterprises' Sense and Sensibility is still in the preparation stage, led by Lindsay Doran. The addition of Emma Thompson has sped up the film's progress. Director Ang Lee, who is good at complex family relationships amidst a social comedy context, is a good fit with Austen's storylines."

Arthur had already had MGM's United Artists discuss it with Mirage Films.

One of Mirage's owners, Sydney Pollack, has a daughter, Rebecca Pollack, who is a producer at United Artists.

Moreover, MGM developed Jane Austen's novel Emma two years ago, and the film received good reviews upon its release!

Catherine Zeta-Jones nudged Arthur's chest, "Is MGM going to invest and distribute this Jane Austen novel adaptation?"

Arthur nodded, "United Artists will become an art film label in the future, focusing on investing in and distributing art films and foreign films!"

"Well, with a film company investing, even if Ang Lee is a new Hollywood director, the project can start officially soon," Catherine Zeta-Jones couldn't help but kiss Arthur's face.

...

In mid-August, after no one else continued to bid, Hugh Culverhouse II and Arthur signed an acquisition agreement at the NFL headquarters in New York.

With NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue as a witness, Galaxy Sports purchased the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for hundred and fifty million dollars!

"Congratulations, Arthur. You're now one of the NFL team owners," Paul Tagliabue said, shaking hands with Arthur with a smile.

"Unfortunately, the Buccaneers' performance is too poor. There's still a long way to go," Arthur clinked glasses with him. "Are the Cleveland Browns thinking of relocating to Baltimore?"

Paul Tagliabue nodded, "The Browns' stadium in Cleveland is a bit run-down, and the city's attitude toward a new stadium is very ambiguous!"

Arthur smiled, as expected, Baltimore was planning to build a new stadium to attract an NFL team. This new stadium in preparation became a bargaining chip in negotiations between some clubs and the government.

Paul Tagliabue looked at Arthur, "The Los Angeles Rams recently brought in two new investors."

"Philip Anschutz and Stan Kroenke each spent $40 million to acquire 20% of the Los Angeles Rams!"

Arthur smiled, "If Rams owner Georgia Frontiere were willing to give up controlling ownership, that's the team I'd target."

Paul Tagliabue shook his head and sighed, "After this year, there won't be an NFL team in the Los Angeles area."

"The Los Angeles Raiders have already settled with Oakland and will move to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum next year, rebranding as the Oakland Raiders. They were very disappointed with the Memorial Coliseum."

"As for the Los Angeles Rams, their dissatisfaction with Angel Stadium was high, and on Stan Kroenke's advice, they will also move to St. Louis, Missouri, and rebrand as the St. Louis Rams!"

Imagine that, the second-largest city in the United States won't have a football team.

If it were Arthur Smith, would he build a dedicated football stadium for the team? Unfortunately, Galaxy Sports is busy constructing the NBA's Galaxy Center in Los Angeles.

Arthur shrugged, "Although Los Angeles is a big city, both the Raiders and the Rams had low attendance rates, ranking at the bottom of the league. The NBA Los Angeles Lakers, NHL Los Angeles Kings, and MLB Los Angeles Dodgers are all top teams in their leagues."

"There's too much of a European immigrant crowd in Hollywood who think football is too rough!"

Paul Tagliabue spread his hands, "But for such a big market like Los Angeles, who wouldn't think it's a pity that there's no NFL team?"

The major obstacle holding back the NFL's development in Los Angeles is the stadium. Unlike other cities, Los Angeles residents have not united to demand the city government refurbish the Memorial Coliseum or build a new stadium.

Otherwise, the Rams and the Raiders wouldn't both leave at the same time. The Los Angeles sports market is indeed large, but the competition is fierce, and the NFL can't compete with other leagues.

Especially in the past two years, Disney just formed an NHL team, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and Arthur Smith also acquired the NBA's struggling Los Angeles Clippers and began building a new stadium.

Two NBA teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Galaxy, along with two MLB teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Anaheim Angels, and two NHL teams, the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

Without suitable stadiums, the NFL really can't compete.

After leaving the NFL headquarters, Arthur pondered the latest challenge from Malcolm Glazer, adding another loss in his life journey.

The famous Glazer family would definitely have no connection with Manchester United in the future!

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Building on Lafayette Street in downtown Manhattan was renamed MGM Headquarters Building.

As the East Coast business hub for MGM, this red building which Arthur bought for $19 million now has a market value of over $50 million!

The MGM film office, the publication offices for Premiere and Wired magazines, and the office of California Pacific Investments are all located there.

And the skyscraper under construction near Times Square - the Galaxy Plaza Building - will be the office for other Galaxy businesses.

These include Galaxy Records, Galaxy Games, Galaxy Cinemas Chain, Ritz-Carlton Group, and the New York headquarters of USA Network!

In the evening, at a cocktail party at the five-star St. Regis Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, Arthur ran into Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.

He also owns the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers and holds shares in America Online (AOL), much like Arthur.

Over the past three years, America Online's stock price has increased more than 100% each year, and Paul Allen actually asked Arthur if he'd sell his AOL shares.

"When I bought AOL shares, the company's market cap was just over $400 million, and now it's about $2 billion," Arthur smiled at him. "I own a percentage of AOL shares. Do you think I would sell in this situation?"

Compared to Arthur's holdings, Paul Allen's AOL shares were much less!

*****

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