Denver Broncos president Joe Ellis has teased the idea of a new stadium after a change of ownership that is expected to be finalized before the 2022 NFL season. 

A potential new home for the Broncos has been met with skepticism, but “it’ll be the No. 1 decision the new owner will have to make,” said Ellis, and could generate fresh revenue for the city and kickstart the development of new retail, dining, and residential properties.  

• Estimated costs for a new stadium could exceed $2 billion.
• It would likely include a retractable roof. 
• The enclosure would allow Denver to host a Super Bowl for the first time. 

The Broncos’ current home, Empower Field at Mile High, opened in 2001 with construction costs that reached $400 million.

Last week, the Broncos received five non-binding bids to purchase the team. The bids included Los Angeles Dodgers, Lakers, and Sparks co-owner Todd Boehly and Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and Crystal Palace co-owner Josh Harris, as well as Rob Walton, per Sportico. 

Walton, son of late Walmart founder Sam Walton, is reportedly bidding more than $4 billion.

Complete Overhaul 

Recent changes for the Broncos also include its personnel on the field. Last month, the Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos in one of the biggest swaps in NFL history.

This upcoming season, the nine-time Pro Bowler will play out the third season of a four-year, $140 million contract he signed in April 2019.

ClearTV Media CEO Henry Mauriss’ $148 million takeover bid for Sheffield United is being reviewed by the English Football League, according to The Athletic. 

In June 2020, Mauriss submitted a $436 million bid for Newcastle United. The offer topped a $374 million bid from the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Mauriss held exclusive talks with Newcastle, but a deal failed to come to fruition due to what was deemed a slow takeover process by then-owner Michael Ashley.

Ashley sold Newcastle to the PIF in October 2021 in a deal worth more than $385 million. 

Mauriss’ ability to acquire Sheffield United depends on two EFL stipulations. 

• The American businessman must prove sources of funding and sustainability. 
• Any deal for the club would have to be approved by EFL owners and directors. 

Sheffield United is currently owned by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Abdullah bin Mosaad bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, who initially purchased a 50% stake in the club in 2013 for an undisclosed amount. The prince acquired the remaining stake in 2019 for $6.4 million after an arbitration battle with British real estate entrepreneur Kevin McCabe, who owned the other 50%.

Hot Commodity 

Mauriss joins a number of investors looking to tap into the world’s most popular sport.

Ligue 1’s Olympique Lyonnais has received at least six bids for an ownership stake, per Bloomberg. The French club, which is valued at $528 million, has received offers from American and European investors and is expecting more this week.

The Oakland A’s are preparing to move from RingCentral Coliseum, but it seems that their fans have already done so.

The team is seeing record-low attendance at the start of the 2022 season. While the team’s home opener on April 18 drew 17,503 fans, the numbers plummeted from there.

• The following day brought 3,748 to the park, a 42-year low. 
• That record lasted one day: On April 20, attendance sank to 2,703.

Among those not present were core members of the A’s leadership. Owner John Fisher, team president Dave Kaval, and other executives spent part of the week in Las Vegas meeting with landowners of sites that could one day house a new A’s ballpark.

The team is simultaneously pursuing a new home in Vegas and a waterfront development in Oakland.

The A’s traded key players over the offseason, unloading Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, and Sean Manaea. Kaval has argued that a new ballpark would improve attendance and allow the team to maintain a more expensive roster.

Cat Attendance on the Rise

Though human attendance has been on the decline, feral cats are helping make up the difference.

A colony estimated at 30-to-40 cats flourished in and around the coliseum during the pandemic and continues to live there.

“You have to give them an ‘A’ for dealing with the rodents, but we don’t need as many in the army right now,” stadium authority executive director Henry Gardner told Oaklandside. “We are overstaffed.”

The Arizona Coyotes are at the bottom of the NHL standings, but next year they’re hoping to charge premium prices to see them.

The team released its ticket prices for the 2022-23 season, with season tickets ranging from $3,649 to $14,350. Half-season options are available for around 60% of the season ticket prices.

Supply will be limited: After a dispute around its current home, Gila River Arena, the Coyotes will play at least the next three seasons at Arizona State University, which has a capacity of 5,100. 

• Gila River Arena holds more than triple that – 18,300 – but the team’s average home attendance this season has been 11,414, third-lowest in the NHL.
• The Coyotes will call ASU home for the next three seasons, with an option for the 2025-26 season.

Perhaps most eye-catching are the single-game prices announced for next season: Tickets start at $89 and rise to $350. One can currently find a seat at Gila River Arena for $24.

Desert Drama

The Coyotes were nearly locked out of their own arena earlier this year over $1.3 million in unpaid city and state taxes. The franchise caught up on its bills in December, citing human error for the issue.

The team’s situation has been in flux since the city of Glendale told the team in August that its lease would not be renewed. 

In September, the Coyotes proposed a new 46-acre arena and entertainment district in Tempe.