Elway wants to be part of Denver's new ownership team

[Misplaced_Chiefs_Fan]

https://www.nfl.com/news/john-elway-...to-be-involved

Spoiler!

The Denver Broncos could be up for sale this spring. If that's the case, John Elway, the franchise's greatest player and a longtime Broncos executive, would like to be included in Denver's new ownership group.

"Who knows where that is and where that falls, but I do have interest in being a part of it," Elway told 9News' Mike Klis on Monday. "The Broncos have been in my life for 40 years, so I'd love to be a part of it. So it's a matter of seeing how everything plays out and what's going to happen. I'm sure there will be a lot of things going on, but I would definitely like to be involved."

A court ruling last week cleared the way for a potential transfer of Broncos ownership. Denver County District Court Judge Shelley I. Gilman ruled that a right of first refusal agreement between late owners Pat Bowlen and Edgar Kaiser was "no longer valid or enforceable in any respect" and "has terminated in its entirety."

The Broncos haven't had an acting owner since the late Pro Football Hall of Fame owner Bowlen turned over control in 2014 to longtime president/CEO Joe Ellis amid Bowlen's battle with Alzheimer's disease. Bowlen died in 2019. The franchise is believed to be worth around $4 billion.

Elway is as synonymous with the Broncos as any player has ever been with any franchise in NFL history. A nine-time Pro Bowler, league MVP and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Broncos, Elway first debuted under center for Denver in 1983 and never played for another team.

Elway has also worked in the Broncos front office since 2011 when he was hired as Denver's general manager and executive vice president of football operations. Under Elway's watch, the Broncos won the AFC West in five consecutive seasons and made two Super Bowl appearances, winning one title, but then missed the playoffs over their next five campaigns. Ahead of the 2021 season, Elway was reassigned as president of football operations and the Broncos hired George Paton as general manager.

Denver is also in the midst of a coaching search after Paton and Co. fired head coach Vic Fangio earlier this month after three seasons at the helm. Ellis has said the team plans "to make an announcement regarding ownership" shortly after the head coaching hire is made.

Change is afoot everywhere you look in Denver. Elway wants to be a part of the transition.

"It's been my life, so I'd like to stay involved,'' Elway said. "We'll see how everything goes but the bottom line is I think I can help the new owner. It should be their club. And it's the coaches, it's the players, and it's George's club. I want to be here in a support role with all the knowledge I have around the league so I can in that area. I don't want to overshadow an owner.''

[Vladimir_Kyrilytch]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Ah, interesting. I'd forgotten about the Disney thing.

I would kind of view a hockey team as being within Disney's mission, though. They're essentially in the entertainment business, and for a company that has theme parks, movie production, and streaming, I wouldn't view a hockey team as being too far afield. (However, naming the team the Mighty Ducks should have cost them the franchise, but that's a different discussion.)

For the same reason, I guess I could see corporate ownership as being too far afield for some companies where it's completely alien to their core strengths, but not others. If Microsoft just bought a gaming company, how much further down the road is a football team?

I didn't even realize that Disney owned the Might Ducks around the same time they owned the Angels. Turns out they owned those Mighty Ducks from inception in 1993 until 2005, which was far longer than they held the Angels.

From wiki: Anaheim Sports, Inc., formerly Disney Sports Enterprises, Inc. (DSE), was a fully owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company based in Anaheim, California and created in 1992 as the ownership group for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim professional hockey team.

In December 1996, Disney Sports Enterprises, Inc. was renamed to Anaheim Sports, Inc. for tax purposes and to align with the teams' names.[8] Anaheim Sports teams were then seen as an additional draw for people to visit Disneyland Resort and a key to a potential regional sports channel, ESPN West.

By 1998, the two teams were losing money and the ESPN West channel never got off the ground, which could have justified keeping the teams. The two teams were put up for sale in 1999. From 1995 to 1998, the Angels lost Anaheim on average $16.6 million while only being competitive in three out of five years. While the Ducks were a money maker in the beginning, the team was expected to lose money for its third season.

You're right that Disney would seem to be the ideal company to get (back) into pro sports, being that it's really just the entertainment industry. Anaheim Sports, Inc. rolled up into Disney's parks and resorts operating segment. Seems that they only sold because it wasn't profitable, which might not be the case now in 2022 and in the NFL......

Coming soon: The Denver Mighty Broncos!