Initial Meeting Bears No Deal to Keep Crew in Columbus

Earlier today, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and CEO of the Columbus Partnership Alex Fischer met with Columbus Crew SC owner Anthony "Trust Fund Tony" Precourt and MLS Commissioner Don "The Soccer Done" Garber. 

Based on statements just released by both parties, it appears that the Columbus Partnership went into the meeting at MLS Headquarters in New York City with the idea that MLS and Precourt Sports Ventures would be immediately willing to fully commit to keeping the Crew in Columbus.  Conversely, it appears that MLS & PSV expected a full-blown dog-and-pony show style presentation from the Partnership which would give them everything they ever imagined possible, and on a silver platter.

Everything that happened today is, more than likely, just the beginning of the public negotiations.  Neither of these two expectations were realistic, and the statements released after the meeting were clearly posturing for the press, the public, and Crew supporters.  This was the first real meeting of the two sides since the news of the potential relocation of the original MLS club broke weeks ago, and neither side was going to give in on anything right off the bat.  Thinking otherwise is unrealistic.

The reality of the situation is that at today's meeting, the Partnership let MLS & PSV know that they are not willing to negotiate with PSV without a commitment to keep the Crew in Columbus. And PSV let the Partnership know that they are perfectly content to move the team to Austin.

 There is no way that the Partnership is going to let PSV take any number, figure, plan, or idea that they could possibly present to keep the Crew in Columbus, as a bargaining chip for PSV to use in negotiations with Austin. Think of it this way - perhaps the Partnership is willing to finance a new stadium, willing to give a plot of prime downtown real estate to build a stadium, or something akin to a great concession from the Partnership that would show Columbus is willing and able to keep the Crew.  The Partnership does not want MLS & PSV to  to schedule a meeting with the Austin folks and use their offer as a bargaining chip. 

If PSV is able to do that, then all you really have is PSV auctioning off the team to the highest bidder, with Garber serving as the auctioneer.  The Columbus Partnership is looking for a guarantee that the city will not be used to sweeten a deal in Austin; The Partnership wants PSV to negotiate in good faith.   

Although that is an admirable position for the Partnership to take from a public relations point of view, PSV and MLS have not done any business in good faith yet in this matter, and making a pledge to do so only damages their position, and would be seen as a concession.  Committing to keep the team in Columbus destroys PSV's leverage to negotiate in Austin.  As long as Columbus is a viable option for PSV, then PSV will have leverage to negotiate in Austin, so why would PSV give that up?  Again, why would PSV give up anything right off the bat, during the first real conversation on the matter?

The first meeting has established the "Mexican Standoff", where both parties are standing feet away from the other, each with a gun in hand, poised point blank at the other's head.  The bullet that is in the chamber of the Partnership's gun is that the entirety of soccer fandom is against MLS & PSV, and that the publicity nightmare the relocation scenario has caused will render a move to Austin untenable.  A few feet away, PSV has its finger firmly against the trigger that is the speculation that a pile of cash can be generated by putting the first professional sports franchise in Austin. 

One of them is bluffing, even if they do not know it yet.  Either way, both may end up taking a bullet at close range.