Think things have been rough for the Los Angeles Dodgers given the public split between owner Frank McCourt and his wife? It’s about to get rougher.
Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that it is taking over the financial operations of the team. This announcement comes just days after it was reported that McCourt took out a $30 million loan from FOX in order to make the team payroll.
A statement from commissioner Bud Selig’s office explained the league’s rationale:
“I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt’s ownership. … The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future.”
As Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk suggests, it’s abundantly clear that Selig isn’t too fond of McCourt using the Dodgers’ TV deal to clean up his own financial problems.
It’s also a clear shot across the bow of McCourt’s reign as the owner of the club.
Calcaterra writes that “while it may be painful for the team and its fans to go through this in the interim, baseball stepping in and relieving McCourt of financial command is a good thing in the long term for the franchise.”
So what say you, Dodgers fans? Must McCourt go? Or is there a way for him to salvage his position atop the franchise?
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