Paul Allen's sports empire goes dot.bomb

ESPN.com ^ | December 6, 2002 | Adrian Wojnarowski

[Norman Arbuthnot]

Paul Allen's sports empire goes dot.bomb ------------------------------------------------------------------------ By Adrian Wojnarowski Special to ESPN.com The biggest, most important owners in sports are relentlessly ripped for wild, irresponsible spending and lording over bad teams and bad actors. But the richest disgrace of all stays strangely under the radar and out of harms way.

For Paul Allen, owning a sports team is as risky an investment as owning tech stocks these days.Yet, there's no mistaking the truth: Billionaire Paul Allen has to be considered one of the worst sports owners ever. Who has ever spent so much money for so much embarrassment? His Microsoft genius has been lost in the translation to professional ball, leaving a lavish legacy of lawlessness that doesn't look like it's going to soon change.

The Portland Trail Blazers are the most expensive disgrace in sports, with the Seattle Seahawks riding shotgun for their own failures on the field.

Before this lost season, the Blazers actually had the nerve to mount a marketing campaign where players -- including registered sex offender Ruben Patterson (the nanny) and headcase Rasheed Wallace (the refs) -- went door to door in Portland courting beleaguered Blazers fans with an invitation to a family night out of basketball. The ads insisted you would love these hometown heroes. So now, Wallace and Damon Stoudamire are answering charges for marijuana possession on the heels of Patterson's wife -- despite a disturbing police report -- deciding not to press charges on her husband for domestic assault.

For his part as owner, Allen has never been held accountable for his franchise. We rip Peter Angelos for running the Orioles into the ground. Ditto for the Irsays, Browns and Bidwells. We destroy Steinbrenner for his greed and punish Cablevision for its bungled management of the Knicks and Rangers. So, come on down, Paul Allen, and get your just due. Let there be no misunderstanding: Allen is responsible for two of the most toxic dumps in professional sports.

Seahawks' GM and coach Mike Holmgren hasn't been able to duplicate the magic he had in Green Bay.Allen allows Bob Whitsitt to run the Blazers and watch over the Seahawks. Somehow, Whitsitt still has a job. When fans held a "Trade Whitsitt" sign in the playoffs against the Lakers a few years ago, they were thrown out. Whitsitt is responsible for this basketball mess. Aging brute Dale Davis for rising star Jermaine O'Neal? Bringing Shawn Kemp to the Blazers after his career and life bottomed out with Cleveland?

As it turns out, the most untouchable owner also happens to employ the most untouchable president and GM. Allen has watched Mike Holmgren, the $32 million savior turned naked emperor, run the Seahawks straight into irrelevance.

There is a measure of hope for the Seahawks, good young players rising to replace the overpaid veterans Holmgren chased on the free agent market. Still, the model for a failed franchise is the Blazers. Allen has betrayed the proudest NBA city of all, Portland, with these malcontents and misfits. Tark never had this loathsome of a lineup.

There's a page on The Oregonian's Web site that has links to the Blazers' long list of transgressions, a click away to discover "Blazers sign sex offender Patterson" (the babysitter) to "Blazers' Patterson arrested for assault" (the wife). There were the Blazers of Rod Strickland (DUI) and Gary Trent (accused in attack), Isaiah Rider (Hall of Fame buffoonery) and Clifford Robinson (possession of pot). These are the Blazers of Paul Allen, a billionaire turning one of the NBA's proudest, most magnificent franchises into a pitiful program that the NCAA would've gone SMU on, delivering the death penalty.

Ruben Patterson didn't have to make another teary-eyed court appearance after his wife declined to press charges against him.Somehow, he's never responsible. It isn't just the Blazers, but his Seahawks, too. He paid Holmgren handsomely to be the GM and coach, and he has been a spectacular failure, signing old, washed-up players (John Randle) to ridiculous free-agent contracts, an offensive guru signing his old Green Bay backup (Matt Hasselbeck) who's a fine quarterback when the the games are meaningless. Allen bought the Seahawks in 1997, lorded over the construction of a fabulous $430 million downtown stadium and has given fans a relentless run of losing seasons. When the Blazers couldn't find a roster spot for Jeff George this spring, the Seahawks did.

Through it all, Allen remains untouchable and unapproachable, forever elevating himself above the fray, above the folly of his franchises. On the side of the Mount Rushmore for wayward owners, there goes the Microsoft genius. Come on down, Paul Allen. No more hiding. This is on you.

[Norman Arbuthnot]

The Portland Trail Blazers are the most expensive disgrace in sports

That's an understatement.

I don't know how Allen can accept this egregious behavior.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

The LA Clippers, the Chicago Cubs, and the 3-ring-circus that is the Golden State Warriors come to mind, too. I don't know how much these ball clubs are spending, but there is plenty of embarrassment to go around.

[UB355]

I have to thank Mr Allen for taking Mike Holmgren.

A Green Bay Packer shareholder.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Nice to meet you, fellow Green Bay Packer shareholder. : )

Interesting watching Mike Holmgren in the position he wanted - looks like one of those "Be careful what you wish for...you might get it" things.

[newfreep]

"The Portland Trail Blazers are the most expensive disgrace in sports"

I disagree...my beloved Cincinnati Bengals HAS to be the biggest disgrace since Paul Brown died 12 years ago.

[HAL9000]

Yet, there's no mistaking the truth: Billionaire Paul Allen has to be considered one of the worst sports owners ever.

In general, he must be considered one of the worst owners in every industry he has been involved in. His cable company, Charter Communications, is going down in flames.

[Common Tator]

I don't know how Allen can accept this egregious behavior.

The money he spent on both these teams came out of a box marked pocket change.

[Alberta's Child]

I agree. I just saw an interesting statistic -- the Cincinnati Bengals have the lowest winning percentage in all of professional sports over the last ten years.

You know a team is bad when the local government that financed part of the new stadium is threatening to sue the team for failing to be competitive.

[Illbay]

How are the Portland Trailblazers "the proudest franchise in the NBA"?

Talk about a homer.

[afraid]

The best run team in sports in my opinion are the Spurs. They stay competative, keep the players noses clean and have an oustanding relationship with the community. We get on them for not being tuff enough sometimes (Lakers own them) but thats minor. David Robison is a liberal but a devout cristian. He set the example of how you are to carry yourself on and off the court. The spurs know that anything less than that from the players will not be tolerated.

[angry elephant]

In addition to being a bad owner, he also forced the citizens of Washington to build a new Seahawks stadium that we voted against. He said he would pay half if the public paid the other half. It was voted down, but still forced on us by our Socialist politicians.

It is being paid for by a restaurant tax on downtown food, which means all the little mom and pops that serve lunch fare to the downtown workers have to collect about a dollar extra on a $6.00 lunch. These small business owners are nowhere near the stadium and never benefit from fans buying food. Also, the workers have to pay the extra, whether they are fans or not.

Allen is rich enough that he could have built the whole thing if he wanted it, but he had to force the public into taxation without representation. He is a horrible person.

[Republic of Texas]

The most talented, expensive, disgrace in sports.

[Republic of Texas]

Spurs still lose to the Mav's in 5 this year.

[afraid]

They play each other wendsday night. Spurs by 2.

[badfreeper]

FYI Blazer Fans, there's a feature article on Damon Stoudamire in today's Toronto Star.

Not-so-Mighty Mouse

[lelio]

he also forced the citizens of Washington to build a new Seahawks stadium that we voted against.
I think you're talking about Safeco field, the Mariner's stadium as I believe he's footing a lot of the bill for the Seahawk's stadium. Course I wouldn't put it past the state forcing taxpayers to pay for something like this.

I was at a party and the subject of the dismal state of venture capital funding and Paul Allen's name came up, followed immediately with "kiss of death." Its a symptom that a lot of ex-MSFT people have, they think any investiment or decision they make will strike gold.

[lelio]

serve lunch fare to the downtown workers have to collect about a dollar extra on a $6.00 lunch. These small business owners are nowhere near the stadium and never benefit from fans buying food.
To add to your anger: the stadium actually reduces local restaraunt traffic as people now eat at the stadium and at inflated prices that benefit just the stadium. A lot of restaurants in Pioneer Square and Belltown have gone out of business (as I found out last night when trying to find a place to eat dessert and the place was closed down) as people only have so many entertainment dollars to spend, and it is all going into the stadium's tickets and food.
I'll have to find it, but there's an interesting study on that building a ball park only increases the local economy if you're bringing in people from out of town, like in a major metropolitian complex that's easily accessible (I think Maryland was highlighted). Who is going to the new Seattle stadiums? I doubt if people from out of town are coming to see the loosing Seahawks.

[Norman Arbuthnot]

David Robison is a liberal but a devout cristian. He set the example of how you are to carry yourself on and off the court. The spurs know that anything less than that from the players will not be tolerated.

Really? What about Rodman?

Just kidding... I know that Rodman was an exception and he didn't last. I know that there is no way the Spurs would tolerate the behavior of the players on Allen's Blazers. Neither would the Uath Jazz. Hell, I don't even think the Knicks would put up with that nosense.

[afraid]

I forgot about Rodman! All he did here was have orange or green hair. He didnt pull the hollywood stuff till he was in chicago.

[eeman]

Actually, the Portland Trail Blazers really were a civic virtue in the early 1990s. I remember when they played the Chicago Bulls for the NBA championship in 1991 or 1992. The whole city was proud of the team even though they lost to the Bulls, who were just beginning their dynasty.

In contrast, today, they are much overpriced players who are too old, such as Scottie Pippen, or complete thugs such as Ruben Patterson. The Seattle SuperSonics, who are not paragons of virtue, at least had the decency to release Patterson immediately after his conviction for third-degree sexual assault on the nanny for his family. As soon as he was released, the Portland Trail Blazers immediately picked him up. Under their current management, the Portland trail Blazers have no reluctance to contract with any thug who has individual athletic talents, but are unable to play unselfishly on a team.

What Bob Whittsit has done to the Trail Blazers is almost criminal -- to take a team with a reputation once as solid as the Utah Jazz or San Antonio Spurs and turn it into what they are today is disgusting. Although he nor Holmgren had not done much with the Seahawks, the Seahawks have stunk for at least ten years.