Will the Bandits be upstaged?

As if the Bandits' woes from the past several seasons aren't enough for weary fans, the United Football League announced last Tuesday that they would begin accepting season ticket reservation payments through TicketReserve.com.  The UFL, a brainchild of independent Wall Street bankers and internet mogul Google, plans on putting a team in Las Vegas to begin play in August '08 (that's less than a year away, folks), and will most likely launch their inaugural season with 8 teams and a 14-game format; plans are in place to add an additional four teams in the league's second or third year, to capture more of the television broadcast market.

Could this spell the doom of yet another Vegas pro football team?  Early speculation tended to lean in that direction, in spite of repeated denials by Bandits owner (and Las Vegas resident) Warren Willis Jr.  Much of this speculation came on the heels of the recent departure of the arena league Gladiators football team, but all signs point to the Bandits remaining in Las Vegas.  Faithful reader, allow me to let you in on some juicy privileged information I was privy to recently: not only will the Bandits remain in Vegas, but there will be a "significant involvement" between the two teams and leagues.

The single biggest "significant involvement" is that the Las Vegas UFL team will be majority owned by a group headed by none other than Bandits owner Warren Willis Jr.  Yes, he wants to own both teams, and it looks like he'll be able to pull it off.  Willis plans on having the two teams cooperate with each other and not competing.  I was pointedly told that no players, coaches, or staff of one team would be eligible to be employed by the other, unless an employee's contract has run out or a player is eligible for free agency; the two teams would remain completely separate entities.

The SFL has yet to officially approve or disapprove of their owners also owning a UFL team, but so far it looks as if the SFL is turning a blind eye to co-ownership.  In addition, with the proposed ownership structure of the UFL teams, Willis will be in essence an overall minority owner; one-third of the team will be owned by the league to ensure stability and guidance, one-third will be private owners (the group Willis heads fits into this segment), and the final third will consist of public shares (a la the NFL Green Bay Packers).  Can a private owner also buy up the public stocks, to gain an overall majority share?  "Highly unlikely," says my well-placed source.  "Fans, especially season ticket holders, will be the primary target market for the public shares.  Any public shares that go unsold will revert to league control to prevent exactly that scenario."

A LEAGUE OF INTRIGUE & CHANGES ON BANDITS' HORIZON
As of this writing, the UFL doesn't even have an official website (although several domains have been reserved), and details are difficult to obtain.  NBA Dallas Stars maverick owner Mark Cuban is rumored to be the early favorite as owner of the Las Vegas team, and the news of Willis' bid for ownership came as a surprise, to say the least.  Willis told me privately that the Bandits are his true love, and there is nothing that could convince him to relinquish ownership nor to jeopardize the Bandits' popularity in the Vegas market.  Willis told me that he has come to the realization that he might have been too personally involved with the Bandits, and that he needs to insulate himself as owner from the day-to-day operations of the team.  His wife, Patricia, is currently the GM, Player Personnel Director, and Operations Manager, but she also is looking for replacements to better run the team.  "She's had the best eye for talent yet, but she's convinced me that there are better candidates available, and that she needs a break," Willis told me.

These musings are nothing new and are most likely the source of the talk about the Bandits relocating.  Willis assured me that there is not an ounce of truth to any of the rumors, except that the Bandits are in search of better personnel executives and talent scouts.  He insists this comes at the desire to make the Bandits more competitive.  "We (he and his wife Patricia) want to enjoy the games more, instead of being caught up in trying to control all the small day-to-day details," said Willis.  Considering that he & his family still sit in the same seats they have owned since the Bandits came to Las Vegas, this is definitely understandable; they have long had to withstand the withering criticism of fans while attending games.  "We're lucky to have a good core of fans sitting around us, and they usually don't let disgruntled fans get too close.  We've only missed one game in six seasons, and don't want to miss any more ever again."

Has he reserved any seats for the UFL team?  "You bet!  Right at midfield, as usual," Willis excitedly says.  "In case the ownership bid falls through, we have to have season tickets at an absolute minimum."  Will there be many similarities between the UFL and the SFL?  "Other than playing 100-yard outdoor American football, I don't think so.  There will be subtle differences, but NO crossover nor raiding of personnel/players," assures Willis.  "We have to ensure cooperation without competition between the two teams here."  What about oversaturation?  Is there any such thing as too much football?  "I don't think so," he said.  "One possibility is to market the new UFL team heavily to tourists, and work with local hotels on things such as package deals as prizes or awards.  We offer these for the Bandits, but we want to try some new and unique ideas with the new team and keep the Bandits the locals' favorite."

What about the coach or executive staff for the new UFL team?  "I can tell you that I've had discussions with a former NFL coach who is recently unemployed but still under contract until 2008," he added slyly.  Could that be Marty Schottenheimer, the only coach able to restore competitiveness to a listless San Diego Chargers franchise yet end up being fired for leading that team to a league-best (and team record) 14-2 finish in 2006?  Willis declined comment, saying that no official negotiations have begun, only some casual phone conversations.  Willis guaranteed me that he would be hands-off with the UFL team, and that the executive staff will have "a virtually free reign" concerning players and operations of the team.

It seems all is good in Bandit-land, with Las Vegas becoming a mecca for pro football teams.  Let's just hope that too much of a good thing won't prove to be the undoing of either team, and Willis' enthusiasm proves true.

ODDS AND ENDS
What else lies in the Bandits' collective future?  "We're right up against the salary cap, so we've pretty much signed all the talent we can afford to at this point," Willis says in regards to Bandits players for 2008.  He told me I have covered all that there is to cover for the Bandits' draft picks and free agent signings and offers nothing new.  On the Spring Football League aspect, he surprisingly said that he opposed the recent contraction of two teams, the Buffalo Griffins and Jacksonville (nee Carolina) Generals, even though the Bandits directly benefited through the acquisition of DE Monty Beisel and CB Lamont Reid in the Dispersal Draft.  "I thought the decision (to contract the two teams) came too soon, neither market was fully exploited.  The Generals are an SFL Original, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the new UFL exploit these markets to their advantage."

Ever wonder what happened to the proposed new developmental-league proposal the Bandits put forth several years ago?  "Ah, the Silver State Football League," remembered Willis.  "It was an attempt to band together various existing semi-pro football teams already playing in the valley, as well as create several new concept teams (such as the Public Safety teams, made up of paramedics, firefighters, and police officers), in an attempt to cultivate some local talent and lend some organized support to these teams.  We put together what we thought was a great package for sponsorships and support to pitch to the local business community, and provide some alternative entertainment for local families.  Unfortunately, our ideas fell on deaf ears and the Bandits parent organization would have had to bear the entire cost.  After some very spirited discussions and some novel ideas, it would have ended up costing the Bandits too much.  In the end, we couldn't justify sacrificing any component of the Bandits organization to try to get the SSFL off the ground, so we had to let the whole thing die.  It's a real shame, but it was obvious that the Bandits would have suffered and that is just non-negotiable.  Plus with the UFL kicking off in August 2008, that pretty much killed off any fan support we might have been able to generate for the SSFL."

As a parting gesture, he shared some long-range thoughts with me.  "We want to make the Bandits a championship team, period.  With the Bandits right up against the salary cap, we're not afraid to spend the money necessary.  Now we need to spend a little more in order to hire the necessary talent scouts and qualified executives who can make this a reality.  We also want to grow the Bandits' market share; the team is in the top 5 for overall TV ratings at home AND when on the road, as well as in the Top 5 for merchandise sales.  With the UFL coming to town, if I am able to secure ownership in that team, then I can tell you for certain that we will move forward immediately into negotations with both the City of Las Vegas and the Clark County Commission about plans for a new football stadium.  It might not be state-of-the-art or as luxurious as some NFL stadiums, but it will have a much higher capacity than Sam Boyd (Stadium) and will also feature individual seats instead of SBS' aluminum bleachers."  What about the possibility of expanding Sam Boyd Stadium?  "That is a very real possibility, and one of the plans we will present to the planning committees.  The advantage it has is that it already occupies some prime real estate, and has a good solid foundation.  It was renovated several years ago, which works in our favor for the luxury boxes and broadcast booths.  It also has room for expanded parking, and several vacant lots are available nearby for satellite parking.  This would be the most cost-effective solution, but there are some other proposals being floated by local authorities and several developers that we will all take into consideration."

"The one thing I do want to pass along is my commitment to the Las Vegas Bandits fans.  The Bandits are your team, and just because an under-achieving arena league team gives up and packs their bags doesn't mean that the Bandits will suffer the same fate.  The Bandits are one of the Original 20, and have thrived financially since bucking the odds back in 2000.  The Bandits are here to stay.  Rest assured that when I relinquish control of the team, it will be to a regional ownership group headed by dedicated professionals, much in the way of the NFL's Green Bay Packers ownership model.  The only changes to come are the hiring of more executive staff to better handle scouting and personnel."

Things are definitely looking up for professional football in Las Vegas.