Looking a gift horse in the mouth department

The owners of the ABA's St. Louis Spirits have long gotten money from one of the great sweetheart deals in sports: as part of their agreement to quietly fold the team, they get a share of the NBA's television revenue in perpetuity, which has gotten the brothers about $240 million dollars in the past 37 years for essentially doing nothing.

Apparently, that wasn't good enough for them: They have asked a judge to look into the agreement because they argue that the NBA hasn't cut them in on the international broadcasting rights. The NBA is arguing that that money wasn't part of the agreement. This should be fun.

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8345425/1970-case-revisited-dispute-nba-tv-revenue

 

Why are they looking a gift horse in the mouth? If that's money the Silnas are owed, they should get it. Personally, I have always loved this story and I hope they give it to David Stern good and hard for the rest of his tainted career.

 

Hopefully there's a way for the judge to fuck over both parties in this lawsuit real good.

Maybe apply the money to a medical care fund for retired ABA players.

 

The real loser in this was Kentucky Colonel's owner John Y Brown Jr. who took $3 million cash, the Spirits of St. Louis' owners received $2.2 million in cash along with a 1/7 share of each of the four remaining teams' television income in perpetuity.

Screwing John Y Brown and David Stern is the best twosome since 2 girls one cup, this should be named 2 boys no ball

 

In the world of sports deals, what the brothers did might have been the greatest sports deal of all time.

 

Second might be Bobby Bonilla, who -- beginning in 2011 and continuing for 25 years -- gets $1.2 million a year from the Mets. When they agreed to a buyout in 2000, they deferred his payments and figured they'd more than recoup that amount by investing the cash with Bernie Madoff.

 

John Y. Brown parlayed that $3 million into ownership in two other franchises. He also married Phyllis George when she was in her prime, was Governor of Kentucky for a spell, and started a half-dozen major chain restaurants.
I think John Y. Brown got over it.

 

Whoops.

 

IIRC that's the way the deal was written originally, not a result of a buyout.

 

No.

http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB10001424052748703426004575339013108198050.html

This unusual arrangement between him and the Mets, though, is characteristic of his time with the team—4½ years marked by controversy and unmet expectations. By the time Mr. Bonilla departed, the Mets were so eager to be rid of him that they agreed to defer payment—with interest—of the $5.9 million they owed him in the final year of his contract.