Confirmed with Link: Senators are for sale - and it’s a Gong Show

[Micklebot]

Has the Rock confirmed that he's part of the group? Why not if he is? That whole report seemed to go nowhere after it came from Wallace, and Neko Sparks hasn't ever mentioned his name publicly.

Already explained, potential NDA

Anyways, you got your wish, Snoop has posted to instagram

 

[DaveMatthew]

Already explained, potential NDA

Anyways, you got your wish, Snoop has posted to instagram

He did. It honestly still feels much more like a PR campaign than an actual bid. But we'll see. Neko Sparks' still has zero credentials that make me think he'd be able to become a primary NHL owner or face of an ownership group.

"Per Mendes, there is a belief that Snoop can draw other investors and celebrities into the fold for the team."

 

[Loach]

I thought the UK part of the Sparks bid owned a soccer club and where worth 15 to 20 billion or something?

 

[Sun God Nika]

These are actually insane times

 

[DaveMatthew]

I thought the UK part of the Sparks bid owned a soccer club and where worth 15 to 20 billion or something?

That's what Wallace speculated about on his podcast. He mentioned David and Simon Reuben as potentially being backers. Real estate magnets and part owners of Newcastle United. The Reuben family is worth a reported 16B pounds ($20B USD).

But that's why I think this whole thing is so bizarre.

There's no public connection between them and Neko Sparks or any of his companies. They have not put out any statement confirming or denying their involvement. Outside of Wallace mentioning it, no one has said anything. No one has reported whether it's true or not.

We're reportedly in the final stages of this process. It makes no sense to me that a group would lead with a no-name person posting amateurish clippings on Instagram if they were backed by a family as powerful as the Reubens.

I mean, Ryan Reynolds has been out and about with the Bratty family. We know who they are and what they've done. We know who Andlauer is, and who the Kimel family is. We even know who Graeme Roustan is and where his money comes from.

But with Sparks it's a guy no one's heard of who makes low-budget films, billions in mystery money and now Snoop Dogg?

 

[Gil Gunderson]

I thought the UK part of the Sparks bid owned a soccer club and where worth 15 to 20 billion or something?

It supposedly involves a family that owns a premier league team. Backers don't usually speak out or put out a statement when putting in bid so it could definitely be legit, it just seems bizarre why someone with such anonymity is the one putting together the bid and is himself the face of the group.

 

[DaveMatthew]

It supposedly involves a family that owns a premier league team. Backers don't usually speak out or put out a statement when putting in bid so it could definitely be legit, it just seems bizarre why someone with such anonymity is the one putting together the bid and is himself the face of the group.

Exactly. Usually, backers like the Reubens would have someone well-known and reputable be the "face" of a bid. Someone who knows the commissioner and hob knobs with other owners and executives. Who can grease the wheels, do the press, get the public on their side and knows how things work. Tim Leiweke played this kind of role for Seattle.

You don't hand the reigns to a random guy like Neko Sparks.

You also wonder whether Snoop Dogg's extensive legal history (he was accused and sued for sexual assault as recently as 2022) would make him the "celebrity pick" for a multi-billion dollar consortium trying to buy a team. Dwayne Johnson? I could see. Snoop Dogg? Maybe not.

 

[senswon]

I do wonder if the sparks bid is a precursor to that group purchasing an expansion team....
Ottawa is hardly setup as Hollywood north but it creates a raport for a future ownership opportunity.

Just can't see how the RR bid doesn't get picked.

 

[Senator Stanley]

That's what Wallace speculated about on his podcast. He mentioned David and Simon Reuben as potentially being backers. Real estate magnets and part owners of Newcastle United. The Reuben family is worth a reported 16B pounds ($20B USD).

But that's why I think this whole thing is so bizarre.

There's no public connection between them and Neko Sparks or any of his companies. They have not put out any statement confirming or denying their involvement. Outside of Wallace mentioning it, no one has said anything. No one has reported whether it's true or not.

We're reportedly in the final stages of this process. It makes no sense to me that a group would lead with a no-name person posting amateurish clippings on Instagram if they were backed by a family as powerful as the Reubens.

I mean, Ryan Reynolds has been out and about with the Bratty family. We know who they are and what they've done. We know who Andlauer is, and who the Kimel family is. We even know who Graeme Roustan is and where his money comes from.

But with Sparks it's a guy no one's heard of who makes low-budget films, billions in mystery money and now Snoop Dogg?

Mendes is failing his readers by doing PR for Sparks. For example, this is laughable, and yet he reports it as if it's a relevant detail:

"And there is even a small connection between Snoop and the Ottawa Senators. Prior to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final between Ottawa and Anaheim, Senators netminder Ray Emery gifted Snoop a Senators jersey."

 

[Sun God Nika]

I think today was a good day tbh.

It eases the bullet if for whatever reason Reynolds doesn't get the team that there will be another deep pocketed ownership group with a big celebrity face to publicly endorse the team.

Remember what we had before. a broke man child of a owner in Eugune Melnyk who was so bad that he hurt the on ice product with his ownership. Whatever we get is going to be a huge win for this franchise.

Mendes is failing his readers by doing PR for Sparks. For example, this is laughable, and yet he reports it as if it's a relevant detail:

"And there is even a small connection between Snoop and the Ottawa Senators. Prior to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final between Ottawa and Anaheim, Senators netminder Ray Emery gifted Snoop a Senators jersey."

Mendes is doing reporting. He isn't endorsing. Obviously his source is Sparks himself so he doesn't want to break the trust with negative press and lose access.

Garrioch is the example of PR for ownership.

 

[SpezDispenser]

It would be an intriguing f*** up if Reynolds actually wants to be a part of this and picks the wrong horse to back. What a f***ed up scenario that would be. Reynolds is so likable, Canadian, just led his football team to something arother, let's f***ing go!

EDIT: Why the f*** did I feel the need to swear so much in that paragraph?

 

[DaveMatthew]

Mendes is doing reporting. He isn't endorsing. Obviously his source is Sparks himself so he doesn't want to break the trust with negative press and lose access.

Garrioch is the example of PR for ownership.

Mendes hasn't been doing much reporting on this topic. It's clear he's getting scoops from the Sparks group and posting them on his behalf.

Reporting would involve trying to answer the many questions around that bid (or at least asking the questions): who are the financial backers? how many are there and how did they make their money? where are they from and how committed are they to Ottawa? is their interest primarily in the real estate? do they have a relationship with the league?

So far all Mendes has posted is fluff about how Neko Sparks wants to be the first minority owner in the NHL, and hey look, Snoop Dogg wore a jersey once. He's been no different than Brucey Boo.

 

[Sun God Nika]

Mendes hasn't been doing much reporting on this topic. It's clear he's getting scoops from the Sparks group and posting them on his behalf.

Reporting would involve trying to answer the many questions around that bid (or at least asking the questions): who are the financial backers? how many are there and how did they make their money? where are they from and how committed are they to Ottawa? is their interest primarily in the real estate? do they have a relationship with the league?

So far all Mendes has posted is fluff about how Neko Sparks wants to be the first minority owner in the NHL, and hey look, Snoop Dogg wore a jersey once. He's been no different than Brucey Boo.

I don't think that is fair. We don't know if Mendes has asked these questions or not. Sparks is in the driver seat. Sparks can turn around and get Garrioch to do their fluff but they calculated their is more trust with Mendes.

Mendes is the guy who can ask Dorion to his face why he still has his job when he sucked compared to his peers.

 

[Senator Stanley]

I think today was a good day tbh.

It eases the bullet if for whatever reason Reynolds doesn't get the team that there will be another deep pocketed ownership group with a big celebrity face to publicly endorse the team.

Remember what we had before. a broke man child of a owner in Eugune Melnyk who was so bad that he hurt the on ice product with his ownership. Whatever we get is going to be a huge win for this franchise.


Mendes is doing reporting. He isn't endorsing. Obviously his source is Sparks himself so he doesn't want to break the trust with negative press and lose access.

Garrioch is the example of PR for ownership.

There's a difference between reporting and parroting. What I would love to see, preferrably from Mendes, is a piece that explains who Sparks is, what he actually does, how he's made his money - and not just the surface level PR explanation. Because as myself and others have noted, once you dig past "Hollywood producer" and "entrepreneur" and get down to specifics, there's a lot of legitimate unanswered questions.

As to your bolded point, I think that's why a lot of people here are so hyper-critical - or at least in my case, that's where I'm coming from. We have seen how bad ownership can ruin a franchise.

 

[DaveMatthew]

I don't think that is fair. We don't know if Mendes has asked these questions or not. Sparks is in the driver seat. Sparks can turn around and get Garrioch to do their fluff but they calculated their is more trust with Mendes.

Mendes is the guy who can ask Dorion to his face why he still has his job when he sucked compared to his peers.

Even if Sparks didn't answer, "reporting" involves digging. I'd think that the biggest question about a potential new ownership group would be "where is the money coming from?". For the long-term success of this franchise in Ottawa, and the move downtown, that matters. A lot.

After what went on in the last several years, the priority for reporters should be to help the fans understand who the people trying to buy the team are.

I mean, that was the first thing asked about Reynolds when he expressed interest. And he answered that publicly by partnering with the Remington Group.

We know what Andlauer does and where his money is from. Same thing with the Kimel family.

But for the Sparks group? No idea. A "blend of American, Canadian and UK sources" apparently. As vague as it gets.

 

[sennysensen]

Interesting that Wrexham (Reynolds), recent success and just promoted to the English 4th division is battling for the Sens against Newcastle United (Reubens) who is 3rd in the Premiership and looks to be headed towards the Champions League for the 1st time in 20 years.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I think today was a good day tbh.

It eases the bullet if for whatever reason Reynolds doesn't get the team that there will be another deep pocketed ownership group with a big celebrity face to publicly endorse the team.

Remember what we had before. a broke man child of a owner in Eugune Melnyk who was so bad that he hurt the on ice product with his ownership. Whatever we get is going to be a huge win for this franchise.


Mendes is doing reporting. He isn't endorsing. Obviously his source is Sparks himself so he doesn't want to break the trust with negative press and lose access.

Garrioch is the example of PR for ownership.

Will I get a free Eagles or Gagnon concerts again? Or Jerseys or Limited edition framed and signed by Tony Harris for free.

Probably not, but can’t wait for new owners.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Even if Sparks didn't answer, "reporting" involves digging. I'd think that the biggest question about a potential new ownership group would be "where is the money coming from?". For the long-term success of this franchise in Ottawa, and the move downtown, that matters. A lot.

I mean, that was the first thing asked about Reynolds when he expressed interest. And he answered that publicly by partnering with the Remington Group.

But for the Sparks group? No idea. A "blend of American, Canadian and UK sources" apparently. As vague as it gets.

They only have to tell Gary and others how the team is financed, it’s all being done during the due diligence. They don’t have to tell fans anything at this point.

If it turns out a group doesn’t have the money they say they do, they won’t make the cut. But you do seem really concerned about the group though.

 

[DaveMatthew]

They only have to tell Gary and others how the team is financed, it’s all being done during the due diligence. They don’t have to tell fans anything at this point.

If it turns out a group doesn’t have the money they say they do, they won’t make the cut. But you do seem really concerned about the group though.

Obviously, they don't "have" to tell fans anything, at this point.

But with what's happened in this market over the last several years, it's natural that the fanbase would want to know who these groups are, where the money is coming from, and what their priorities will be.

I mean, those are pretty common questions when any pro sports team is sold? Even moreso in this case, since it's tied to a potential major development in the downtown core.

I just find this whole Sparks group bizarre. On the surface, it makes zero sense. Who is this guy? He seems like a nobody, but maybe not? Who are his backers, and why is no one willing to go on the record? Is it one family with massive pockets, or many? What are his plans for an arena? It's a "secret group" except for one guy that no one's ever heard of, and apparently, they're offering $1B+?

The PR push by Mendes, without answering any of these questions, is odd.

There's usually more background provided on a candidate for an assistant GM position.

 

[Golden_Jet]

There's a difference between reporting and parroting. What I would love to see, preferrably from Mendes, is a piece that explains who Sparks is, what he actually does, how he's made his money - and not just the surface level PR explanation. Because as myself and others have noted, once you dig past "Hollywood producer" and "entrepreneur" and get down to specifics, there's a lot of legitimate unanswered questions.

As to your bolded point, I think that's why a lot of people here are so hyper-critical - or at least in my case, that's where I'm coming from. We have seen how bad ownership can ruin a franchise.

Message him on one of his articles then, he’s good at responding.

 

[Senator Stanley]

Message him on one of his articles then, he’s good at responding.

He's not an idiot. He knows what real reporting looks like and he has access to Google. He must have his reasons for carrying water for Sparks.

As a subscriber, and somebody who's held him in high regard for a long time, I just find the coverage disappointing.

 

[Golden_Jet]

He's not an idiot. He knows what real reporting looks like and he has access to Google. He must have his reasons for carrying water for Sparks.

As a subscriber, and somebody who's held him in high regard for a long time, I just find the coverage disappointing.

We all have access to google lol.
Obviously not that big a deal to you then, If don’t want to message him.

 

[Senator Stanley]

We all have access to google lol.
Obviously not that big a deal to you then, If don’t want to message him.

What I'm suggesting - basic reporting - isn't exactly a "tip".

 

[Ice-Tray]

I think today was a good day tbh.

It eases the bullet if for whatever reason Reynolds doesn't get the team that there will be another deep pocketed ownership group with a big celebrity face to publicly endorse the team.

Remember what we had before. a broke man child of a owner in Eugune Melnyk who was so bad that he hurt the on ice product with his ownership. Whatever we get is going to be a huge win for this franchise.


Mendes is doing reporting. He isn't endorsing. Obviously his source is Sparks himself so he doesn't want to break the trust with negative press and lose access.

Garrioch is the example of PR for ownership.

It was a BG level ‘reporting’ article, you’ve got that right.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Get rid of the NCC. Ottawa should bellong to Ottawa not these dumb shits.

Sparks Street is under their control. it is dead and empty. Reconfigure it and put the arena there. Transit is there. Parking garages are everywhere. Existing resturant/ bar establishments already exist there. Heritage , decrepit buildings? How many do we really need?

how many existing building, along Sparks street, need to be demolished, to make room for an arena, and brand new condo towers the perspective owners want to include in their deal with the NCC land ?

How much more will it coast to demolish those (Sparks Street) buildings, and much more time will it take to get the team relocated to the downtown area…. And how much chaos will the demolition and construction be in the Sparks Street area, and for how long?



sorry, but this will never be considered a viable option.

Bayview yards is start to look like a good option