Commanders owner Daniel Snyder now has two different $6 billion bids from which to choose.
ESPN reports that Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos has tendered a Steve Austin Times 1,000 offer to Snyder.
It matches the amount of the bid made by the group led by Josh Harris. Under normal circumstances, Snyder would don an auctioneer voice and homina-homina his way toward one of them making the highest bid.
It could be that each bidder has made a bottom-line bid of $6 billion and not a penny more. Other factors could then determine the final selection — hopefully, for Commanders fans, the top question will be which group will do a better job of owning and operating the team?
Of course, owners who sell their teams often don’t care about that. The goal is to generate the most revenue, not best position the team for the next generation, and possibly beyond.
The owners who approve the purchase don’t care, either. It’s all about having enough money. Not at all about having the skills or abilities to do a good job.
Indeed, some owners like it when inept owners join Club Oligarch. For those who aspire to win as many games as possible, the unspoken goal in swapping out an inept and problematic partner potentially would be to replace that person with an inept and innocuous one.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos continues to loom over the process. Does Snyder want more than $6 billion? Or does he want to simply deny Bezos ownership of the team?
And is it possible that one of these groups will buy the team and then re-sell it to Bezos for a profit?
Regardless, ESPN says there is a “growing belief” that a purchase agreement could be in place before the NFL draft. That’s only 30 days away.
For Commanders fans, the question will be when does the deal close? Because they won’t sing Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead until the house has officially fallen on Snyder.