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May 4th, 2003, 05:37 AM
http://eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=4132
Cards deserve some leeway
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
In the case of the Cardinals vs. Arizona State, there seems to be one judgment in the court of public opinion.
The greedy !@&$#! Cardinals are sticking it to little ol' ASU.
Every e-mail and phone call I've received since the story broke has blasted the Bidwills.
One reader said they're acting like, “hogs at the trough.” Another wrote, “the latest shenanigans by the Arizona Cardinals are offensive, disgusting and preposterous.”
I have to admit, my first reaction was aimed in the same direction, if not with the same venom.
There go the Cardinals again, shooting themselves in the foot. It's a wonder they have any toes left. It's an easy conclusion to jump to. The Cardinals have had a kick me sign on their back since arriving in the Valley in 1988.
But their dispute with Arizona State is not so black-and-white. As proof, I offer just one question:
If the issues were exactly the same, and it was ASU suing the Cardinals, would there be such a rush to rip the university?
Of course not. But because it's the Cardinals, everyone assumes they're the bad guys.
The spat, if you haven't heard, involves corporate signage at Sun Devil Stadium. The Cardinals claim ASU made 31 new sponsorship deals in 1999 without getting their approval, thus breaching a 1994 contract that said both parties must approve any changes in signage and share in the revenue.
It does look unseemly that the Cardinals didn't ask for compensation — they're seeking $12 million to $21 million — until nine days after Maricopa County voters approved a $355 million stadium in November of 2000.
So, once you can leave them, you don't have to love them anymore, huh? The Cardinals get their pot of gold and all of a sudden they want money from ASU? How petty.
There's also no doubt that having the right to do something doesn't make it right. If the Cardinals win their case, ASU officials say athletic programs may have to be cut and jobs could be lost.
Have the Cardinals even considered the pain they could cause? In the haste to heave contempt at the Cardinals, though, one essential point has been forgotten:
A deal's a deal.
In a preliminary hearing last year, arbitrator Thomas *. Ryan sided with the Cardinals, saying there had been a breach of contract. Ryan's final decision is expected in late summer or early fall.
“They took revenues that should have been lawfully ours,” Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill said Saturday. “All we're asking is for those back. We're not trying to harm anybody here. We're the ones who have been harmed here.”
ASU officials, though, act and sound like someone has robbed their piggy bank.
Athletic director Gene Smith launched a media offensive Friday, saying, among other things, that he was glad ex-Sun Devil Jake Plummer was no longer a Cardinal.
Then there was this quote from university general counsel Paul Ward: “There is a reason why the Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFL in ad revenue. I think it is the same reason the Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFL in attendance.”
The squabble is nasty enough without ASU's mouthpieces heating it up with angry, vengeful comments.
Look, I don't know who's right and who's wrong here. Or who's telling the truth and who's lying. ASU says it has only received $6 million from the Cardinals for the 15 seasons they've played at Sun Devil Stadium. The Cardinals say it's $31 million.
But a neutral arbitrator has ruled in the Cardinals' favor.
Shouldn't that give them some leeway with the judge, jury and executioners?
Cards deserve some leeway
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
In the case of the Cardinals vs. Arizona State, there seems to be one judgment in the court of public opinion.
The greedy !@&$#! Cardinals are sticking it to little ol' ASU.
Every e-mail and phone call I've received since the story broke has blasted the Bidwills.
One reader said they're acting like, “hogs at the trough.” Another wrote, “the latest shenanigans by the Arizona Cardinals are offensive, disgusting and preposterous.”
I have to admit, my first reaction was aimed in the same direction, if not with the same venom.
There go the Cardinals again, shooting themselves in the foot. It's a wonder they have any toes left. It's an easy conclusion to jump to. The Cardinals have had a kick me sign on their back since arriving in the Valley in 1988.
But their dispute with Arizona State is not so black-and-white. As proof, I offer just one question:
If the issues were exactly the same, and it was ASU suing the Cardinals, would there be such a rush to rip the university?
Of course not. But because it's the Cardinals, everyone assumes they're the bad guys.
The spat, if you haven't heard, involves corporate signage at Sun Devil Stadium. The Cardinals claim ASU made 31 new sponsorship deals in 1999 without getting their approval, thus breaching a 1994 contract that said both parties must approve any changes in signage and share in the revenue.
It does look unseemly that the Cardinals didn't ask for compensation — they're seeking $12 million to $21 million — until nine days after Maricopa County voters approved a $355 million stadium in November of 2000.
So, once you can leave them, you don't have to love them anymore, huh? The Cardinals get their pot of gold and all of a sudden they want money from ASU? How petty.
There's also no doubt that having the right to do something doesn't make it right. If the Cardinals win their case, ASU officials say athletic programs may have to be cut and jobs could be lost.
Have the Cardinals even considered the pain they could cause? In the haste to heave contempt at the Cardinals, though, one essential point has been forgotten:
A deal's a deal.
In a preliminary hearing last year, arbitrator Thomas *. Ryan sided with the Cardinals, saying there had been a breach of contract. Ryan's final decision is expected in late summer or early fall.
“They took revenues that should have been lawfully ours,” Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill said Saturday. “All we're asking is for those back. We're not trying to harm anybody here. We're the ones who have been harmed here.”
ASU officials, though, act and sound like someone has robbed their piggy bank.
Athletic director Gene Smith launched a media offensive Friday, saying, among other things, that he was glad ex-Sun Devil Jake Plummer was no longer a Cardinal.
Then there was this quote from university general counsel Paul Ward: “There is a reason why the Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFL in ad revenue. I think it is the same reason the Cardinals are at the bottom of the NFL in attendance.”
The squabble is nasty enough without ASU's mouthpieces heating it up with angry, vengeful comments.
Look, I don't know who's right and who's wrong here. Or who's telling the truth and who's lying. ASU says it has only received $6 million from the Cardinals for the 15 seasons they've played at Sun Devil Stadium. The Cardinals say it's $31 million.
But a neutral arbitrator has ruled in the Cardinals' favor.
Shouldn't that give them some leeway with the judge, jury and executioners?