How Michael Jackson helped save the Patriots

Very Krafty I must say!

What this article neglects to mention is that the "failed venture with Jackson and his musical family" was that the town of Foxboro decided not to allow the Victory Tour to come and play the stadium, thereby causing the Sullivan's to lose the money they put up as collateral tied to the stadium and causing subsequent bankruptcy.

Is this a joke??

Gotta love Kraft. Incredibly shrude maneuver. That momento just shot up in value...RIP MJ.

may alaah keep your soul in peice and put u in jannat we all loved u.from khezri and family.may alaah give your family sapport of your love.

Is it just me, or is there something profoundly
twisted (read: incredibly parochial and sports-
obsessed) about having this "story" as the lead
article about Michael Jackson's death on
boston.com?? How MJ saved the Patriots?
Oh, sorry -- this is Boston!

Damn you, Michael Jackson.

Due to the fact that Michael Jackson was 99% plastic, it has been decided to melt him down into Leggo blocks so little kids can play with him for a change !

Fantastic.

so why was it smart for him to not buy the team when it was offered the other 2 times for much less $$ than he paid?

Awesome connection between the Krafts and Jacksons.

interesting because the victory tour was the highest grossing tour in history at the time. i'm not sure its true that jackson helped kraft get the team in that sense, it was more sullivan over leveraging himself with other, less successful deals.

This is the most pathetic story to highlight on the homepage. How Farrah impacted Robert Kraft would have been a better choice than Michael Jackson.

the Victory tour was 50 dates long- what does Foxboro blocking a couple concerts have to do with it? Those dates in Foxboro would have made the difference- doubt it!

So, in a sense, he 'touched' the lives of many football fans as well.

Capecodbrat - no, i DID NOT know that, and I really wish the Globe had bothered to explain that part of the story. Sounds like Kraft has the people of foxboro, not the jacksons, to thank.

wish-I-had-that-kind-of-money, I second that.

Perhaps it's because this is in the Sports section and not the Business section, but I fail to see how it was a savvy move if he could have purchased the team multiple time for less then the $172 MM he paid. If he had used the leverage of owning the stadium properly, would he have paid the most for any franchise ever paid at the time of sale?

I go to Patriot Place alot now. Have Pat's Season Tickets, attend many Revolution games, love the movie theater, saw a several large concerts and a few small ones, great resturants and gathering spots for friends, good stores. Just 10 miles from my home.
I am SO glad that Tom Menino and co-horts had the "wisdom" to keep the Pats from moving to Boston.

this article fails to mention that the victory tour never played in foxboro because the town was worried about "brining in the wrong element" (i.e. black people).

this article fails to mention that the victory tour never played in foxboro because the town was worried about "brining in the wrong element" (i.e. black people).

Former Herald reporter Dean Johnson had this story on the Dan Rea show on WBZ around 9 PM last night. Nice of the Globe to pretend they thought of it.

I recommend reading the Forbes article, very interesting

Very important piece of Pats History. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Chuck Sullivan's foolishness.

If my reading of this article is correct, it appears Mr. Kraft was not so shrewd. He overpaid for the stadium by $8 million and the team by $85 million. In fact, the shrewd businessman was either Mr. Kiam or Mr. Orthwein who doubled their money on the Patriots franchise in short order. Mr. Kraft happens to have made the right decsions after putting it all together and winning the super bowl 3 times. No doubt the Patriots plus real estate is worth over $1 billion by now.

#9 way to funny!!!!!!

wish-I-had-that-kind-of-money:

It was smart because buying the team but not the stadium was a losing proposition. When the Sullivans owned both, they wrote a brutal lease -- something like $1.75 million a year to play ten games and get none of the revenue from parking or concessions. I believe it also required the owner of the team to pay for police details on game days.

Given all that, the stadium was a cash cow -- with 354 free dates a year and a guarantee of $1.75 million *plus* all the concessions and parking money from Patriots games. So Kraft had to own the stadium first; otherwise he'd have gotten the same terrible deal Kiam got.

What saved the Pats was the 2001 Super Bowl three games to glory (chapter 1). Krafty had just mortgaged to future to build CMGI Field in Foxboro. BB' s first year results were disappointing and when DrewB went down the outlook for the second year did not look good. The implosion of the dot-com boom and stock market from the March 2000 high was in full force. Sales of luxury suites in the new stadium were not going well. After turning down a sweetheart deal from CT and unable to get agreement to build in South Boston, Krafty threw a hail mary pass. If 2001 had ended without a playoff run, the Pats world would have been a different place. Fortunately, TB took over - the rest is history. The tuck rule helped.

Who did Wacko Jacko like better? Macualey Culkin or Emmanuel Lewis?

@11 - Yeah, I don't get that either. Seems like he should have bought it in 1992 when it was for sale, after he had secured the stadium itself. Waiting to buy it a year later from someone else doesn't make sense...

Shame on the Globe to run this article today. The Patriots are done. Brady will have his worst year ever this year. Maybe then you can run an undercover story about how his supermodel girlfriend/wife stole his magic powers. Couldn't find a single positive story about an artistic genius who changed our culture at the deepest levels. It must be the long winters in New England that makes the Globe writers so ethnocentric.

Victory!

Who gives two craps!! Seriously! This article is like that annoying guy at a party who braggs about about how he has all these connections with big name people so he can look like the cool guy.

You are both sorry --pittful... No he was NOT a pedophile; no this is NOT a joke; and NO dammit you are NOT Funny! Get a life... If you dont want to play -- dont read it...

The sort of hatred in these comments is hard to understand. MJ entertained us for decades. He was spectacular (can you deny it?), he made mistakes, but he was a damn genius.

SD Settle down he was a very good entertainer not Gandi or Mother Theresa

ahhh this is great news! MICHAEL JACKSON the main reason why the Patriots are the best Football team!

HEAL THE WORLD

When Farrah Fawcett got to heaven, she asked how she could protect all the world's children... ten minutes later, Michael Jackson was dead...

Terrific anecdote. Kind of a six degrees of separation story.
Similar in nature to how Harry Frazee's facination with Broadway plays led to the Babe being traded to the Yankees.
...
By the way, No. 6 ... is this dude just trolling google news looking for Jackson-related blogs to post misspelled words?

Marvin,

1. It's Gandhi (not Gandi).
2. What have Gandhi or Mother Theresa done for you?

Just thinking..

Great entertainer fair enough, but to hear he was 400 million dollars in debt?
I feel alot better about my loans now. I am in debt, but not to the tune of 400 million bucks. Glad Kraft got the team, the Patriots were a nightmare before that
and for diehard fans watching the sox and the patriots in the 70's and 80's was
an act of willpower, yet sometimes I yearn for the days of 3 dollar bleacher seats
and watching Bill Lee and drinking Nastigansetts. They stunk, and it was alot
of fun, now their so earnest and everyone is so into these teams for winning that
it has become the centerpiece of sports franchise economics.

Maybe they can freeze his head like Ted Williams .

great article mikey!! ;-)

Sounds like the Patriots owe Michael Jackson some superbowl rings....

SoxFan 12321,

By far the most hilarious use of inappropriate humor/timing ever displayed...Your blatant disregard for the legitimate sadness that some people are feeling for a celebrity death has me crying from laughing so hard--I will absolutely be stealing this joke later tonight. From me and the rest of the people with slightly off-kilter senses of humor, Thank you for making my afternoon.

Joe (#39),

By far the most hilarious use of inappropriate humor/timing ever displayed...Your blatant disregard for the legitimate sadness that some people are feeling for a celebrity death has me crying from laughing so hard--I will absolutely be stealing this joke later tonight. From me and the rest of the people with slightly off-kilter senses of humor, Thank you for making my afternoon.

does everything here in new england have to somehow be related to sports......get a life people

I have always loved the Pats and had season tickets with the other true fans since 1978 but don't forget Kraft is damn lucky and greedy.
Don't forget he screwed over Providence at the very last minute then moved the team to Hartford UNTIL the NFL said NO WAY you're moving that team out of the 6th biggest TV market (Boston at the time) to bring 3 NFL teams to New York!

He was prevented from moving the team after he also pulled the anti-Semetic card. Go Pats but remember how lucky we've been: tuck rules, field goals, injuries and out of nowhere Tom Brady! What a crazy run it's been for us.

I guess after years of loyalty and freezing our butts off in Schaeffer Stadium we deserve the glory!

Speaking as one who was involved, as an advisor,in the some of the transactions referred to in this article, the timing and connections among events as described may be a little off, but the basic fact that the Sullivan family's hand was forced by Chuck's enormous losses on the Jackson tour is correct. The rumors were that Chuck was so broke that he was living for several months in one of the corporate suits at the old stadium and, best of all, that somewhere on the Patriots' property was a semi-trailer full of unsold Michael Jackson gloves, which were all Chuck had left to show for his failed attempt at show biz..

And I bet you didn't even read ProFootballTalk.com before writing this piece of crap article, right?

Michael Jackson wasn't a pedophile. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his loved ones.

And this is relevant to Michael Jackson's death how? Come on Mike, you're a better journalist than that.

MIKE REISS....
YOU ARE THE MAN! I could hear your voice, as I read this. Only you.
Sickeningly Awesome!!
BOSTON and ALL of Patriot Nation should recognize MIKE REISS as one of the greatest of "All Time"

This article is in poor taste. Poor journalism.

"And this is relevant to Michael Jackson's death how? Come on Mike, you're a better journalist than that.
Posted by VirgoGirl1960"

It's a reminder that Michael Jackson's influence extends far beyond the obvious. This was a great article. Thanks, Mike.

DC (#13) -- Highest grossing means nothing...the tour lost tens millions as Jackson played too many shows per venue and sang to a lot of empty seats. No skin off his nose (pardon the unintended pun). Jackson's money was guaranteed, as were all costs, by Chuckie Sullivan. The old man backed him because he wanted his son to 'succeed' at something - and it cost him the team....But please remember Chad, as you try to write revisionist history, facts and partial facts don't make a story accurate unless they are used correctly. Sullivan moved the team to Foxboro to keep it in N.E. - it was Bob Kraft who signed a deal with CT and threatened to move away, playing a high stakes game of chicken with the state, backing down at the last moment it was legal to do so...short memories -- sheesh!

SoxFan12321 - I gotta agree... That was so inappropriate yet OH SO FREAKIN FUNNY!

@ Noclogs (#49)
Things that are in the sports section usually do have to do with Sports. That's why it's called the "Sports Section."

Move along, now...

at 4:21 PM Brady did a #2. Kraft praised him for having such a smooth bowel movement. Every reporter within a 50 mile diameter of Foxboro reports diligently about the event and New England lives happily ever after. This is the way the world ends...

um, the pilgirms actually saved the patriots because if they didn't hit plymouth rock, this place would be maine and we'd have no local football team to watch on sundays. truly amazing chain of events.

you always have to throw bush into the equation, now, don't you? what about all the little boys that lost their legs, arms and had their heads blown away?

boring

All you dopes who thought Mike Reiss wrote the article, check again!

What article are some of you people reading?

Mike Reiss didn't write it. Chad Finn did.

Normally when someone molest kids they do it hundreds of times, Now MJ was a little off kilter but one things always bothered me. Only two children accused him of molestation and one of those children was found to have been coerce by his mother, the other one, the first one was paid off to make it go away ... How often do people with money pay for things to go away even when they aren't at fault, often enough to make this x-cop wonder ... Being eccentric doesn't make you a child molester ...

6th grade logic appears to be acceptable for Globe staffers. Does this company have editors anymore?

rip michael, alot of people loved you. forget the haters. last i checked you were aquitted by our judicial system. hope you find peace.

JUST W O W !!!!!!!!

"Oh, sorry -- this is Boston!"

There is a reason Boston is the #1 sports city in the world.

what a waste of an article. who cares about kraft and his millions. seriously.

Great article, kudos to Mr. Kraft ! I would not want to play that man in a game of chess. As far as MJ goes, I never liked his music, but he was one helluva entertainer, he did his job and did it well. Rest in peace ! Go pats, lets kick some ass this year !

nothing more pathetic than a patriots and micheal jackson fan base

chad.. your column is a cheap , mail-it-in piece..you're writing illustrates that the globe is cutting back.

I thought the price that Bob Kraft paid for the Patriots was $146 million, the highest price paid to that date, and I recall Boston sportswriters laughing at Kraft, and saying he was "shady".

Oh, and this is a good, timely article.

Guess #55 can't remember that CT is part of New England...

I think Kraft owns all those parking lots before you get to the stadium too (at least some of them anyway). That, along with the comments about renting out the building, make his deal worthwhile. Also, don't forget about inflation.

Fascinating article and thanks for writing it. What was the price of the Kiam/Orthwein transaction?

The fact is that Chuck Sullivan and his family went bankrupt because of his incredibly stupid decision to bankroll the Victory Tour and use the Patriots and the stadium as collateral. And yes, Chuck did turn one of the "super boxes" in the Sullivan Stadium (as it was known then) end zone into his bedroom for a while. Also yes, Foxboro selectmen cited the "unknown element" (exact wording, I looked it up) that would be coming into town as their reason for denying three dates for the tour in July 1984. And anyone who thinks this is irrelevant to what happened to the Patriots over the next 25 years just can't see the big picture, which would not be surprising.

Your story was supposed be how the King of Pop helped the Kraft family own the Patriots. You got the story WRONG. Not surprising for the Globe. Michael went to contract with Billy Sullivan's son who sold out the stadium and then paid Jackson millions for his concert months in advance months before the concert. Only a fool would give Michael Jackson money in advance. Jackson never showed and the Sullivans were out millions which needed to be repaid to disappointed customers. Beacause Jackson repudiated the contract, the Sullivans went broke and lost the team.

It bothers me when people critizie R. Kraft, it was his millions he gambled with. therefore, when it's your money I think you should be allowed to call the shots.

Thank you Mr. Kraft for being the smart an shrewed bussiness man that you are, and having the foresight!!!

Will McDonough was on this story like a laser beam. As soon as this deal was announced, he wrote that Chuck Sullivan had no experience in the concert business and he predicted that the family would likely take a big loss in the venture.

ajinflorida, you couldn't be more wrong. Chuck Sullivan promoted the entire tour hoping to get dates for then-Sullivan Stadium as well as to make a bundle off the national tour. The selectmen in Foxboro rejected the application for three dates in July, hence Sullivan (with no such promotion experience) was left to promote a tour that would not visit the stadium he owned. That's where he lost the money, about $22 million. Tickets were never sold for concerts in Foxboro.

So, because cancellation of a Jackson tour forced Sullivan into bankruptcy allowing Kraft to sit back while others wallered around before he bought the team for a song? Or was it a sleazebag duet?

What Reiss fails to mention is that the Jacksons ruined the Sullivans in a nasty and callous manner. Bad reporting

dang - I must've missed the message from soxfan12321 & now it's been deleted?
Is comedy not welcome on the blog Mike?

I wonder if Jackson helped with the systematic cheating as well.

Personally I was glad when the Victory Tour was cancelled and stayed out of New England. My son was 8 at the time and I didn't need MJ falling in love for the night.

I wonder if Jackson helped with the systematic cheating as well.

Kind of funny how many really angry people bring their agendas to comments, from the poster who thought the story was racist to the too-cool-for-the-room types who pronounced it boring or somehow show-offy.

I wish more had focused on the fact that the story just stunk. It didn't explain the background well at all -- just glossed over so many details that would have explained why the Victory tour was so disastrous for the Sullivans.

Deals are so delicate, Foxboro was to blame. City planners are sometimes power and control freaks, if you've ever had to deal with them, don't remind me.

Writer, please...not you too falling into the media pantheon hungering for a Jacko connection!!!!

No samirdz (#87) Kraft bought the cameras at that shady place called Best Buy without Jackson.

The Bill Belichick drank the blood of unicorns and crushed your team without aid form the weird one.

The "Victory Tour" was a total disaster. One date at Foxboro would have made no difference. In fact, the only reason Sullivan did not fight harder to keep that tour date is that he would have lost even more if they played.

You can admire Jackson's musical ability, but would you want your child to grow up to be Michael Jackson? I would not wish that curse on anyone. I don't know if he was a pedophile or not, but he was certainly not a person to admire or emulate.

If you are offended by an article that simply lays out facts regarding a failed business dealing, then you are truly a Michael Jackson butt-kisser. The last soldier we lost in Iraq was a far greater tragedy than a self-destructive pop star killing himself with over-indulgences

ave

Those of us on the "Inside" knew that the Sullivan's were going to lose money on the Victory Tour. (I worked for the original Concerts West who promoted Elvis, Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, etc.) The expenses were tremendous and way over-padded. We "passed" when we looked at them.

did you forget about the fact that robert kraft bought the team off of James bush orthwine not victor kiam

I work for Hunt Construction. I was a foreman at Citi Field. There are 3 Phillies Jerseys buried in the ball park. As a lifelong Phillies fan, I felt it was my duty to jinx the Mets. I'm not telling you my real name for obvious reasons. The jerseys are:

1. Under the Fanwalk bricks.
2. Jackie Robinson Rotunda in the vicinity of the Ticket Office window.
3. Near the vicinity of the '47 Shop near right field.

I understand how some may not believe that jerseys are buried beneath Citi Field. Thats ok, I'm not trying to convince people. Take a look at when I posted this on this forum below (LAST SUMMER) This is proof that I've been sitting on this for a while.

Unlike the dope that revealed his identity for the Ortiz Jersey thing, nobody will even know who I am. Is this an original prank? No, but who cares? Did you invent every joke you ever told?? When your at Citi Field, say hi to the Burrell, Howard, and Utley jerseys beneath your feet.