Owner, Owner, Wherefore Art Thou Owner?

Chris over at Capitol Punishment provides a indispensible tutorial on the current state of affairs regarding the Nats ownership situation. It is a must read for anyone who wants to speak intelligently on this issue and have some idea of what might likely happen in the future. Chris (and subsequent commenters, similarly insightful) has his eye on the right subject for observation: the incentives of each of the major players in this game.

My two cents: Always remember that sports teams exist for multiple reasons, and thus have different, sometimes conflicting purposes. To the fans, we want the club to win. To the city, it wants the club to bring in tax revenues, which sometimes requires winning. To the owner, he/she wants the club to make money, which sometimes includes wanting them to win, but mostly includes making money. An instructive example is Dan Snyder, who wants both to win and make money, and probably sleeps OK at night knowing that while the former has eluded him, the latter appears firmly within his grasp. Right now, as Chris ably explains, the conditions are not favorable towards the Nats gaining an owner who has the acumen or desire to reach both goals.