ESPN NFL

When I read the story Friday about the St. Louis Rams agreeing to play a home game in London each of the next three seasons, I couldn’t help but think how it could have been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They had been the team that had appeared ticketed for an annual overseas game. They played in London in October and had played there in 2009. In the past, Commissioner Roger Goodell had said the Bucs had expressed interest in playing an annual game.

But, very quietly, Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said that interest had disappeared. During the news conference to announce the firing of coach Raheem Morris in early January, Glazer let it be known that the Bucs had informed the league they didn’t want to “host’’ London games in the foreseeable future. He didn’t go into much detail on the rationale and only made passing mention of having goals to achieve in Tampa that were more important than going overseas.

So the Rams have taken the plunge. Like the Bucs, they’re a team whose owner also has an English soccer team. Rams owner Stan Kroenke owns Arsenal, while the Glazer family owns Manchester United. Like the Bucs, who have struggled with home attendance in recent years, the Rams are a team that has faced some speculation about their long-term future in their home city.

The Rams just threw some more gas on that fire. But the more I think about Glazer’s brief remarks about pulling out of consideration for London trips, the more I view it as a way for the Buccaneers to put out some flames in Tampa Bay and that’s a good thing.

Let’s be real honest. For many reasons, some which I understand and some I don’t, the Glazers aren’t very popular with the Tampa Bay fan base. People say the Glazers don’t care about the Bucs or their fans.

But I think the move to pull out of London games is evidence to the contrary. When the Bucs were going to London, they liked to talk about building their international fan base. When they pulled out, I think they were quietly admitting they’re focusing on their local fan base.

Sometime during the season, the Bucs sent out surveys to their season-ticket holders. The surveys asked a lot of questions about many different topics. But one strong message that came back to the Glazers was that their local fans didn’t like the team playing in London and fans didn’t like giving up a home game.

I think that’s the major reason why the Bucs withdrew from consideration for future trips. They know they’ve got attendance issues to fix and satisfying the fans is one way to move in that direction. They also ended speculation the team eventually would move to London on a permanent basis.

It’s a small step in the right direction. But, in this case, I think the Bucs at least showed they’re listening to their fans. There is a lot more work to be done before the Glazers and the Bucs are truly embraced by the Tampa Bay community.

Spending a little money on free agency would be a much bigger step and would excite the fans much more. So would hiring a new coach, preferably before February rolls around.

But whether people realize it or not, I think when Glazer said the Bucs had changed their tune on London, it was a message from One Buccaneer Place that the team is at least starting to work toward patching things up with its fans. Let the Rams be the ones to go international and deal with the domestic consequences.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who had been considered a lock to play in London on a regular basis in the coming years, no longer plan on going overseas.

At the end of a Monday news conference to discuss the firing of coach Raheem Morris and how the search for a new coach will proceed, team co-chairman Joel Glazer said London no longer is in the team’s plans.

Glazer said the Bucs recently informed the NFL that they “wouldn’t want to be participating (in London games) in the foreseeable future’’.

The Bucs played in London in 2009 and this past season. The Glazer family also owns the Manchester United soccer team.

Tampa Bay’s 10-game losing streak started with a loss to the Chicago Bears in London in October. But Glazer said that’s not necessarily the reason the team has decided to pull out of consideration for future London games.

He cited a desire to work toward other goals in Tampa.

At a forum in London on Saturday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have expressed interest in playing an annual “home’’ game overseas.

The Bucs are scheduled to “host’’ the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Wembley Stadium. The team previously played in London in 2009. When announcing the passage of a resolution to continue games in London through 2016, league officials said teams will be allowed to volunteer for one game a year in London and also implied they’d like a team to make repeat visits to help create a fan base in the United Kingdom.

The Bucs will become the first team to play in London twice in the regular season with Sunday’s game and it sounds like there’s a good chance they’ll be back.

“I think they recognize that the growth of the league is important and they’ve been leaders in this area,’’ Goodell said. “I think they want to see the Bucs become a global franchise and I think that’s a great thing for Tampa and a great thing for the NFL.’’

The league has talked about eventually basing a team in London on a permanent basis. Tampa Bay’s willingness to play in London and the fact the team’s owners (the Glazer family) also own the Manchester United soccer team have led to speculation that the Bucs could be a candidate for relocation.

But general manager Mark Dominik said earlier this week the Bucs aren’t looking to leave Tampa Bay. I know there are conspiracy theories out there and many point to the team’s struggles to sell out games in Tampa.

But I don’t think Dominik was throwing out a smoke screen. Raymond James Stadium is one of the best facilities in the league and the NFL likes having Tampa Bay as a Super Bowl venue. When there was talk of the Bucs leaving in the mid-1990s, the league did its best to make sure that didn’t happen. The Glazers have a lot invested in Tampa Bay. They built One Buccaneer Place with their own money.

Team officials have pointed to the economy for the attendance issues. They’ve also said that playing one game in London helps make season tickets more affordable in the short term. Team officials also have said they believe attendance will pick up if the economy improves.

There’s a very interesting quote in the NFL’s press release announcing that owners approved a resolution to continue playing regular-season games in the U.K. through 2016.

The resolution leaves it up to the league to decide if more than one regular-season game per year will be played in the U.K. The resolution also allows teams to “volunteer’’ for one home game a year in the U.K.

This year’s game will be played at Wembley Stadium. It’s a “home’’ game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chicago Bears. The Bucs also played a home game there in 2009.

Keep all that in mind and now read the interesting quote.

“When the initial resolution was approved in 2006, the thinking at the time was that we would have two new teams every year,” said NFL International vice president Chris Parsons. “As the series evolved, we felt as though having a team return to the U.K. on a regular basis would certainly increase the fan base for that particular team, which in turn would drive fan growth for the entire league. We think there is a tremendous benefit for a team to return to the U.K. on an annual basis.”

Read that last part (“tremendous benefit for a team to return to the U.K. on an annual basis’’) again. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

The Buccaneers could be playing an annual “home’’ game in London? Well, it’s logical in a lot of ways. Look back at that “return’’ word again. The Bucs are about to become the only team to return to London since the NFL started playing regular-season games there.

The Bucs already have had a strong fan club in the U.K. for years. The owners of the Bucs (the Glazer family) also own the Manchester United soccer team.

There’s also the matter of attendance in Tampa Bay. Prior to last week’s sellout of a “Monday Night Football’’ game against Indianapolis, the Bucs had not sold out their previous 10 regular-season home games. When accepting the trip to London this year, the Bucs said part of their reasoning was done with the local economy in mind. Team officials said one less game at Raymond James Stadium would cut the cost of paying for season tickets.

Plus, a yearly game in London would guarantee the Bucs at least one “home’’ sellout a season.

The language in the resolution about teams “volunteering’’ to play in London is very interesting. I can’t see teams with huge fan bases like the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers ever volunteering to give up a sure sellout at home.

But it’s pretty easy to picture the Bucs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, who also have had attendance issues, throwing their hands up when the NFL asks for volunteers.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The world’s most valuable sports franchise is held by the owners of an NFC South team.

But it’s not the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers that has the Glazer family sitting atop Forbes' list of the world’s top 50 sports franchises. It’s the Manchester United soccer team the Glazers also own. That franchise is worth an estimated $1.86 billion, which puts Manchester United slightly ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who are No. 2 on a list that’s dominated by NFL teams.

In terms of value, the Glazers also are doing well with the Buccaneers, the team they paid $192 million for in the mid-1990s. Forbes said the Bucs are now worth $1.03 billion. That puts them at No. 18 on the list and that’s almost the top spot among NFC South franchises.

The Carolina Panthers edged the Bucs by coming in at No. 17 with a $1.04 billion value. Those were the only two NFC South franchise to top the billion-dollar mark.

The New Orleans Saints are No. 28 at $955 million and the Atlanta Falcons are No. 35 at $831 million.

Before the conspiracy theories go too far on how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playing in London means they’re moving there, stop.

The Bucs may be visiting London for the second time in two years when they play the Chicago Bears in Wembley Stadium this season. But the Bucs and the NFL aren’t looking for a permanent rearrangement.

Yes, Tampa Bay ownership had some say in getting this game. And, yes, that same ownership also owns the Manchester United soccer team. But this is about a lot of other things beyond relocating a team that plays in one of the league’s finest stadiums (Raymond James Stadium, which is being paid for by taxpayers) and one of the league’s finest practice facilities (One Buccaneer Place, which was paid for by ownership).

The Bucs aren’t looking to get out of Tampa Bay and the NFL probably wouldn’t let them. The league already threw its weight around to keep the Bucs in town in the 1990s. The league likes the market and likes having Tampa Bay as a Super Bowl venue (the area is probably the front-runner for the 2015 Super Bowl, which is expected to be announced in the fall). There are at least several markets the league would consider abandoning for London or Los Angeles before the Bucs would even get a shot to escape.

This is much more about marketing. This is a team that’s marketing itself hard and there have been and continue to be talks about appearing on HBO’s “Hard Knocks’’ this summer. This is also a team that struggled to sell tickets last year, when all home games were blacked out on local television.

The Bucs have lowered season-ticket prices and sales have improved in a region where the economy still is struggling. But, at least at the moment, the Bucs are probably looking at some more blackouts next season. Imagine if Chicago came to Raymond James Stadium for this game? I’m not talking just the Bears. I’m talking about all the Tampa Bay transplants from Illinois and all those who would make the trip down for a weekend when it’s winter in Chicago and summer in Tampa Bay.

That’s how it used to be every year back before the Bucs became good and the new stadium was built. Back in the days when the Bucs played in the NFC Central, it was the norm for crowds to favor Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota. If you want more recent evidence, just look back to last season's home game with Pittsburgh.

By taking their act to London, the Bucs are saving themselves and their fans from the strong possibility of a hostile takeover by Chicago fans. They’re also marketing their team on an international stage, which might help solve the attendance problem for the long term.

Oh, and guess what else? The Bucs just lowered season-ticket prices again. Take the cost of the Chicago game off the cost of season tickets and you’ve got another discount. Oh, one other thing -- if you don't have season tickets and live in the Tampa Bay area, you'll be able to watch the game on television.

Time for a weekend trip into the NFC South mailbag.

Daniel in New Orleans asks if teams ever contact players leaving as free agents to say "We loved having you here, good luck," that kind of thing.’’

Pat Yasinskas: Excellent question, and Daniel’s note referred specifically to Scott Fujita, who left the Saints last offseason. Yes, this kind of thing happens a lot. In Fujita’s case, there was definitely a strong bond between him and the Saints. New Orleans had an interest in keeping him, but the Browns offered much more money than the Saints were willing to pay. The Saints publicly and privately thanked Fujita for his contributions, and warm feelings remain between the player and the organization. Two other prominent NFC South players come to mind with this question. Muhsin Muhammad left the Carolina Panthers for the Chicago Bears, and Warrick Dunn left the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the Atlanta Falcons on very good terms. Both situations were similar to Fujita’s. Both players were liked very much by their former teams, but they got huge offers to go elsewhere. They left and, later in their careers, Muhammad returned to the Panthers and Dunn returned to the Bucs. That’s why it’s best not to burn bridges. On the flip side, there can be bitter endings. For instance, I don’t see Julius Peppers ever returning to Carolina.

---

Ed in Cape Coral, Fla. asks if I’ve heard anything about the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, being close to selling the Manchester United soccer team.

Pat Yasinskas: Rumors have been flying about this possibility for a long time. The Glazers repeatedly have said Manchester United is not for sale. I haven’t heard anything lately that would lead me to believe otherwise, but I’m not really plugged into the soccer world.

---

John in Viera, Fla. asks if the Panthers have any serious interest in Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb, Vince Young or Carson Palmer.

Pat Yasinskas: I had a good conversation with Carolina general manager Marty Hurney on Friday. Like any executive, he’s not going to lay out any top-secret plans in public, and with a new staff just coming together, the labor uncertainty and the various scenarios in which the guys you mentioned could be available, I don’t think the Panthers have a firm plan yet. I think that’s still being formulated. But the one thing Hurney was clear on was that the Panthers have to do something at quarterback. He still has hope Jimmy Clausen can develop into a solid starter, but Hurney is very aware he has to have a viable alternative. I think any or all of the guys you mention will at least be considerations.

---

Hank in Illinois asks if there is any chance of the Falcons moving up in the draft to take a defensive end.

Pat Yasinskas: It’s at least a possibility. General manager Thomas Dimitroff can be aggressive when the Falcons really see someone they want. They’re sitting at No. 27, and most early mock drafts have the top tier of defensive ends gone slightly before Atlanta’s pick, so moving up could make sense. But we’ve got more than two months before the draft, and the stock of some defensive ends will rise and fall. This also is a draft that’s considered very deep at defensive end, so there is a possibility the Falcons could sit still and get the guy they want. There also is the possibility they might go in a different direction with their first pick and get a defensive end later in the draft or through free agency.

They might be coming off a 3-13 season and fearing a tough year at the ticket office, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the 12th most valuable professional sports franchise in the world. That’s according to Forbes Magazine, which says the Bucs are valued at $1.09 billion. For the record, the No. 1 franchise on the list is soccer’s Manchester United ($1.84 billion), which also is owned by Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer.

Forbes also ranked the Carolina Panthers No. 17 with a value of $1.05 billion. The Falcons came in at No. 39 on that list with an $856 million value.

Carolina rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to signing. The Panthers historically have been good at avoiding holdouts under general manager Marty Hurney, and there still is plenty of time to get this done. The Panthers are going to camp with Matt Moore as their starter, and a Clausen holdout of any length pretty much would put an end to any chance of him moving ahead of Moore.

Just like Clausen, Sean Weatherspoon, Atlanta’s top pick, remains unsigned. Things are moving very slowly with players drafted in the first and second rounds. But that’s likely to change in the next few days.

The New Orleans Saints still haven’t signed a veteran quarterback to serve as Drew Brees’ backup. But that’s likely to change very soon, and it appears Patrick Ramsey remains the top target.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reacting to today’s earlier reports about their debt situation with the Manchester United soccer team, just issued a statement talking about their financial situation.

The Glazer family that owns the Bucs also owns Manchester United and there have been stories saying the soccer team is carrying more than $1.5 billion in debt. Fans have talked of trying to put together a bid to take over Manchester United and Tampa Bay fans publicly wonder if Manchester United is a financial drain on the Bucs.

But the team just issued the following statement from new director of communications Jonathan Grella, defending the family’s financial position.

"Buccaneers fans should know that the Glazer family is as financially well-positioned as ever before. Companies they own generate revenues in excess of $800 million each year.

"Sophisticated real estate experts know that the family's refinancing of their commercial real estate before the global meltdown has proven to be the wise move.

"While First Allied represents only a small portion of their asset portfolio, it continues to generate significant profits, enjoys over 90% occupancy, and has long term non-recourse financing.

"This franchise remains committed to bringing the resources to build its next championship team."

Here is some more ammunition for those fans who think the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are being dragged down the Manchester United soccer club.

The Glazer family owns both of those franchises and the latest report and the latest report out of London is the soccer team has $1.6 billion in debt. The Glazers have said they have no interest in selling Manchester United, even though detractors are trying to put together bids to buy the soccer team.

What’s it all mean for the Bucs? I’m no financial analyst and the Glazers like to say the Bucs and Manchester United are separate entities. The Glazers aren't exactly stepping forward to show their Bucs and back up that claim. But you can look at the Bucs, who haven’t signed a big-priced free agent in several years and at least wonder if that’s tied to the soccer debt.

You also can look at the Bucs, who are facing the very real possibility of not selling out Raymond James Stadium this year for the first time in its existence and wonder if part of the woes can be blamed on the Manchester United debt.

Very interesting quote from fullback Brad Hoover, who was released by the Panthers a few weeks ago. Hoover, who is a pretty sharp guy, said it appears to him as if the Panthers are “putting themselves in a good opportunity for failure." Hoover took the high road the rest of the interview, but he might have had a point when he said the offseason moves have taken a lot of leadership away from the Panthers.

New Orleans restricted free agent Jeff Charleston went ahead and signed his tender. This one’s no surprise. Charleston wanted to stay with the Saints and there wasn’t much interest in the backup defensive end from around the rest of the league.

There’s been some speculation the Bucs could be a candidate for an eventual move to London. I think that’s a stretch. Yes, the Bucs are expecting to have problems selling tickets this year. But Tampa Bay is a market that’s so good that the NFL wasn’t about to abandon it back in the 1990s when the franchise was a joke. The franchise went on to have some great years. A few more wins and some turns in the economy can straighten this thing out. Besides, the Glazer family isn’t exactly viewed as royalty in England right now. The Manchester United fans are trying to oust the owners. Why would the Glazers want two franchises in hostile territory?

Panthers president Danny Morrison said the labor uncertainty isn’t impacting what the Panthers are doing and spoke glowingly about coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney.

In his latest mock draft, Daniel Cox has the Falcons taking Penn State defensive tackle Jared Odrick. This may come as a surprise to some because the Falcons have a greater need at defensive end. But Odrick has the tools to move outside and the Atlanta brass has been doing a lot of homework on him.

Some random reflections on the owners meeting that ended Wednesday in Orlando.

I know John Fox caused a bit of a stir in some circles when he spoke highly of Tim Tebow. I’m telling you right now, calm down. Let’s put this one in perspective. Fox always praises players on other teams, available free agents and every member of the year's draft crop that he’s asked about. He also never closes the door on anything. Remember last summer when everybody was sure the Panthers were going to sign Michael Vick just because Fox wouldn’t publicly close the door on that possibility? It never happened. Look, I know Fox better than any other coach in the NFC South. If the man is going to make a move that likely will shape the rest of his career, he’s probably not going to reveal it over breakfast with the media.

I agree with New Orleans coach Sean Payton on disagreeing with the changes to the overtime rules. I also respect him for having the courage to voice his displeasure with how it was handled. The owners pretty much pushed this one on the coaches. Payton’s got every right to be mad about it -- for maybe another day or two. After that, he’s got to let it go. Payton’s a big voice in the NFL right now (as he should be), but he’s not bigger than the owners. They sign the checks.

While talking with Atlanta’s Arthur Blank, Thomas Dimitroff and Mike Smith, I got the impression that they’re really expecting a big leap forward by quarterback Matt Ryan in the upcoming season. I’ll have more on this in a column that’s scheduled to run Friday afternoon. But I also think the Falcons have to tweak a few things in their offense to really allow Ryan to make the next step.

Nice of Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer to step forward and talk to the media. Glazer explained why the Bucs are building through the draft and said his family’s ownership of the Manchester United soccer team has no impact on how the Bucs are run. I know there are tons of fans who doubt that. But why waste your time? As long as the Glazers own the Bucs, they’re going to operate the franchise the way they want.

Scott in Cocoa Beach, Fla., writes: Ari Fleischer to the rescue! Maybe he can talk the Glazers into spending some money on players so they don't come across as the biggest cheapskates in the NFL. Could there be more into Fleischer's hiring than just helping to look and narrow down a field for a Director of Communications position? Since when did Fleischer become a Human Resource Manager?

Pat Yasinskas: Yes, the Bucs have hired the former White House PR guru to help them choose a new director of communications. Actually, Fleischer has consulted with other NFL teams, most notably the Dolphins last year, on various issues. Supposedly, they want someone who will oversee all of their PR, including the Bucs, Manchester United and their other business interests. Sounds nice in theory, but I’m sure Fleisher’s fee isn’t cheap and the type of big gun they seem to be seeking likely will have a high price tag. My first thought on all this is why are the Bucs so willing to spend money on PR when they’re not spending it on players? Jeff Kamis, who is leaving as director of communications, was very good at his job and he has an outstanding support staff. Yeah, the Bucs have been taking a PR beating, but that wasn’t because of their PR staff. It was because they were 3-13 and made a lot of questionable moves last year. No PR person could have made chicken salad out of all that. If Fleischer is as smart as I think he is, he should be telling the Bucs to go out and get a couple of wide receivers, a defensive end and a defensive tackle. Fix the football team, win some games and the positive PR will flow no matter who is handing out credentials and press releases.

---

Robbie in Murphy, N.C. writes: How come no one thinks that Carolina has improved? Matt Moore is an improvement over Jake Delhomme. We all have been thinking that Dan Connor should be starting for Na’il Diggs. Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu were over-rated. So we lost Julius Peppers, so what? He only showed up in about 4 games a year anyway. Nobody knows what we have in the young replacements but we all know that DeAngelo Williams was better than DeShaun Foster, yet it took 2 years for them to finally release Foster.

Pat Yasinskas: Valid points. Moore was an improvement over Delhomme late last year, but we don’t know for sure if he’s the long-term answer. I’m with you on Connor and Lewis and Kemoeatu were “just guys.’’ Peppers had to go for reasons beyond football, but you have to admit the guy could dominate a game when he wanted to and guys like that are hard to find. But I find it hard, right now, to say Carolina has improved. They haven’t added anybody and they subtracted a bunch of guys. As I’ve been saying all along, we need to see the flip side of all this. Whether it’s through the draft or free agency, the Panthers need to plug some of the holes they’ve created. If they do that, then they could end up being better than last year.

---

Sean in Wilmington, N.C., writes: In your most honest opinion who do you think the Panthers will bring in to compete with Matt Moore? Brady Quinn went to the Broncos after rumors of him possibly ending up in Carolina, but what about Derek Anderson?

Pat Yasinskas: Although Anderson would seem to be a logical fit for the Panthers, I haven’t heard anything to indicate they have shown any interest in him. I think there’s a good chance you could see the Panthers re-sign Josh McCown. They brought him in last year, but he got hurt. He has some experience as a starter and also has some upside.

---

Mack in Athens, Ga., writes: I think the Falcons are good all around on offense, There have been worse offense's that have won championships. So my question is, do you think the Falcons defense is where they need it to be to make a serious run? I do not. I think we need serious upgrades at safety, LB, and DL.

Pat Yasinskas: I think Atlanta’s defense is a work in progress. The signing of Dunta Robinson gives the Falcons a No. 1 cornerback and they now have good depth at that position. A lot of people tend to forget about defensive tackle Peria Jerry and safety William Moore. They were Atlanta’s top two draft picks last year, but they got hurt before they could make an impact. They’ll be back this year and I think the Falcons have big plans for them and they should fill some of the needs you talked about. But there still is a need to improve the pass rush with a defensive end and the Falcons also could use some help at outside linebacker. I think you’ll see both those needs addressed early in the draft.

Forbes magazine has come out with its annual list of the world’s billionaires and there are two NFC South owners in the club.

Although Tampa Bay owner Malcolm Glazer takes a lot of criticism from fans for the Bucs not spending big money in free agency and is the target of hostility from fans of the Manchester United soccer team, he is the NFC South’s wealthiest owner, according to the report.

Glazer and his family are tied for 400th with a net worth of $2.4 billion. For context, Oprah Winfrey is one of the people the Glazers are tied with.

Atlanta’s Arthur Blank is tied for No. 773 with a $1.3 billion net worth. For context, Blank is tied with Edward DeBartolo Jr., the former owner of the 49ers, who has a big presence in the Tampa Bay area and his name seems to come up any time there are rumblings about the Bucs possibly being for sale.

Carolina’s Jerry Richardson and New Orleans’ Tom Benson did not appear on the list.

There’s been a lot of publicity lately about a group that reportedly is putting together an effort to buy Manchester United, the English soccer club owned by the Glazer family, which also owns the Buccaneers.

A Manchester United spokesman has said the team is not for sale and the Glazers remain interested in owning the team for the long term. My basic read on this is that the Glazers really aren’t looking to sell the team even though a lot has been made about the debt they're carrying and a lot of Tampa Bay fans think that’s impacting how the Bucs do business.

I’m no expert on these matters. Soccer just has never been a sport I’ve had any interest in. I’ve watched more curling (three minutes) this year than I have soccer (zero minutes and I anticipate that number staying the same). As far as all the business and legal issues … well, let's just say I find that stuff a little dry and it's part of the reason I dropped out of law school and got into this business.

So let’s leave it to the experts to sort out soccer, law and business. The Wall Street Journal has a really good overview on the Manchester United situation.