By Evan Weiner

May 4, 2008

(New York, NY) -- Philip Anschutz is a man who usually gets what he goes after in the world of sports. Anschutz has his eye on a minor prize, the National Football League Draft which he would like to hold in Los Angeles. The Draft isn't exactly the same as actually having a team located in LA but it is a bit better than the annual NFL 101 for Women event that is hosted by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission.

Anschutz's Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) isn't bidding for an NFL franchise quite yet although AEG may eventually play a prominent role in getting a stadium built near LA in the City of Industry in the next few years. But the AEG website tells the tale when it comes to just how much power has in the global sports industry.

"AEG owns more sports teams and events than any other company in the world. AEG recognizes the entertainment value in sports and the emotional connection of its fans. From the NHL to the NBA, and Major League Soccer to championship boxing and world-class tennis, AEG focuses on marquee sports that inspire fans and ultimately drive revenue and capture market share," according to the AEG website.

The list is impressive.

"AEG developed, owns and operates The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, one of the world's premier soccer stadiums. AEG also owns five MLS soccer teams (Los Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo), and through it's affiliation with Soccer United Marketing, the U.S. rights to the Mexican National soccer team and The Copa Libertadorias Tournament as well as sponsorship, marketing and broadcast rights for the 2005 MLS expansion team, Chivas USA. It also owns an interest in The Hammarby Football Club in Stockholm. Of the many international soccer matches held at The Home Depot Center, the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup ranks among its highlights," the website screams out and Anschutz once did own five MLS teams but is down to just LA and Houston.

Anschutz is also a big hockey booster with teams in the United States and Germany.

"Sports fans are known for being passionate about the teams they root for, but nowhere is this intensity expressed more fervently than in the sport of hockey. Sharing this love for the game, AEG owns and operates six hockey clubs in the United States and Europe. At every level: Youth, high school, juniors, college and professional, AEG is committed to promoting the game and ensuring a solid return on investment," screams out the website.

Anschutz actually has five teams, the NHL's LA Kings, its AHL affiliate in Manchester, NH and its ECHL team in Reading, Pa. along with two teams in Germany, Eisbären Berlin and the Hamburg Freezers. A sixth team will start play in the ECHL in an AEG building in Ontario, California. Anschutz also has a new building going up in Berlin.

AEG's London Arena hosted the 2007-08 NHL season opener and second game of the year between Anschutz's Kings and the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks home arena is managed by AEG. Anaheim isn't the only arena that Anschutz has placed an imprint on. He built the LA arena that serves as home to his Kings, the NBA Lakers (Anschutz has a piece of that team), and he has arena marketing deals with the New Jersey Devils and the Indiana Pacers.

AEG and Harrah’s Entertainment are building an arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise behind Bally’s Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas. The groundbreaking for the arena is expected to take place this summer and the building could house a Las Vegas NHL or NBA franchise or both in 2010 or 2011.

Anschutz's London and Berlin arenas could provide the foundation for an NBA European Division as those buildings are NBA (and NHL) ready.

AEG has produced and hosted or will produce and host events that include the 2009 World Figure Skating Championship, 2009 Gymnastics, the 2004 NBA All-Star Weekend, the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, the 2003 and 2004 MLS All-Star Game, the 2002 NHL All-Star Weekend, the 2002 Super Bowl Halftime Show, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the Annual adidas Track Classic, the Annual East West Bank Classic Tennis Tournament, the Annual Pac 10 Basketball Championships the AMGEN Tour of California, Chelsea FC, Davis Cup Tennis. There is also ESPN Boxing, ESPN X-Games, ESPN X-Games London, FIVB/AVP Olympic Qualifying (beach volleyball) tournament, HBO Boxing - Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko, HBO Boxing - "Sugar" Shane Mosley vs. Oscar De La Hoya, HBO Boxing - Vitali Klitschko vs. Corrie Sanders World, HBO Boxing - Roy Jones Jr. vs. Julio Gonzalez, HBO Boxing - Antonio Tarver vs. Glen Johnson, HBO Boxing - Bernard Hopkins vs. Howard Eastman, ING Bay to Breakers Real Madrid vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, UCI Track Cycling and the World Series of Football.

Anschutz is a powerhouse within the sports and entertainment industries. Anschutz, an American from Kansas whose political cronies included the former United States Senate Majority Leader and 1996 Republican Presidential candidate Robert Dole, went a long way in helping London's bid to land the 2012 Summer Olympics. London was competing against New York along with Madrid, Paris and Moscow for those Games.

Anschutz apparently is not involved in his arena partner Ed Roski's plan to build an NFL state of the art stadium in the City of Industry that will open according to Roski in 2011. The only blemish on Anschutz's sports record is not being able to get an NFL franchise in LA. In 2002, AEG proposed building a $400 million-plus football stadium south of downtown. The plan never got off the ground. Building a football stadium fit for the NFL is a tricky proposition. The Los Angeles Coliseum Commission, which owns the LA Coliseum, thinks that the Coliseum should be the only football stadium that the NFL could ever consider for a franchise and because of the enormous political power that the Coliseum Commission wields, even Anschutz cannot get a football facility built.

It remains to be seen of Roski can outsmart the Coliseum Commission and get a stadium built someone on LA for an NFL franchise.

AEG wants to catch a Draft, but LA wants more than just a Draft, city politicians and business leaders want a team. But the LA Coliseum Commission is a formidable opponent even for someone like Anschutz who usually gets want he wants. The NFL Draft may be the only NFL event available in the Los Angeles area for a while unless Anschutz, Roski and other leaders can beat the Coliseum and convince local and state politicians that the LA Coliseum isn't the only option for the NFL in LA.

evanjweiner@yahoo.com or eweiner@mcn.tv