Bill Bidwill to be inducted into Cards Ring of Honor

[oaken1]

No one questions whether he was a great guy. I’m sure he was by all accounts. That alone and the fact he was the owner certainly meets the criteria for induction. Sadly, as a fan for almost 60 years, I can attest to what an inept owner he was. And the fact he came to AZ on a handshake is just further evidence of his ineptness as an owner of any type of franchise. Living an hour away, it still galls me that he didn’t take Baltimore’s offer. It was a FAR better offer, not a handshake deal, and we could have stayed in the NFC East & kept our traditional rivalries with Dallas, Philly, NYG, and Washington. The fans of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s got screwed.

Imo the worst decision in cardinals history was the decision to leave chicago. They won the chicago bowl...should have made the bears leave.

Ya gotta give credit where credit is due. The cardinals are a business and even though the nfl model makes it hard to fail running and building a business is hard.

As much as fans want it to be otherwise the business of football is not winning games. Its selling merch, tickets, concessions, and tv.

One of the very best business traits you can have for that is the ability to build brand loyalty. Some teams do it by winning championships, others by consistantly being competitive.

The cardinals chose Stockholm Syndrome.

.....even with all the ineptitude fans complain about ... every week, every game, every personnel decision has fans ready to open a vein.

You live in PA...there are a ton of teams to support in your region that would cause you less stress. But yet here you are, every day...riding the emotional roller coaster that is cardinal football.
So... inept? Or....unconventional?

Brand loyalty keeps the business alive...and the 1mil business Mr Bowtie inherited is now worth 3bil....

 

[football karma]

a very nice man-- incredibly decent. In terms of hiring African Americans into important front office positions, was literally decades ahead of the rest of the league.


but he was a terrible owner. Penny wise and pound foolish who squandered at least three emerging really good teams by letting its best players walk over money.

 

[Cheesebeef]

we will argue about anything.

 

[PACardsFan]

So... you agree he was a nice guy.

You agree he deserves to be in the RoH

But you decided to take this opportunity to **** on the man anyway.


WOW!!

Kudos to you!

Agree with everything you stated. Why? Because it’s all true. Great guy, as owner he deserves to be in Cardinal’s ROH, and lastly, he was a BAD owner. Why do I say that? Because I LIVED it!!!!!

 

[PACardsFan]

Imo the worst decision in cardinals history was the decision to leave chicago. They won the chicago bowl...should have made the bears leave.

Ya gotta give credit where credit is due. The cardinals are a business and even though the nfl model makes it hard to fail running and building a business is hard.

As much as fans want it to be otherwise the business of football is not winning games. Its selling merch, tickets, concessions, and tv.

One of the very best business traits you can have for that is the ability to build brand loyalty. Some teams do it by winning championships, others by consistantly being competitive.

The cardinals chose Stockholm Syndrome.

.....even with all the ineptitude fans complain about ... every week, every game, every personnel decision has fans ready to open a vein.

You live in PA...there are a ton of teams to support in your region that would cause you less stress. But yet here you are, every day...riding the emotional roller coaster that is cardinal football.
So... inept? Or....unconventional?

Brand loyalty keeps the business alive...and the 1mil business Mr Bowtie inherited is now worth 3bil....

Been a fan since 1964. I’ve seen it ALL. Every time this team looked like they were ready to turn the corner, Old Man Bidwill found a way to set the franchise back. It’s well documented, so please don’t make me tell everyone again what BB always did to set us back. He may very well have been a wonderful man, but he was a God awful owner forever.

 

[Harry]

I very seriously doubt that they really care

I bet the ones he screwed out of decent paychecks and the chance to compete for championships care.

 

[Stout]

Did i ever state he was inaccurate?
Even though what he expressed was an opinion?

No.

However. In MY opinion, coming into a thread discussing honoring a man for his lifes work and accomplishments,...and spouting opinions on the mans failings,... well thats just low class.

Eh, in my opinion you're flapping your handbag at phantoms in this thread. But, hey, it's your vacation

 

[tnmike]

I bet the ones he screwed out of decent paychecks and the chance to compete for championships care.

Who did he screw out of a paycheck? The contract is offered and you can either accept it or not. I don't think they had as much money back in the 60s and 70s as some other teams anyway

 

[Buckybird]

It reduces the value for all the other honorees.

He was the owner for 40+ years, a huge part of the community & his family wants him in so that’s all that matters

 

[Buckybird]

Like it or not he is and was a Cardinal Icon. It’s warranted. Bill got the new stadium everyone loves. Bill chose to bring the team that everyone loves to this town. He was a true philanthropist in the Phoenix area and helped thousands in the community. He owned the team during its most successful seasons. Granted way more bad then good. But anyone arguing this is silly. JMO.

Amen bro perfectly said!

 

[Buckybird]

They should just put a bowtie up there.

Oh trust me they will

 

[Buckybird]

What were his contributions to the NFL and to the Cardinals?? IMO, none.

Not true!

In case you’ve forgotten he was one of the first leaders of the league in diversity hiring practices. A big, big accomplishment imo.

 

[Stout]

Not true!

In case you’ve forgotten he was one of the first leaders of the league in diversity hiring practices. A big, big accomplishment imo.

You know what, that's a great point that was also mentioned a bit earlier.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I just hope they spell his name right.
Or is it Bid well????

 

[QuebecCard]

Who did he screw out of a paycheck? The contract is offered and you can either accept it or not. I don't think they had as much money back in the 60s and 70s as some other teams anyway

And I never heard that Mr B.'s cheques bounced.

 

[ajcardfan]

And I never heard that Mr B.'s cheques bounced.

It got very frustrating at times in the 90s early 00s when the top draft picks were not signed until the TV money came in. All those long holdouts. Lower draft picks too. But at that time the Cardinals were the poorest team in the NFL. In spite of all the miserable seasons during that time, he hung in there until the Stadium got built. It's been different ever since and I am glad the team is still here.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I think they should have a Martyrdom Ring for us fans

 

[Harry]

Who did he screw out of a paycheck? The contract is offered and you can either accept it or not. I don't think they had as much money back in the 60s and 70s as some other teams anyway

They didn’t have money as Bidwill uniquely had no outside stream of revenue. There was no free agency then. You took the club’s offer, sat out or played in Canada for peanuts. There was no minimum required payroll. It now exists in part because of Bidwill. Today early picks get fixed compensation. Consider QB Kelly Stouffer, first round Cardinal pick. He sat out a year because the Cards’ contract offer was so low. He had no other reasonable football option. He lost a full year of income. There are dozens of stories about bad contracts. Trust me, the NFL was a monopoly. Several owners screwed players. Add in the fact that all of this meant the Cards rarely fielded a competitive plan, cheating innumerable fans. There’s no honor in his behavior.

 

[Harry]

He was the owner for 40+ years, a huge part of the community & his family wants him in so that’s all that matters

If your point is they make the rules you’re right. I just think an honor like this should signify you made winning contributions to the franchise. Hard to see Dollar Bill fitting that description.

 

[Jetstream Green]

They didn’t have money as Bidwill uniquely had no outside stream of revenue. There was no free agency then. You took the club’s offer, sat out or played in Canada for peanuts. There was no minimum required payroll. It now exists in part because of Bidwill. Today early picks get fixed compensation. Consider QB Kelly Stouffer, first round Cardinal pick. He sat out a year because the Cards’ contract offer was so low. He had no other reasonable football option. He lost a full year of income. There are dozens of stories about bad contracts. Trust me, the NFL was a monopoly. Several owners screwed players. Add in the fact that all of this meant the Cards rarely fielded a competitive plan, cheating innumerable fans. There’s no honor in his behavior.

Consider Joe Namath, he left for what became the AFC rather than play for the Cards lol

 

[QuebecCard]

They didn’t have money as Bidwill uniquely had no outside stream of revenue. There was no free agency then. You took the club’s offer, sat out or played in Canada for peanuts. There was no minimum required payroll. It now exists in part because of Bidwill. Today early picks get fixed compensation. Consider QB Kelly Stouffer, first round Cardinal pick. He sat out a year because the Cards’ contract offer was so low. He had no other reasonable football option. He lost a full year of income. There are dozens of stories about bad contracts. Trust me, the NFL was a monopoly. Several owners screwed players. Add in the fact that all of this meant the Cards rarely fielded a competitive plan, cheating innumerable fans. There’s no honor in his behavior.

Actually, in the 1970s, CFL money for top players was comparable. A number of top draft picks decided to sign up here, and a number of NFL players headed north at the end of their NFL contracts for more significant money up north.

I have a bit of difficulty squaring a lack of money, which directly impacts a 'competitive plan' with something dishonourable.

 

[QuebecCard]

Consider Joe Namath, he left for what became the AFC rather than play for the Cards lol

And the biggest contract paid to a player coming out of College at that time.

 

[tnmike]

They didn’t have money as Bidwill uniquely had no outside stream of revenue. There was no free agency then. You took the club’s offer, sat out or played in Canada for peanuts. There was no minimum required payroll. It now exists in part because of Bidwill. Today early picks get fixed compensation. Consider QB Kelly Stouffer, first round Cardinal pick. He sat out a year because the Cards’ contract offer was so low. He had no other reasonable football option. He lost a full year of income. There are dozens of stories about bad contracts. Trust me, the NFL was a monopoly. Several owners screwed players. Add in the fact that all of this meant the Cards rarely fielded a competitive plan, cheating innumerable fans. There’s no honor in his behavior.

You can't spend money you don't have

 

[Harry]

Actually, in the 1970s, CFL money for top players was comparable. A number of top draft picks decided to sign up here, and a number of NFL players headed north at the end of their NFL contracts for more significant money up north.

I have a bit of difficulty squaring a lack of money, which directly impacts a 'competitive plan' with something dishonourable.

It’s accurate to say that in the 70s the CFL did compete for a select group of rookies. However, once the TV money started rolling in their ability to compete died. Because less than 30 Canadian schools play football they have always used US players. However, they were only occasionally early round potential picks.

 

[Harry]

If you can’t afford the ante you sat down at the wrong table.