At this moment, an MLS team is not a sound investment because their TV deal is basically worthless. Unless Gilbert receives a subsidy or the city builds him a new stadium, it would be hard to justify it. DC United is one of the top brands in MLS and it took them years to finally get a stadium approved. Using tax money to build a fourth stadium in the city would not sit well with the citizens of Detroit. Just look at all the heat Ilitch got for using state tax money [[thanks to Snyder) towards the new arena.
The rumor I've heard is that Chris Ilitch is not a big baseball fan and that he would rather keep the hockey team. The NHL has a salary cap and with the new arena it's gonna be a lot easier to keep the team profitable, compared to the Tigers who have a $200 million payroll and is much harder to build a consistent baseball team. Maybe it won't happen, but that's the rumor and Gilbert seems to be very interested in the Tigers if the team becomes available.
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