The famed Broadmoor Hotel located in beautiful Colorado has been sold. I have a lot of opinions about this and I am about to share them with you because we all need a little rant from time to time…..
I hope that this hotel is a financial boondoggle to the new owner, Philip Anschutz who will be forced to sell it to another group who will retain the staff and management so that they do not lose their jobs. I am sorry that I have to feel that way, but I do.
Philip Anschutz is, in my opinion, one the biggest scumbags on the planet, right up there with the Koch brothers and Charles Manson…. Again, that is my opinion and if you don’t like it, you may feel free to unfollow, unfriend, and forget I exist because we certainly do not share the same “values”.
Why am I not so keen on the new owner of the Broadmoor? It is because of what this man stands for and supports. Do you know what Philip Anschutz supports? No? Well, let me clue you in. Here is this man’s list of accomplishments (thanks to Wikipedia):
Anschutz has funded a number of ultra-conservative and/or Christian organizations that promote a radical anti-LGBT Agenda:
- Institute for American Values, which campaigns against same-sex marriage and against single parenting;
- Colorado for Family Values (CFV), the organization behind Colorado’s notorious anti-gay constitutional amendment, Amendment 2, approved by the voters in 1992 and later overturned by the US Supreme Court;
- Morality in the Media, established in 1962 “to combat obscenity and uphold decency standards in the media.”
It is my opinion that there is evil lurking here, the type of evil that likes to put on a happy face and say that they are doing “God’s Work”…
Sorry folks, but I don’t think that God hates the LGBT Community and God certainly does not hate non-Christians no matter what some right wing, evangelical billionaire would like you to think.
Here is what others have said about him:
He’s been dubbed the “stealth media mogul,” labeled”America’s greediest executive,”by Fortune magazine, and was added to “The 12 Most Powerful Christians in Hollywood”list on Beliefnet. He has also been described as “secretive” and “reclusive,” given that he reportedly hasn’t spoken on the record to the press since 1974. Nevertheless, he is identified as an active supporter of Christian and conservative causes.He may not be directly tied to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), but he appears to be single-handedly accomplishing at least one of the goals of NAR’s “Seven Mountains Mandate”: taking control of the “mountain” of entertainment.
I believe that by supporting this hotel, you are supporting what this man believes in because it puts money in his coffers. I believe that by supporting this hotel, YOUR ASSOCIATION and YOUR CORPORATION are giving your consent to what this man believes. Sorry folks, but this is a FACT according to me.
By hosting your meetings and events at the Broadmoor, it is my opinion that you are now helping to fund this radical anti-LGBT agenda, you are helping to demonize the people that this man does not like and you are throwing your values down the toilet.
While you are at it, I think that you should scratch the 500-room Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas off your list too because it was part of the same sale.
This is a conflicting story because you may still be forced to do business with Anschultz.
Yes, I know that Anscultz owns AEG, the entertainment giant second only to LiveNation, but we have to start somewhere, we have to start making our industry a better place and we cannot openly support hate and intolerance while telling the world that we are so full of awesome.
I am sure that you will no doubt use AEG for some of your events, AEG’s tentacles are far and wide. It may be impossible to not do business with Anschultz completely.
The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world’s largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world’s second largest presenter of live music and entertainment events after Live Nation.
It owns and operates the Staples Center and the Home Depot Center, and manages the XL Center, the Rose Garden, and Rentschler Field. In England, it owns the Manchester Evening News Arena, and currently operates the The O2 which includes a 20,000 capacity arena.
But what about his owning AEG?
It seems that through AEG, Anschultz is able to set aside the “Christian Values” that he so “loves”.
AEG has been accused of profiteering off of the death of Michael Jackson, an accused pedophile. Now, that does not sound very Christian to me Y’all….check it out:
AEG benefited from global interest in the death of Michael Jackson by hosting a public memorial service at Staples Center, a prominent music venue in Los Angeles and home of the Grammy Museum. The event included security and logistical support by the City of Los Angeles totaling $4 million. City Council members and local media have called for the cost of the memorial incurred by the City to be paid for by the Jackson family and/or AEG, instead of the city taxpayer.
AEG has also been accused of attempting to profit from the death of Michael Jackson, who was due to perform at London’s O2 Arena in 2009/2010. While refunds of the approximately 750,000 tickets (at £55–£75 each plus £9 booking fee per ticket) are available to customers that request it, the promoter has offered to send out “souvenir” tickets providing fans of the singer waive their right to the refund.
The company estimates that between 40–50% of its customers will request the original tickets in lieu of the refund, which will save the company $40 million in refunds. This is in addition to future profits from any material that forms a part of the “This Is It” concerts – the intellectual property of AEG.
His ownership of AEG highlights his hypocrisy
Anschultz bashes the LGBT community through his actions but at the same time, he seeks to make a profit off of them and other fun loving people by owning the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco that features contestants from all walks of life, some in varying degrees of nudity…
Now I think that the Bay to Breakers is a ton of fun personally, but how can this Ultra-Conservative, Christian, Evangelical own something that is such an affront to his “beliefs”…. Oh WAIT, I know…..He makes a ton of money off of the Bay to Breakers! That makes it OK to own the race even though most of the people who participate in said race are the very people he despises.
That, in my professional opinion, makes him a Hypocritical Fuck.
So, is this who we as an industry want to support and is he now going to try and buy his way into our good graces by supporting our industry associations and sponsoring industry events?
Will you let Anschultz buy your soul for a nice Fam Trip to Colorado or some passed hors d’oeuvres at the next chapter meeting?
What is it gonna be people? Do we start to make a difference by picking one battle or do we simply shrug our shoulders like we always do and just let one more thing come to pass?
We are forced to do business with companies that do not share our beliefs every day, but when do we say enough is enough? When do we pick one thing that we can accomplish? Do we simply find it easier to quietly let our industry friends get their rights trampled on because “it is not our business” or because we can say “but look at what this company does over here!”.
When did we get to be such wimps when it comes to looking after each other? When did we put our own moral beliefs on hold simply because it makes things a little more convenient?
