No one in their right mind would knock back two free tickets to Superbowl right? George doesn't just knock them back, he's indignant.

"Are you paying my hotel and airfare to Miami? In order to use these I've got to spend $1500. What you're giving me is a bill for $1500."

The scene illustrates that what can often seem like a gift, comes with associated costs and stipulations only the truly pragmatic can see.

It's something those who wish to throw themselves into world of sporting team ownership would be wise to consider; probably something previous owners of the Hawks didn't.

It's a fact there is no money in owning sporting teams in this country. That's been made painfully clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the 16 teams in the NRL - one of the two biggest and most lucrative sporting leagues in this country - only one (Brisbane) actually turns a profit. Without broadcast money handouts from HQ, the others can't survive, most of them for not even a couple of months.

As an owner, you're doing well not to lose money. All you can really do is keep things ticking over, keep some people employed and maybe make some treasured memories for the community along the way.

That, not dollars, is the only reward to reasonably aspire to. Anyone who does commit to it is putting themselves on the hook for a huge outlay.

At least Jerry was giving away the Superbowl tickets for free. If Costanza was dealing with the NBL they'd probably try to milk a few more dollars out of him for the 'gift'.

That seems to be where negotiations between the league and Illawarra businessman Tory Lavalle appear to have hit the skids. It's understood the goal posts shifted, largely in regards to financial value of the license itself, separate to the three-year investment plan already laid out.

It's a new development. The NBL's agreement to hand over the license came with a number caveats just about all of which had been agreed to.

Given the financial disaster of the club's previous ownership it's understandable the NBL would want some assurances. It could have done with seeking a few more from the previous ownership.

It needs to be said that former owner Simon Stratford was left holding the can when former majority owner James Spenceley took his ball and went home, leaving a fair mess behind.

READ MORE: Hawks players and staff owed $750,000 in entitlements

From what's been seen or heard, it seems to have been with the best intentions. As things progressed though, it seemed to shift to stubborness and, more recently, vindictiveness. That saga does not look to be over but it's the topic for another day.

The NBL is not responsible for the mismanagement of the club, but it did occur on its watch. It was no huge secret, this publication copped it's fair share of blow back for reporting it along the way.

In 2018, a year in which the club lost more than a $1 million according to the administrator's report, Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger told The Mercury:

"Simon and the team had to approach us for consent for the change of control when James left the ownership group. We don't give consent willynilly, we do the analysis of the business and make sure the club is going to be viable after the proposed change.

"We made the concerted decision they were the right people for the job. If we thought they weren't, they wouldn't be participating in the 18-19 season."

In fairness, Loeliger was stepping up in the face of stone-cold silence from the club itself on the issue of its future. The full situation has since been laid bare.

There's little wonder, given that fact, that Stratford's attempts to sell the club were futile. No one with the financial means to buy a professional sporting club got there by taking on other people's debts.

Lavalle wasn't about to do that, but he's been ready with a proposal for months. Let's remember, he's put his money where his mouth is in the past.

When Spenceley put the club into voluntary administration in 2014 it came after it lost then major sponsor Wollongong Coal. Without finding another, the club would've folded.

Lavalle came to the party then, with his company Multi Civil and Rail coming on board as major sponsor. The club wouldn't still be here without it.

Given the extent of financial mismanagement that's been revealed this week it's understandable that, if he's going to keep sinking money into the club, he reasonably wants a say in where, how and why it's spent.

It's compelling enough before you add the LaMelo Ball factor and its links to the US and NBA. We've said often in these pages, Ball's stint in Wollongong did not translate to on-court success.

There were a myriad of reasons, but a 5-23 season would point to that fact. Call it a failure and the NBL's response was emphatic - "he put the Hawks on the map."

Well, here he is willing to keep them on the map. Why the hold-up? It was happy to have him pump up the league's tyres, now the Hawks' need air and the league is reticent?

One reason could be that, as he's no longer an NBL Next Star, the league couldn't control the narrative. It's a point not lost on the Ball camp.

And, look, all of the above simply outlines what makes the Lavalle-Ball bid so appealing. If there's a more compelling bid, one that's upped the ante on the price, then by all means show us - but it would have to be very compelling.

It's very hard to pin down who the "multiple parties" interested in the license are. This column is only aware of a West Australian group that was interested in, more than committed to, a bid.

It's hard to see how pay cuts, no confirmed schedule for a season that may or may not play out in front of crowds, could presently increase the value of an NBL license.

A cynic might point out that the apparent rise in price has come at a time the NBL has committed to paying the entitlements owed to Hawks players by the previous club ownership.

It's not simply to put the NBL on blast. Without the goodwill and behind the scenes efforts and cash injections from the current league management the club probably would not be here.

Let's face it, the Hawks and its future is the league's most perennial headache, but these latest developments are just difficult to fathom. Difficult at a time where Free Agency loom and the club remains with an owner, coach or single player signed.

Game On can speak for all Hawks fans in saying: either way, just get it done.