It's Time To Be Thankful..........For The Bidwill's?

Not very many people realize but the Arizona Cardinals are the oldest franchise in football.  They originated in 1898 as the Morgan Athletic Club.  In 1920 they were one of four teams to start the NFL.  The Cardinals have been owned by the same family since 1932, the Bidwill's.  Only the New York Giant's and the Chicago Bears have been owned by the same family longer.  The team has been in Chicago, St. Luis and now here in Arizona.  While researching I found out a few interesting things.  Violet Bidwill had her business partner run the team after her husband Charles died.  She then got remarried to a St. Luis business man and moved the team there 11 years later.  Strange coincidence don't you think?  Her sons Charles Jr. and Bill then took ownership over when their mother died.  Charles sold his portion to Bill and he has been sole owner ever since.
While being the owner for 61 years Bill has taken a beating from the media, and for the most part it is pretty much well deserved.  The Bidwill's have been known for being cheap.  Bill moved the team from St. Luis and promised fans that he would lobby for St. Louis to get a franchise team.  When the vote came around he voted for the team to be given to Jacksonville.  This put a sour taste in a lot of St. Louis fans mouths.  Until recently the Bidwill's would not open up their wallets for any players.
Another thing most people don't know about the cardinal's is that Bill doesn't run the everyday operations of the Cardinals anymore.  His sons Michael and Bill Jr. run the team on an every day basis.  This brings me to my point.  Yes the Bidwill's are not the best owners in the NFL, they may not even be in the top 10 but they have managed to keep the Cardinals profitable for over 60 years.  If you ask me that's pretty good ownership.  The Bidwill's do what owners should do, the paperwork.  They handle all business side of football and let the players play and the coaches coach.  For those of you who still don't see my point it could be a whole lot worse.  Arizona could have owners that want to be in the spotlight and use favoritism to get focus on their team.  These owners would rather be in the headlines then have a winning team.  So Cardinal fans be thankful for the Bidwill's because it could be Jerry Jones or Daniel Snyder!