04/25/24
September 14, 2003
Who owns pro sports? This will be serious and funny. I envision this to be a group reporting assignment, perhaps the first 20 comments list the team and the owner, how much they control, their level of involvement, how long they've been owner, is this their main job, any inside dirt, etc. (Corroborating links are important.) Then the comments following will analyze any patterns we see. I'll start with the sport closest to my heart: Soccer. Specifically, the English Premier League. Who owns each EPL team? What do they do? Are they a family that has controlled the team over several generations? Or is it one man, a mysterious Russian billionaire and politician? Or a Venezuelan oil and Coca-Cola tycoon? Or a trio of porn barons? Shall we begin? [Next up: NFL, MLB, NHL, etc. Take it and run!]
posted by worldcup2002 to soccer at 05:59 PM - 13 comments
Teacher, teacher, Fooker is pulling my underwear!!!
posted by billsaysthis at 06:25 PM on September 14, 2003
Hey, maybe Ossian Shine and bill could do a joint report ... Hahahahahahahaha.
posted by worldcup2002 at 06:34 PM on September 14, 2003
I know nothing of this sport of which you speak, comrade, but when you get to the "Big Four" I'll dive in headfirst.
posted by vito90 at 09:03 AM on September 15, 2003
Whats that bill?
posted by StarFucker at 09:15 AM on September 15, 2003
So why can Chelsea go after Adu, but Spurs can't sign Convey? Adu hasn't ever played for the US national team. Is it the age thing, where Adu can join a juniors team and then be promoted in a couple of years?
posted by mbd1 at 09:50 AM on September 15, 2003
Alls I know is that the devil incarnate owns the Cowboys. And Mark Cuban, who owns the Mavs, has the worst case of helmet hair since the Kaiser.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:09 AM on September 15, 2003
Hey, Ufez, Al Davis owns the Raiders, not the 'Boys. Chris Cohan is the Invisible Man, whose cousin owns the 49ers. Sharks just got a change but the point person is Jameson and we'll have to see if his big shakeup of the last half year will get us back in the playoffs. SF: It was a JOKE. Can you remember when you were seven?
posted by billsaysthis at 11:29 AM on September 15, 2003
mbd1: Chelsea can go after Adu, because he probably won't need a work permit for another three years. He'll be going to the academy at Chelsea and playing in schoolboy games during that time. He's already an international for the U-17 US team, so I'm sure he'll meet the national team requirement if they need it.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:30 AM on September 15, 2003
Adu isn't playing for them yet...he is just under contract in case they DO want to play him. He'll probably train in their camp or school or whatever they have.
posted by StarFucker at 11:31 AM on September 15, 2003
Helmet football and basketball junkies, start your own threads! ;-) I would be interested to see how the US pro sports ownership is really set up. Remember the Yankees-Man U marketing line-up? I'd like to understand who were the guys shaking hands on that deal.
posted by worldcup2002 at 11:32 AM on September 15, 2003
Excellent article on the potential takeover interest in United also lists the big owners: Irish horse racing tycoons Magnier and McManus (largest Man U shareholders with 11.4% stake), their buddy and Celtic owner Desmond (2%), and Scottish mining millionaire Dobson (6.5%). The article also points out that Abramovich isn't the first foreign owner (and he won't be the last): There's Fulham's Egyptian owner al-Fayed (Harrod's owner and father of the late Princess Di's boyfriend, who also died in that car accident), and Portsmouth's Serb papa Mandaric.
posted by worldcup2002 at 12:41 PM on September 15, 2003
Hmmm who was shaking hands on the ManU Yankees deal. I'm not sure all the way around, but I know at least one of them was the devil.
posted by trox at 03:39 PM on September 15, 2003
My interest was piqued by Russian billionaire and politician Roman Abramovich's purchase of the London club, Chelsea this summer and the ripples he has made. The subsequent outlay of over 100 million pounds (pocket change to the man) on player transfers in the past three months alone was just the beginning of a reported 300 million-pound war chest. Then, this week, he captured Man Utd CEO Peter Kenyon. And now it looks like he's offering 3 million pounds for 14-yr-old Ghanaian-American Freddie Adu, trumping Man Utd's earlier interest. In the space of three months, Chelsea has been transformed from a team that qualified for the last Champions League spot on the last day of the season (at the expense of my Liverpool) to the Real Madrid of England (at least in terms of player price and money spent). Having played one game fewer than most of the League, they are one win away from sharing top spot with Arsenal (their London rivals, who are severely cash-strapped for team improvements due to investments in a new stadium); a five-goal win margin would move them to the top on goal difference. Will Abramovich's wealth consume all? Furthermore, this week, there were reports on interest from Venezuelan billionaire Cisneros (as well as another anonymous South American group) in Aston Villa. Or were they really looking to buy Man Utd? What I'd like to know is who are the men and women behind the curtain? Are there owners who are local? Are there owners who really support the team because they love it? Who's next?