May 2, 2024
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    Celebrity owners of MLS: Mahomes, Ferrell, McConaughey and all the well-known investors of the MLS

    ocbnews017 mins

    Major League Soccer’s growth over the past decade has caught the attention of some of the country’s most famous – and wealthiest – celebrities.

    With the league expanding to include 32 teams, with Charlotte Football Club becoming the latest club to add its name to the rankings, there is plenty of room for famous athletes, actors, singers and other celebrities to invest in the league.

    While the addition of star names to property groups presents a clear strategy by the league to increase its visibility in new markets or introduce the club’s name into its city’s sporting landscape, it is also a real sign of growth. Celebrities wouldn’t invest their money in a league at this level without believing in the business model and anticipating growth over the years.

    As such, the league has attracted celebrities from all walks of life as it continues to build on its success year after year.

    MORE: MLS standings, schedule and results for the 2022 regular season

    Austin FC – Matthew McConaughey

    Austin Football Club was founded in 2018 and joined Major League Soccer in 2021, and along the journey is an Academy Award-winning actor.

    Matthew McConaughey joined proprietary group Two Oak Ventures, led by Anthony Precourt, and was a regular fixture in Austin FC matches. Austin was a natural fit for McConaughey, who is also a popular Texas Longhorns fan.

    The mercurial actor is also an MLS ambassador, doing publicity tours and interviews.

    DC United – Mark Ingram

    New Orleans Saints back Mark Ingram joined the DC United ownership group in 2021, with the Washington Post reporting he took a 1% stake in the team.

    The former Heisman Cup winner stated that he met majority owners Jason Levian and Stephen Kaplan while playing for the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.

    Ingram said he was present at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and took part in the Arsenal game in England, joining it because he “believes in the growth of football”.

    Houston Dynamo – James Harden and Oscar De La Hoya

    NBA star James Harden and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya are both part of the Houston Dynamo property group. They both also minority ownership of the Houston Dash NWSL club, which is owned by the same group.

    Harden is said to have bought $15 million in 2019 while he was still a player for the Houston Rockets. Like Ingram, Harden also spent time at the Emirates Stadium in London enjoying Arsenal’s flair.

    De la Hoya has been with the Houston property group since 2015. When the two clubs were sold to New York businessman Ted Segal in the summer of 2021, the two stayed on board during the switch.

    LAFC – Will Ferrell, Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm-Garciapara, and Nomar Garciapara

    The LAFC ownership group is perhaps the league’s most famous roster.

    Comedian Will Ferrell was the most outspoken celebrity of the bunch when it came to supporting the team, attending training, joining the broadcast booth, going to matches, and giving interviews with LAFC gear. The curly-haired Ferrell famously gave a bizarre interview to ESPN in 2020 at the end of the first half of an MLS game is a comeback between LAFC and rival LA Galaxy where he claimed to wear his Talladega Nights helmet as a lucky charm during LAFC matches.

    Magic Johnson joins Ferrell on the property set, along with USWNT legend Mia Hamm-Garciaparra and ex-husband Nomar Garciaparra. While Nomar rose to fame during his long stint with the Boston Red Sox, he played for the Dodgers from 2006 to 2008 and resides in Los Angeles, doing radio work for the team for a number of years.

    Inter Miami – David Beckham

    One of MLS’ most famous celebrity owners, David Beckham, whose rollercoaster ride in charge of Inter Miami has been a very public epic with plenty of twists and turns.

    Beckham, one of the biggest and most visible players in MLS history as a midfielder for the LA Galaxy from 2007 to 2012, found himself in charge of the expansion club thanks to a clause in his contract while with the Galaxy that gave him an option. To buy a team expansion for $25 million.

    The former England captain exercised this option in 2014, and the club began playing in 2020 after numerous delays. The journey toward securing a soccer field in Miami has been rocky, but the saga has taken a positive turn recently by agreeing to a 99-year lease on the Freedom Park site, with an expected opening date of 2025.

    Nashville SC – Derek Henry, Reese Witherspoon

    Ahead of the opening of its new GEODIS Park dedicated soccer stadium in Nashville, the club announced the addition of the Tennessee Titans running Derek Henry and actress Reese Witherspoon as part of the property group.

    Both have deep ties to the city. Henry has been a Titan throughout his NFL career, being drafted in 2016 to the second round of Alabama State. He is the fourth NFL player to join the MLS ownership group, according to the club’s announcement.

    Witherspoon was born in Louisiana, but attended high school in Nashville. Her mother was a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University. Witherspoon’s husband, former tech investor and talent agent Jim Toth, joined the property group as part of the announcement.

    Philadelphia Union – Kevin Durant

    In June 2020, the Philadelphia Association announced that NBA star Kevin Durant had joined the property group as an investor, buying a 5% stake in the club with the option to add another 5% in the future.

    Durant’s investment in Union is an odd one given he has few, if any, connections to the city. Durant is from Washington, D.C., played high school basketball in Virginia and Maryland, attended the University of Texas, and played for the NBA franchises in Seattle, Oakland, and Brooklyn.

    The 33-year-old confirmed to ESPN that he tried to take an ownership stake in DC United, his hometown team, but those negotiations were not enough.

    “[The Union]they broke down everything, from what they wanted to do in the community, to the campus they wanted to build in Chester, how they wanted to impact the youth leagues more, and put it all back into a predominantly black community when the investment was announced, Durant told ESPN. “It was logical.”

    “The partnership between Kevin and Philadelphia Union is based on a set of shared values ​​and philosophies,” said Jay Sugarman, principal owner of the union when announcing Durant’s investment. “We want to be known as the creators of our league and a team that is never satisfied with the status quo. Kevin brings us unique perspectives as a person, as a champion and as a sports icon.”

    Sporting KC – Patrick Mahomes

    In July of 2021, Sporting KC announced that Kansas City captain Patrick Mahomes had joined the ownership group, taking a 1% stake in the club.

    Mahomes has been in Kansas City his entire professional career, being drafted by the Chiefs in 2017 from Texas Tech and developing into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Mahomes brought the Super Bowl to town in 2020, winning the Super Bowl LIV over the San Francisco 49ers.

    The Mahomes also has a connection to the city’s MLB franchise, the Kansas City Royals, buying a 1% stake in the team a year ago, in July of 2020. Mahomes’ interest in baseball makes sense, as his father played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball.

    His fiancée, Brittany Matthews, is co-owner of the NWSL club in the city, Kansas City Current. Proprietorship Group Leads $70 Million Construction Cost soccer field for the club.

    Seattle Sounders – Drew Carey, Ciara, Russell Wilson, Macklemore and Ken Griffey Jr.

    Like LAFC, the Seattle Sounders’ royal collection is brimming with celebrities, from athletes to singers to actors.

    Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara were one of 11 families invested in the Joe Roth purchase in August 2019. Wilson’s contacts were certainly helpful in getting his former Seahawks teammate Marshawn Lynch to star in the team hype video before CONCACAF Champions League Final.

    Macklemore, a Seattle-born rapper, was part of the 2019 investment group and later joined Lynch to buy a stake in the Seattle Kraken’s NHL franchise in April 2022.

    Another Seattle sports legend, Ken Grevey Jr. joined the property group a year later, as he and wife Melissa became an investor in November, 2020. The former Mariners star and MLB Hall of Famer is one of the most recognizable names and personalities in the history of Seattle sports.

    Actor and host Drew Carey has been involved in sports over the years and is a fan of Cleveland’s perks as a Cleveland native. Curry was a partial owner of the club in the previous group, led by Joe Roth, and maintained ownership during the transition period. Curry was a contestant on Season 3 of The Masked Singer, and when it was revealed early in the season, he noticed that his reference to Seattle was an indication of his ownership of the Sounders.

    Vancouver Whitecaps – Stephen Nash

    While many of the individuals on this list decided to buy into the MLS franchise later, thanks to the league’s growth both financially and clearly, Nash has been around from the start.

    The 48-year-old Canadian is a co-owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps and has been since his MLS debut in 2011. He occasionally attends practice and games, and has even taken up one-day practice in 2020.

    Nash’s younger brother Martin played for the Whitecaps from 2004-2010 while the team was still a member of USL-1, making 30 appearances for the Canadian national team as well.

    I was born in 1974 [the same year the club was founded], said Nash during a club event in 2017. Originated from a Whitecaps fan. I still have a picture, somewhere in my mom and dad’s house, getting an autograph of Carl Valentine. My brother won championships here with Whitecaps. So he was a big part of our family.”

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