# Would you ever want to purchase a sports club? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 15, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682 "2020-06-15T03:50:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/1 "2020-06-15T03:50:33Z")
Imagine you being the owner, or president of a sports club. You have your own office. You issue orders, etc, sign free agents, etc. Would you? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/2 "2020-06-15T03:58:51Z")
Sure why not? You run the team for a decade or so, maybe you win something, maybe not, then you sell it for ten times what you paid. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/3 "2020-06-15T04:00:13Z")
It would be the thing I would like to do most in the world. But probably baseball only. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/4 "2020-06-15T04:11:42Z")
sort of ive always wanted to run my own pro wrestling federation i even have the way to make it well known if not popular … all I’ve ever needed was the money … and it wouldn’t take as much as you think for the way I’m gonna get tv time ---
**Author:** ![Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/5 "2020-06-15T04:13:20Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It would be the thing I would like to do most in the world. But probably baseball only. Would you be a hands-on, meddling owner like Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner, or like Robert Kraft and let the coach coach? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/6 "2020-06-15T11:05:48Z")
It seems like an excellent way to make a small fortune, having started with a far bigger one. Maybe it’s different in the US, certainly the sporting financial structures are very different, but for premiership football in the UK it’s a giant bunfight between billionaires heaving cash around like confetti. Reasonably corrupt, as well, compared to the US. At least at the top end - one could buy a small club in the fourth tier, say, and enjoy things on a smaller scale. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/7 "2020-06-15T14:20:23Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > It seems like an excellent way to make a small fortune, having started with a far bigger one. > > Maybe it’s different in the US Absolutely its different here. There is so much money to be made in the big sports that investment groups like [Guggenheim Partners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guggenheim_Partners) (thought they don’t own the team directly) have diversified into sports ownership. The average MLB team had revenue exceeding $350mm and the league was thought to have $1-2B in profit last year not including growth in the value of the brands which has been about 11% on average for the last 30 years. Even aside from the money end I would love to own an NFL or MLB team though MLB NL-west would be preferable and I can’t imagine anything better than owning the Dodgers. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/8 "2020-06-15T14:29:54Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Would you be a hands-on, meddling owner like Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner, or like Robert Kraft and let the coach coach? nm. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/9 "2020-06-15T14:30:11Z")
Sure, I’ve wanted to start up a new soccer and baseball team (if I ever suddenly became super rich first, though, of course) ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/10 "2020-06-15T14:58:32Z")
I’d rather sports clubs be owned by the team’s fans. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/11 "2020-06-15T15:36:10Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Imagine you being the owner, or president of a sports club. > > You have your own office. You issue orders, etc, sign free agents, etc. > > Would you? Depends. Instead of what? And under what circumstances? If I was wealthy enough to purchase a MLB team, would I? Depends on how much of my wealth it would tie up. It wouldn’t be the only thing I’d want to do with my money. If I were as rich as Bezos, then yes, in a heartbeat. But if I’m only just barely rich enough to swing a deal to buy a team, then no. Or if this is, _poof!_ the MLB Fairy bestows a MLB team on you, and you don’t have to do anything to make it happen, but otherwise your assets are exactly the same as they were a moment ago, then sure, I’d do that. And then turn around and sell it, because I’d rather have the money. But if the MLB Fairy bestows a fortune on me, and the full ownership of the MLB team is merely 1/10 of that fortune, then I’d keep the team. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/12 "2020-06-15T15:53:01Z")
Elaborating more on the first post, I’ve given this thought considerable thought for a year or two, actually, before the OP made this thread: The teams I’d start would be in the [CPBL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Professional_Baseball_League) and [TFPL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwan_Football_Premier_League). Assuming there was the money… I’d start a CPBL team on the east coast, since that is the main region that remains bereft of a baseball team. I would either buy [this stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hualien_Baseball_Stadium) and renovate it, or build a new one from scratch (but it would have to be hurricane-proof.) New team would be theme-named after some marine animal, maybe dolphins. Players would be paid over 2x the league average, since the league suffers from low player salary; ditto for all other team employees as well. Furthermore, the team would hold all home games at this home venue, rather than traveling throughout the nation with “home” games as other teams do. For TFPL…I’d start up a team in the capitol city and follow most of the same model as listed above with the CPBL team, trying absolute best to boost fan attendance since only dozens typically attended each game at most last year or last-last year. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/13 "2020-06-15T16:35:40Z")
In theory, sure. Depends on the team though. In the last 30-40 years sports teams in North America have been sensational investments, but there is no guarantee this will continue indefinitely. Actually, it CAN’T continue indefinitely. The average MLB team is four times as valuable as it was just 15 years ago. That cannot continue forever. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/14 "2020-06-15T17:03:29Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In theory, sure. Depends on the team though. > > In the last 30-40 years sports teams in North America have been sensational investments, but there is no guarantee this will continue indefinitely. Actually, it CAN’T continue indefinitely. The average MLB team is four times as valuable as it was just 15 years ago. That cannot continue forever. Any idea to what extent the increase in value is due to their revenue growth, and how much it’s just more billionaires who want a cool toy to play with? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/15 "2020-06-15T17:10:05Z")
> [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](#): > > Would you be a hands-on, meddling owner like Jerry Jones or George Steinbrenner, or like Robert Kraft and let the coach coach? I would rule with an iron fist but from the shadows. ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/16 "2020-06-15T17:11:01Z")
I would love to be rich enough that purchasing a sports franchise was an option. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/17 "2020-06-15T17:54:13Z")
You know when Pink Floyd says “think I’ll buy me a football team”? Yeah, that would be me, except it would be baseball. A big part of the appeal, other than inviting my friends to the owner’s box, would be attending the owner meetings and actually _having a voice_ in how baseball is run, although I’m sure I’d rapidly conclude that the other owners were doofuses. (I think most owners think that about most other owners.) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/18 "2020-06-15T17:58:19Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Any idea to what extent the increase in value is due to their revenue growth, and how much it’s just more billionaires who want a cool toy to play with? It’s a very limited resource. I doubt that they care so much about making a medium term profit. Sports team owners are famous. Fame/notoriety is one of my nightmares plus I would have no idea what the hell I would be doing. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/19 "2020-06-15T19:35:29Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > You know when Pink Floyd says “think I’ll buy me a football team”? Yeah, that would be me, except it would be baseball. > > A big part of the appeal, other than inviting my friends to the owner’s box, would be attending the owner meetings and actually _having a voice_ in how baseball is run, although I’m sure I’d rapidly conclude that the other owners were doofuses. (I think most owners think that about most other owners.) I don’t know about baseball, but if you were a football owner, you’d be right at least once. [Mark Davis of the Oakland Raiders.](https://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/upi/4581522196185/2018/1/975890f430cf94b34f82268c7eb84256/Owners-approve-Mark-Davis-Oakland-Raiders-stadium-plan-for-Las-Vegas.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682/20 "2020-06-15T20:46:07Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Any idea to what extent the increase in value is due to their revenue growth, and how much it’s just more billionaires who want a cool toy to play with? MLB revenue has tripled in the same period of time, and profits likely far more so. It doesn’t really matter why values have gone up. They obviously cannot double every seven or eight years forever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-ever-want-to-purchase-a-sports-club/855682.md?page=2)