Getty Image / Frazer Harrison
Honestly, this makes perfect sense. I can see it. Two iconic New Yorkers who have been A-List celebrities for decades coming together late in life to energize the city by buying the beleaguered New York Mets and turning the franchise around.
A-Rod has mentioned in the past that he’d jump at the chance. As a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in March he dropped “I will say this, if the opportunity (to buy the Mets) came up, I would certainly look at it,” and it appears as if that opportunity might be coming to fruition because there are reports he and J-Lo have retained a top-tier investment banker to raise capital for a purchase of the Mets.
Somehow every sports media outlet in the world was snaked by Variety with this news:
Retired baseball star Alex Rodriguez and his fiancé, recording artist and actor Jennifer Lopez, have retained JPMorgan Chase to raise capital for a possible bid on the New York Mets, people familiar with the matter said.
The superstar couple is working with managing director Eric Menell, the bank’s co-head of North American media investment banking, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the matter is private. Menell didn’t respond to several requests seeking comment.
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It isn’t uncommon for an athlete, entertainer or celebrity to hold a limited position in a professional sports team. A-Rod’s former teammate, Derek Jeter, for instance, is a part owner of baseball’s Miami Marlins. The team’s managing partner is venture capitalist Bruce Sherman, while Jeter, who owns about 4% of the club, runs business and baseball operations. Jeter contributed about $25 million to the purchase of the team, which was sold for $1.2 billion. (via Variety)
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have a combined net worth of around $700 million which is a metric ass ton of cash but the Wilpons have run the Mets into the ground and the team LOSES $50 million a year despite calling New York City home and being one of the most beloved franchises in baseball.
As I said before, I can see this happening. Not that it means anything, but I can visualize this being a great fit for the city of New York.
For more on this, you can click here to head on over to Variety.