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      NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC

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      Tayls
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27278: Mar 16, 2021 10:06:43 pm
      Lebron was already a minority stakeholder in FSG. So he's buying into a bigger share now?

      To be specific I think he had a 2% share in Liverpool, not FSG. The total amount of shares he's now buying in FSG is undisclosed but it sounds like a fairly sizeable chunk if he's being described as a part owner.
      AussieRed
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27279: Mar 16, 2021 10:56:52 pm
      Lebron was already a minority stakeholder in FSG. So he's buying into a bigger share now?

      Brilliant, hope he wants Haaland and Mbappe as much as I do  ;D
      Benito
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27280: Mar 17, 2021 12:33:30 am
      Fenway Sports Group adds LeBron James as partner, approves deal to jump-start plan to acquire more teams
      https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/16/sports/fenway-sports-group-adds-lebron-james-partner-approves-deal-jump-start-plan-acquire-more-teams/

      Fenway Sports Group’s growth ambitions received a double dose of hopeful news Tuesday.

      The parent company of the Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club approved a $750 million private investment that would make RedBird Capital Partners its third-largest partner, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. It also helps launch FSG’s efforts to acquire more teams.

      The deal is contingent on Major League Baseball’s approval, which could take several weeks, the source said.

      The other development introduced another new FSG partner who needs no introduction: LeBron James.

      James, one of the most recognizable, influential, and richest athletes on the global stage, now owns an undisclosed amount of FSG shares after previously holding an approximately 2 percent share of the Liverpool soccer franchise since 2011.

      By becoming a partner in FSG, the Los Angeles Lakers star also will become a part-owner of the Red Sox as well as other FSG subsidiaries, including NESN, Roush Fenway Racing, and Fenway Sports Management.

      James’s potential to enhance the brand value of FSG properties is significant, and even more so given that RedBird’s investment will help give FSG the spending power it needs to expand its portfolio and begin adding to its list of properties.

      Also joining James as a new FSG partner is Maverick Carter, James’s longtime business partner and friend. Carter and James become the first Black partners in FSG’s history.

      On FSG’s shopping wish list are NFL and NBA franchises, another European soccer club, NHL, MLS, WNBA, and NWSL teams, plus sports betting, esports, and data analytics companies.

      The RedBird cash infusion will give the New York-based firm an 11 percent stake of FSG, which will have an enterprise value of approximately $7.35 billion. FSG will have $600 million-$700 million in debt, with more than $600 million cash going out to existing partners.

      FSG principal owner John Henry (who also owns the Boston Globe) will retain control of the Boston-based sports conglomerate, with governance remaining unchanged among FSG chairman Tom Werner and FSG president Michael Gordon. Werner’s FSG stake remains second-largest, while Gordon’s shares will drop to fourth.

      FSM, the consulting and marketing arm of FSG, has worked with James for more than a decade on assorted marketing and endorsement ventures.

      Much of the RedBird Capital Partners investment will be earmarked for FSM, the latest signal that James is about to play a more prominent role in FSG operations. In the fall of 2019, FSG successfully switched Liverpool’s uniform sponsorship to Nike after ending a long relationship with Boston-based New Balance shoe and apparel company.

      James is a Nike client and in 2015 inked a lifetime deal with the world’s leading shoe and sports apparel company believed to be in excess of $1 billion.

      In the past year, FSG received an undisclosed investment from one of its newer partners, the Dallas-based Arctos Sports Partners.

      According to the source, FSG views the RedBird investment as a first step in its pursuit of new acquisitions and partnerships.

      Forbes’s most recent valuation of FSG placed it at $6.6 billion, good for a fourth-place spot on the sports empire list, one spot ahead of the Yankees’ parent company ($6.4 billion). At that valuation, FSG was behind Jerry Jones’s holdings (Dallas Cowboys plus real estate, hospitality service, esports) worth $6.98 billion, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment ($8.73 billion), owner of the Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal FC (Premier League), Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche, and Liberty Media ($13 billion), owner of Formula 1, Atlanta Braves, and the Drone Racing League.

      FSG, then known as New England Sports Ventures, started with its $700 million purchase of the Red Sox in 2002. Forbes last valued the Red Sox at $3.3 billion.

      FSG’s second significant splash came in 2010, when it snatched up Liverpool for $493 million soon after a global recession had left its previous owners cash-strapped.

      KPMG recently valued Liverpool at $2.6 billion, which would mean James’s reported initial 2 percent investment of $6.5 million has grown to some $52 million.

      RedBird Capital is led by investor Gerry Cardinale.

      Last fall, Cardinale and Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s executive of “Moneyball” fame, launched RedBall Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company that seeks a company to invest in and take public, that reportedly had its eyes on a $1.5 billion investment in FSG that would have taken FSG public at a valuation worth more than $8 billion.

      The RedBall-FSG public-company gambit did not work out after FSG decided to remain a private company when the SPAC met price resistance from public investors.

      Still of the belief that they shared similar visions of growth opportunities in the sports industry, FSG and Cardinale, who also sits on the boards of both the Yankees’ parent company and their YES network, switched to a private tack that led to the current investment.

      According to SEC filings last year, one of Fenway Sports Group’s limited partners, Seth Klarman, and his Baupost Group hedge fund recently invested $52 million in RedBall.

      Last July, Cardinale and RedBird purchased 85 percent of the French second-division Toulouse FC soccer team. Cardinale has spoken since of the multiple investment opportunities to be found in European soccer leagues.
      CT_LFC
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27281: Mar 17, 2021 01:39:15 am
      From 700M to >7B in just shy of 20 years. Incredible stuff.
      ruthcity
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27282: Mar 18, 2021 11:34:07 am
      Fenway Sports Group adds LeBron James as partner, approves deal to jump-start plan to acquire more teams
      https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/16/sports/fenway-sports-group-adds-lebron-james-partner-approves-deal-jump-start-plan-acquire-more-teams/

      Fenway Sports Group’s growth ambitions received a double dose of hopeful news Tuesday.

      The parent company of the Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club approved a $750 million private investment that would make RedBird Capital Partners its third-largest partner, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. It also helps launch FSG’s efforts to acquire more teams.

      The deal is contingent on Major League Baseball’s approval, which could take several weeks, the source said.

      The other development introduced another new FSG partner who needs no introduction: LeBron James.

      James, one of the most recognizable, influential, and richest athletes on the global stage, now owns an undisclosed amount of FSG shares after previously holding an approximately 2 percent share of the Liverpool soccer franchise since 2011.

      By becoming a partner in FSG, the Los Angeles Lakers star also will become a part-owner of the Red Sox as well as other FSG subsidiaries, including NESN, Roush Fenway Racing, and Fenway Sports Management.

      James’s potential to enhance the brand value of FSG properties is significant, and even more so given that RedBird’s investment will help give FSG the spending power it needs to expand its portfolio and begin adding to its list of properties.

      Also joining James as a new FSG partner is Maverick Carter, James’s longtime business partner and friend. Carter and James become the first Black partners in FSG’s history.

      On FSG’s shopping wish list are NFL and NBA franchises, another European soccer club, NHL, MLS, WNBA, and NWSL teams, plus sports betting, esports, and data analytics companies.

      The RedBird cash infusion will give the New York-based firm an 11 percent stake of FSG, which will have an enterprise value of approximately $7.35 billion. FSG will have $600 million-$700 million in debt, with more than $600 million cash going out to existing partners.

      FSG principal owner John Henry (who also owns the Boston Globe) will retain control of the Boston-based sports conglomerate, with governance remaining unchanged among FSG chairman Tom Werner and FSG president Michael Gordon. Werner’s FSG stake remains second-largest, while Gordon’s shares will drop to fourth.

      FSM, the consulting and marketing arm of FSG, has worked with James for more than a decade on assorted marketing and endorsement ventures.

      Much of the RedBird Capital Partners investment will be earmarked for FSM, the latest signal that James is about to play a more prominent role in FSG operations. In the fall of 2019, FSG successfully switched Liverpool’s uniform sponsorship to Nike after ending a long relationship with Boston-based New Balance shoe and apparel company.

      James is a Nike client and in 2015 inked a lifetime deal with the world’s leading shoe and sports apparel company believed to be in excess of $1 billion.

      In the past year, FSG received an undisclosed investment from one of its newer partners, the Dallas-based Arctos Sports Partners.

      According to the source, FSG views the RedBird investment as a first step in its pursuit of new acquisitions and partnerships.

      Forbes’s most recent valuation of FSG placed it at $6.6 billion, good for a fourth-place spot on the sports empire list, one spot ahead of the Yankees’ parent company ($6.4 billion). At that valuation, FSG was behind Jerry Jones’s holdings (Dallas Cowboys plus real estate, hospitality service, esports) worth $6.98 billion, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment ($8.73 billion), owner of the Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal FC (Premier League), Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche, and Liberty Media ($13 billion), owner of Formula 1, Atlanta Braves, and the Drone Racing League.

      FSG, then known as New England Sports Ventures, started with its $700 million purchase of the Red Sox in 2002. Forbes last valued the Red Sox at $3.3 billion.

      FSG’s second significant splash came in 2010, when it snatched up Liverpool for $493 million soon after a global recession had left its previous owners cash-strapped.

      KPMG recently valued Liverpool at $2.6 billion, which would mean James’s reported initial 2 percent investment of $6.5 million has grown to some $52 million.

      RedBird Capital is led by investor Gerry Cardinale.

      Last fall, Cardinale and Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s executive of “Moneyball” fame, launched RedBall Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company that seeks a company to invest in and take public, that reportedly had its eyes on a $1.5 billion investment in FSG that would have taken FSG public at a valuation worth more than $8 billion.

      The RedBall-FSG public-company gambit did not work out after FSG decided to remain a private company when the SPAC met price resistance from public investors.

      Still of the belief that they shared similar visions of growth opportunities in the sports industry, FSG and Cardinale, who also sits on the boards of both the Yankees’ parent company and their YES network, switched to a private tack that led to the current investment.

      According to SEC filings last year, one of Fenway Sports Group’s limited partners, Seth Klarman, and his Baupost Group hedge fund recently invested $52 million in RedBall.

      Last July, Cardinale and RedBird purchased 85 percent of the French second-division Toulouse FC soccer team. Cardinale has spoken since of the multiple investment opportunities to be found in European soccer leagues.

      Now give us more money to buy players.
      FL Red
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27283: Apr 01, 2021 06:13:02 pm
      How new Liverpool investor plans to spend cash - from transfers to Amazon analytics
      Gerry Cardinale and his RedBird Capital Partners bought an 11 per cent stake in Liverpool's owners FSG this week for ÂŁ530million

      By David Maddock Northern football correspondent
      14:57, 1 APR 2021


      There was little fanfare as the owners of Liverpool - FSG - announced a “strategic alliance” with Gerry Cardinale and his RedBird Capital Partners organisation on Wednesday.

      Behind the predictable (and depressing) business speak of “active pursuit of growth opportunities” and “strategic acquisitions in sports, including teams and venues” in a “more accelerated way”, the facts are simple enough.

      Cardinale has paid more than ÂŁ530m for a stake of slightly less than 11 per cent, valuing the overall group - which includes the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise - at around ÂŁ5.35bn.

      For the owners, Fenway, it means getting the expertise of Cardinale, who is one of America’s most successful investors in the business of sport, on board, and also a significant cash injection.

      Before fans get carried away though, that money doesn’t necessarily go straight into the business...technically it is payment to the partners of FSG, who are effectively losing a slice of their own company.

      In practice, those partners - who include principal owner John Henry and his wife Linda, chairman Tom Werner, president (and key Liverpool executive) Mike Gordon, LeBron James, Maverick Carter and former Red Sox president Larry Luchino - will use some of the cash to pay down debts, and allow their clubs to get through the financial crisis that the Covid pandemic has wreaked on sport.

      Fans though, want to know what it means for Liverpool in particular, and here, it gets interesting - and potentially exciting - for the club in the medium to long term future.

      There will be no huge cash sums invested into the club as a direct result of the sale of this stake, so while the links with Kylian Mbappe remain (and Jürgen Klopp is an obvious admirer of the France international) he will not be bought with Cardinale’s money. Not directly, anyway.

      But that doesn’t mean the American investor will have no impact. Far from it. In the statement released by FSG on Tuesday evening, there was a significant sentence, which read:


      “The partnership with RedBird will enhance the company’s ability to develop and launch new businesses modeled (on) successful growth companies built by Gerry Cardinale and RedBird.”

      Again, business speak which brings little clarity to the average fan, but what it actually means is that Cardinale will not be a silent partner with no influence over the Liverpool club he has bought into.

      FSG like what they see in Cardinale’s ambitious business plans for a sporting franchise, and intend to use his blueprint, and his knowledge, to expand significantly. And this is where it could get really exciting for Liverpool supporters.

      Most observers with an understanding of how he operates are sure Cardinale has gone into this partnership because of Liverpool, and the potential the club possesses.

      People close to the deal have suggested that not only is he aware of that potential, but that he now wants to own a prestigious European football club, and attempt to implement plans he says he has been developing over 30 years.

      There are those close to Liverpool who believe he will inevitably, one day, increase his stake in Anfield - and perhaps even become the owner of Liverpool Football Club, buying the business out of the FSG umbrella.


      The question is, if Cardinale (as he surely will) takes a hands-on role at Anfield, or indeed, becomes the owner, what will the future look like for Liverpool.

      The answers lie in some carefully placed interviews over the past 12 months, with obscure, but well respected sports business media, where he detailed his desire to become an owner.

      In a recent interview with a well regarded sports business podcast, he spoke about becoming a “rights holder” in European football, and how much that prospect excited him.

      There are less restrictions than in American sports, he explained, and owning the rights to a significant player in the global football market - the most watched sport on the planet - is a huge thing, with vast potential for still untapped profit, he said.

      But he has done his homework. He has worked for 30 years with some of the biggest “rights holders” in American sports, some of the most influential owners in the country’s sporting history.

      He knows what is successful and what isn’t. He is aware that another American, James Pallotta, bought Italian club Roma with the same idea and same plans, and merely found a yawning money pit that never brought profit. Pallotta has sold up with his tail between his legs.

      It comes as owner John Henry's Fenway Sports Group are facing issues of their own, which would impact their spending ability

      Liverpool is different though. They are a marque brand, a globally recognised name perhaps only behind Real Madrid and Manchester United, so a world player. But they don’t have the resources of those two, nor the ability to compete financially with clubs owned by nations like Manchester City and PSG.

      In several interviews over the past year, Cardinale outlined just how he would take a big player in world football and create a giant...and by then, he already had Liverpool very much in mind.

      The first thing he will do is bring his business practices to the club, so maximising profits by increasing revenue streams.

      His philosophy can be put simply - bring huge sums of money into the club, to pay the wages and transfer fees to “put the best players on the field”. But it is far more sophisticated than that, and will not rely solely on having the biggest wallet, though he knows it helps.

      He wants Liverpool to get ahead of the competition. How he will do that will revolve around two key areas: first, revolutionising the way the sport is consumed...which means the way that people, especially younger people, watch football.

      The second is to get an edge on all their rivals in finding ways to identify talent and bring it to Liverpool, without necessarily paying the superstar fees that require a risky financial commitment, like Juventus and before them Real Madrid found to such cost in recent years.


      Liverpool owners FSG 'set to sell 10 per cent stake worth ÂŁ540m' to investment firm
      Cardinale has already invested in several sports analytics businesses, and data companies, and he has a partnership with Billy Beane of Moneyball fame. He is also exploring the role data processing and computer modelling can play in sports, a so far untapped resource.

      In both these areas, he may already have a key advantage. He is a major stakeholder in the Yes group, which owns the rights to broadcast the games of the New York Yankees. And one of his partners in the business is Amazon.

      The connection is obvious, with Amazon now putting a toe in the football tv rights market. But significantly too, outside China, Amazon probably has the largest artificial intelligence capacity of any global company. And when it comes to computer modelling, they are groundbreaking.

      So we could one day soon see real time analysis of Liverpool games, identifying their strengths and the opponents weaknesses in games, with instructions passed from the analytics team to the field as the games go on.

      It doesn’t stop there either. In their statement FSG said they would use Cardinale to expand their business, and the Mirror understands they want to buy another European football club.

      Cardinale himself already owns Toulouse in France’s Ligue A, and it is likely they will form a football group with clubs around the world...and Liverpool at the summit of the pyramid.

      The advantages are obvious. Talent can be identified frighteningly early, nurtured at feeder clubs and then moved to Liverpool when ready. Eventually, if the analytics are as groundbreaking as they hope, they may never have the need to make superstar signings again.


      On the tv side, Cardinale has spoken about changing the way people, especially young people, view the sport, and he no doubt hopes Liverpool will be able to use his expertise with the Yankees to sell some of their own rights in various packages.

      The former Goldman Sachs banker has spoken of the need for the original leagues to continue to exist, for the big players to nurture the smaller clubs to allow the real competition and excitement of the underdog concept in sport.

      But he has also hinted that a European Super-League - with the teams owning their own tv rights - is likely. And if that happens, it will take those involved to another level in terms of finance.

      It is a far-reaching, ambitious and as yet untried plan. But it has been long in the making for Cardinale, who admitted recently that he has “got religion” over European football after studying it for so long.

      And he believes there is huge money to be made, once the Covid-related losses have been ridden out. In the short term, his money will allow Liverpool to do that. In the medium to long term, it will put them in a healthier position than virtually all their rivals to grasp the future of football and shape it themselves.

      And if it requires the purchase of an Mbappe, then Gerry Cardinale has indicated he is prepared to do it, if it makes complete business sense.
      what-a-hit-son
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27284: Apr 02, 2021 01:26:05 pm
      Tom Werner has been talking to The Athletic:

      Red Sox, Liverpool chairman: LeBron’s ownership stake will confront ‘complicated’ race relations in Boston, let him ‘weigh in’ on strategy at Anfield

      Joe Vardon, Simon Hughes, James Pearce

      Three-quarters of a billion dollars had just changed hands. LeBron James was officially part owner of the Boston Red Sox.

      Two global brands, the Red Sox and LeBron, formally bonded through a partnership a decade in the making.

      This is not just an American sports story; for it has massive implications in the United Kingdom. On Wednesday, RedBird Capital Partners invested $750 million into Fenway Sports Group, the controlling company of not just the Sox, but another iconic franchise, Liverpool F.C. Coinciding with that transaction, LeBron and his longtime friend and business partner, Maverick Carter, traded in their 2 percent ownership of the English football club to join the Fenway ownership group at large.

      Three hours after the deal was finalized, the chairman of both storied franchises, Tom Werner, spoke with The Athletic to discuss what it would mean to have LeBron, 36, and Carter, 41, onboard like this. At one point, Werner was asked, specifically, how Liverpool had already benefited from being associated with an NBA legend like LeBron? Unprompted, this is what Werner said:

      “We want to feel that the Red Sox are an inclusive place where everybody feels welcome. And while that may seem like an obvious notion today, the Red Sox have had a very complicated history when it comes to race relations. We work very hard to create a more diverse and inclusive organization from top to bottom. And I’m excited that LeBron and Maverick are owners of the Boston Red Sox because I believe this helps provide better representation of baseball to our fans.”

      A revealing statement by one of the majority owners of the crown-jewel of Boston, one that is indeed dotted with a checkered past of racist epithets spewed toward players at Fenway Park. The Red Sox were owned for many decades by Tom Yawkey, whose racism led to the team being the last in all of baseball to integrate — 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  LeBron James and Maverick Carter, two African-American entrepreneurs, from Akron, Ohio, will help bring the kind of inclusive atmosphere to the Sox that it has lacked in the past.

      What does that mean for Liverpool? This is a move that could change the landscape of sports in the U.S., and will certainly have an impact on Liverpool. Werner clearly thinks LeBron and Carter could transcend all of Fenway Sports Group, including the defending Premier League champs.

      Nothing will be off-limits to them.

      “I will be surprised actually if they don’t weigh in (on management decisions of either team), I would welcome their thoughts,” Werner said. “I think that the relationship that the consumer has with a sporting team is an emotional one. I consider Maverick to be one of my closest friends, and I’ve spent hours with him talking about strategy, coaching, the lessons that I’ve learned from (Liverpool manager) Jürgen Klopp, and the lessons that he’s learned as an astute observer of basketball.

      “We have a very collaborative relationship, so I would actually say that their wisdom and their experience is going to be hugely helpful to us going forward.”

      This is a transaction with many moving parts. Two teams in entirely different sports, in countries on separate continents, with two massive, global fan bases that may not have much crossover. Perhaps some Red Sox fans are wearing Liverpool Salah jerseys, unless they’re sporting a Manchester City or Chelsea shirt; Liverpool faithful don’t care about Boston ace pitcher Chris Sale’s arm injury.

      In the middle is a basketball superstar, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, chief rival to the Boston Celtics, with no real attachment to either baseball or soccer. But LeBron’s brand is global; he owns a media company, he’s a movie star and he is Nike’s primary pitchman. And he wants to own an NBA team one day. Being on the inside for two pro teams — Maverick manages every aspect of LeBron’s businesses, don’t forget — will prepare them for that.

      “I think being team owners, and now multiple team owners, is really interesting to them,” said Paul Wachter, a financial adviser to LeBron and Carter, as well as Werner, who plays a central role in all of their business deals. “LeBron has been very vocal that he wants to buy a basketball team when he retires, I think getting insight into team ownership and league rules, I think there’s learning involved. I think also they’re very aware that it’s historic for them as African-Americans and (in LeBron’s case) active athletes, they’re groundbreaking.

      “When you do things like this, new roads open up that you don’t imagine.”

      How did Werner meet LeBron, and Carter, 10 years ago?

      Werner: Paul Wachter helped engineer it. He was the person who introduced us.

      Wachter, 64, of Main Street Advisers in suburban Los Angeles, met Werner, a TV magnate and owner of the San Diego Padres, in 1993. Wachter is a financial adviser to the stars. His clients, to name a few, include Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bono.

      Wachter aided Werner in selling off his majority stakes in the Padres, and then helped Werner, along with John W. Henry, and Larry Luchinno, purchase the Red Sox in 2001 and Liverpool in 2010.

      By the time of the Liverpool purchase, Wachter had also begun advising LeBron and Carter. The two of them, along with two more of LeBron’s close friends, Rich Paul and Randy Mims, started their own marketing firm, LRMR, and Wachter arranged for Fenway to essentially buy the firm. As part of that deal, back in 2011, LeBron and Carter received a small share of Liverpool.

      “LRMR was a valuable company, it had cash flow,” Wachter said. “We negotiated a deal, we had to come up with a price, and during that process, just the idea of LeBron and Mav being a part of something like Liverpool was so unusual, and one thing the three of us has always shared — we just love doing something nobody else is doing.”

      The relationship between Werner, LeBron and Carter only strengthened. Together, they financed and produced a hit TV show, “Survivor’s Remorse.” Werner invested in two of the media companies LeBron and Carter started and now sits on the board of SpringHill Company, the umbrella organization that houses all three of LeBron and Carter’s businesses.

      “I think LeBron is a very smart investor, and I think given the opportunity to acquire equity in an enterprise rather than just be someone who is a spokesperson or who gets a high pay day for being somebody who is a sponsor, he saw that this was a long-term strategic partnership that he’d have and that he could add value to the football club,” Werner said. “And in fact, he’s done so, so I think it’s just an example of his business acumen.”

      LeBron and Carter’s original Liverpool stake was worth a reported $6.5 million, and after Liverpool won the UEFA and Premier League titles in 2019 and 2020, their stake ballooned to a reported $43 million. That’s the stake they traded back to Fenway Sports so they could become part of a broader ownership group, overseeing both franchises, in addition to Fenway’s racing team, sports TV network and real estate company.

      So, what has LeBron’s and Carter’s presence with Liverpool meant to the club over the last 10 years, and what could it bring in the future?

      Werner: Maverick and LeBron provide an intellectual perspective that’s extraordinary. The two of them, through their media company SpringHill, also have relationships that could prove helpful to FSG, from GM and Nike to Amazon and Disney. These two partners are really bright people who obviously have a deep understanding of sports and media. … Maverick is an alumnus of Nike. We have ideas that haven’t yet hit the market for a way to have LeBron be involved in products that are made by Nike for Liverpool. … I will tell you that the number of times that (Carter and I) have analyzed the knowledge and the strategy of Jürgen Klopp is hours and hours. … I know that Maverick was at the UEFA Champions League final in Kiev with me. … I know Maverick has a very good relationship with, just to be specific, Virgil van Dijk. I wouldn’t be surprised that there’s a lot of texting going back (and forth) that I’m not aware of.

      The Liverpool hierarchy has long been keen to strengthen its ties with LeBron in the knowledge that his immense global appeal can help reach new audiences, especially in the Far East.

      When Liverpool won a legal battle with New Balance in October 2019 over the right to enter into a new kit deal (for American fans, this means a uniform sponsorship) with Nike, LeBron’s name was cited in the ruling. LeBron, Carter and Wachter played a sizable role in getting the deal done.

      New Balance’s claims that it had matched its competitor’s offer was thrown out on the basis that it couldn’t offer “three non-football global superstar athletes and influencers of the calibre of ” LeBron, tennis legend Serena Williams and the musician Drake.

      The global pandemic has so far prevented Liverpool from really capitalizing on the five-year Nike deal. They accepted a lower base fee of ÂŁ30 million per season ($41.5 million, U.S.) as they felt that 20 percent royalties on all net sales of merchandise (5 percent for footwear) would be more lucrative.

      In terms of running football club operations, not much will change at Liverpool. New investment does not mean the club is suddenly awash with cash designated for major transfers. The strategy will remain exactly the same with all revenues being pumped back into the club.

      While Henry remains the principal owner of Liverpool, Werner has the second-highest number of shares. RedBird’s investment means it now has the third-biggest stake in the club, ahead of Mike Gordon — who effectively serves as Liverpool’s general manager.

      Neither LeBron nor Carter will suddenly be providing input on the balance of Klopp’s midfield or who should be targeted as Georginio Wijnaldum’s replacement this summer. But they will have a significant role in the direction of the club’s commercial strategy, and their contacts will at some point benefit recruitment — which impacts on-pitch strategy.

      So, how about the Red Sox? What kind of impact can LeBron, a basketball player, and Carter make there?

      Werner: Nike obviously has an important relationship in baseball. I don’t want to be too specific about some of our ideas, but they’re already in my mind very exciting. … It’s no secret that the relationship between baseball players and owners is somewhat fractious. I think that Maverick has some thoughts on that.

      LeBron stopped playing American football in high school, and yet his signature Nike brand includes cleats (boots, in the U.K.) and other gear for multiple programs, including Ohio State University, a Nike school. It’s easy to imagine some sort of foray into baseball gear (Michael Jordan’s brand, under the Nike umbrella, makes baseball and golf equipment, shoes and apparel), given LeBron’s relationship with the company and Nike’s role as uniform provider for Major League Baseball.

      The current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players’ union expires in December, and as Werner said, relations between the two sides are terrible. There is relative peace between NBA owners and the players’ union, of which LeBron is a vice president. Carter, as his chief adviser and someone who is friendly with numerous NBA owners, and many of the players, could indeed have some suggestions to help smooth over relations.

      Baseball players from opposing teams have reported for years being called racial slurs by Boston fans. In 2019, there were at least seven reported incidents of racial slurs toward players at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox acknowledged it in a tweet.


      Adding two African-Americans to the ownership group is in many ways a significant culture shift in Boston. Whether or not it brings more fans to the Red Sox is another matter.

      LeBron has not been kind to the city’s beloved basketball team, the Celtics, on the court. Dating to his days on the Miami Heat, his teams have routinely bounced the Celtics from the NBA playoffs, usually behind historic individual games from LeBron. He and Carter may represent the change the Sox seek, but it’s yet to be seen if LeBron can generate any added warmth toward the ball club.

      What does this mean for LeBron’s desire to own an NBA team, or for Fenway’s desire to own one?

      Werner: It’s no secret that we’re interested in acquiring other assets, perhaps an NBA team or an NHL team, a team in a different league, so of course they’re going to be helpful in our thinking as we think through these things. … We certainly look forward to conversations with them, but look, LeBron can find any number of different partners who would be thrilled to partner with him.

      Two years ago, LeBron told The Athletic: “Ain’t no maybe about it, I’m going to do that sh*t,” when it comes to NBA ownership. In the same story, Wachter helped outline precisely how he would do it. The key was assembling partners.

      Fenway Sports Group surely counts. As does RedBird, which also wants in on an NBA team. But LeBron cannot own an NBA team until he retires, and, despite this being his 18th season, he has no immediate plans to step away from the Lakers, whom he led to an NBA championship last season. He just signed a contract extension that would keep him on the Lakers through the 2022-23 season.

      It’s opening week in baseball, and the Red Sox’s opener (postponed Thursday) is Friday. So we’ll see about them. Liverpool, meanwhile, is struggling this season. There have been injuries and also an inactive period during the transfer window. As chairman, what do you think of Liverpool’s season?

      Werner: I would say we’ve certainly not exceeded expectations this year. I would have three comments. One is that in my experience, it is extremely hard to be a repeat champion, no matter what the sport. You climb Mount Everest and you get to the top, and then somebody says ‘you have to do it again.’ And so it’s challenging under the best of circumstances. Secondly, I think that, I don’t want to make excuses, but I do think this pandemic has affected Liverpool and the Red Sox in the way that these are very loyal and supportive fan bases, and people used to think that it would be very difficult to win a football match an Anfield, because it’s a fortress. And this year we’ve seen a number of matches that Liverpool has not played up to its capability, and I think a lot of that is the absence of our loyal supporters. So, I think the pandemic has perhaps affected us a little bit more, but I also don’t want to make excuses. Injuries are the third point. And again, that’s a part of sports. When the Everton goalkeeper took out Virgil van Dijk for the season, that was a blow because he was not only such a critical part of our defense, but a leader. But you know, I’ve been doing sports for 20 years, and I’ve seen a lot of, it’s very difficult when you have multiple injuries to constitute your team. If Chris Sale goes down, it’s not as simple as ‘OK, well your No. 2 starter becomes your No. 1 starter, and your No. 3 starter becomes your No. 2 starter.’ It really changes so much, and yet, (Liverpool is) still fighting for success in the Champions League this year. There’s only eight teams still left in the tournament and we’re one of them, and we’ve got some world-class players who are capable. At its best, Liverpool is as good as any team in European football.

      The factors that Werner cites are all, largely, beyond FSG’s control and it is certainly the case that Liverpool have missed the vocal backing of the Anfield crowd, where a 68-game unbeaten run turned into a record-breaking losing run. It is hoped a restricted crowd will be allowed in for the final game of the season as the UK’s lockdown eases and the situation will look far better next season.

      Injuries have also been a significant problem for Liverpool this season and that is clearly not lost on the hierarchy — nor has Werner forgotten the controversial challenge by Jordan Pickford that sideline Van Dijk. The Dutchman’s absence has been a significant blow but there has also been criticism of FSG for its failure to strengthen the squad last summer or early and significantly enough in January. Klopp has been forced to play either midfielders or fringe players in the heart of his defence who have been exposed at times.

      As revealed by The Athletic on Monday, FSG will act and Klopp plans to bolster his defence this summer with the signing of Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig. He also plans to improve his attacking options, with an upgrade on Divock Origi likely to arrive. Meanwhile, several fringe players will leave and create more space on the wage bill, though Werner’s belief that Liverpool are as good as any team in European football supports Klopp’s comments that Liverpool need evolution not a revolution this summer.

      As for LeBron, he won’t be joining the pitch for the Champions League, even though Liverpool are down some men in the middle. The Lakers, and healing his sprained ankle, are his primary focus. Nor will he, when the playoffs end, grab a bat and go play center field at Fenway.

      But, in his own right, he’s a three-sport star now.

      FL Red
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      • 31,048 posts | 6294 
      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27285: Apr 02, 2021 03:15:51 pm
      Keep Lebron as far away from any decision making related to Liverpool.....PLEASE!!!!

      He's a clown who his only concerned with doing what benefits Lebron. He has no clue about this club and I guarantee he would sell us out in a heartbeat if it benefitted him.

      glennusmc
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27286: Apr 02, 2021 07:42:15 pm
      Keep Lebron as far away from any decision making related to Liverpool.....PLEASE!!!!

      He's a clown who his only concerned with doing what benefits Lebron. He has no clue about this club and I guarantee he would sell us out in a heartbeat if it benefitted him.



      I second that, he is a race baiting clown. Not even good enough to wash the great Michael Jordan’s laundry. MJ was a class act.

      CT_LFC
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27287: Apr 02, 2021 09:15:59 pm
      If Leclown wants to help on the commercial side, go ahead, but stay far away from any decision making that impacts operations. F**k that guy.
      AussieRed
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27288: Apr 05, 2021 12:12:01 am
      We've had a great week all round

      Liverpool FC ✅
      Liverpool FC Women ✅
      Liverpool FC U23s ✅
      Liverpool FC U18s ✅




      fields of anny rd
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27289: Apr 19, 2021 05:45:26 am
      There's no words really is there at this stage?

      Rampant US capitalism has now completely encapsulated the principles of the club.

      At this stage what is left for the working man and woman to support?

      And yet here we all are...
      0112358
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27290: Apr 19, 2021 08:56:04 am
      They have no fault. We get what we deserve! It was US that b*tched about being Top 4 and PL titles, ready to sell our soul and rather buy guys like Salah than a Liverpool kid from around the corner. That is what you get if you just wanna more and better without any inevitable standards.
      tezmac
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27291: Apr 19, 2021 10:00:39 am
      Fed up saying it but fans wont hear MONEY GRABING bas**rds NOW WILL YOU BELIVE ME
      ORCHARD RED
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27292: Apr 19, 2021 10:04:17 am
      First and foremost we're a business to them. Of course they're going to jump at the chance make billions.
      HScRed1
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27293: Apr 19, 2021 07:34:35 pm
      Bunch of cowardly cu*ts  throwing Klopp in front of the press like that.

      Big man though always makes you proud to be a red.

      Brian78
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27294: Apr 19, 2021 07:36:19 pm
      Bunch of cowardly cu*ts  throwing Klopp in front of the press like that.

      Big man though always makes you proud to be a red.



      Spot on, hiding out in Boston wont answer emails or request to discuss with media
      Brian78
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27295: Apr 19, 2021 08:19:45 pm
      Aside from the furloughing of staff last year, or the attempt anyway, Ive not been bothered by the ownership. Even trying to rise the price of tickets a couple of seasons back, though cuntish, is not to be unexpected.

      Fans backed them down both times.

      We might still back them down on this, I doubt it but you never know. However the scenario is more likely we wont so getting them out then becomes the only hope.

      Who in the world can afford to buy them out ( and be decent owners)?
      UncleBob
      • Spotify Bob
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27296: Apr 19, 2021 08:36:28 pm
      Stop kidding yourselves.
      This is a business. Money talks.

      And it stopped being a working mans game years ago.

      I remember when I was a kid, players from both teams would come into the local club afterwards and mingle. I met all my local team players (ended up working for them), and loads of famous names. Barnes. Strachan. Rush. No egos then.
      I’d watch some games with my granddad on tv. Free of course.

      Now the players just drive by in their fancy cars. You need to fork out £50 quid a month to watch games on tv. It’s all so detached now.

      This is how franchises work. You follow the money. The X Factor has killed the music industry according to many hardcore music fans, yet the manufactured rubbish released by those artists is churned our every year and make billions.

      The old days are gone. The future ain’t what it used to be. You can reminisce. But what you care about stopped caring about you years ago.

      srslfc
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27297: Apr 19, 2021 08:56:37 pm
      Aside from the furloughing of staff last year, or the attempt anyway, Ive not been bothered by the ownership. Even trying to rise the price of tickets a couple of seasons back, though cuntish, is not to be unexpected.

      Fans backed them down both times.

      We might still back them down on this, I doubt it but you never know. However the scenario is more likely we wont so getting them out then becomes the only hope.

      Who in the world can afford to buy them out ( and be decent owners)?

      They won't back down on this unless some of the other clubs do as well Bri.

      On this one they kind of have no other option if enough of the other 'big clubs' have committed to this as well. I'd love for then to make a stand but we all know this is right up FSG's street.

      Anyone rich enough to buy them out would want a seat at the 'Super League' table anyway so kind of a moot point I fear.

      I blame football owners on general for this latest event rather than FSG themselves as they will not want to be left out and have no other option if enough of the other big boys have decided this is the way to go.
      « Last Edit: Apr 19, 2021 09:05:27 pm by srslfc »
      CT_LFC
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27298: Apr 19, 2021 09:04:01 pm
      Aside from the furloughing of staff last year, or the attempt anyway, Ive not been bothered by the ownership. Even trying to rise the price of tickets a couple of seasons back, though cuntish, is not to be unexpected.

      Fans backed them down both times.

      We might still back them down on this, I doubt it but you never know. However the scenario is more likely we wont so getting them out then becomes the only hope.

      Who in the world can afford to buy them out ( and be decent owners)?

      I am very much against this ESL and hope it doesn't happen and it's just a ploy to get more concessions out of UEFA. Time will tell. As usual, the ones that get screwed are going to be the fans, but tell you what, i have no sympathy for those fans who come to this thread and all they do is cry about net spend and now are suddenly upset.

      Over the past few years there has been a clear divide in the sport, with teams like Chelsea, City and PSG on one side of the aisle playing under a different set of rules and the rest on the other side. Liverpool was/is on that "other" side, where we cannot compete pound-for-pound with them so we have to do it "the hard way", and while it means we likely would not have the continued success of a City, at least when we win we could hold our chest high and know it was "built not bought". But this was never good enough for these fans. It's always why aren't we buying enough and pouring money like the oil clubs, be more like them and have multiple expensive players in every position, all while turning around and calling those same teams plastics. Well, here we are and now if this ESL does come through Liverpool will move to the same side of the aisle as City and Chelsea but now these same people who wished for us to be more like them are outraged and virtuous. Hypocrites.
      Wiggy
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27299: Apr 19, 2021 09:43:52 pm
      Wow. What a total clusterfuck this all is.

      I’m honestly shocked at the number of people indifferent / not bothered by this. Imagine the uproar if, in some parallel universe, the blueshite weren’t so incompetent and were one of the ESL clubs and we weren’t. We’d be rightly apoplectic and gathering the pitchforks to march across Stanley Park

      ESL sounds like the recipe for an empty, soulless tournament that has diluted the essence of “champions league” to the point of being totally meaningless

      Imagine Istanbul. How would you have felt if the previous year we finished mid table, and knew that we weren’t even in the comp on merit, and we won it. It would feel so much less deserved

      It would also lead to the massive dilution to the EPL, which, IMO is by far and away the best league in Europe. Imagine we have a season like we have this year. With no requirement for European Qualification - we’d have been targeting the cups months ago. As would Spurs and Arsenal and probably Chelsea. What sort of league does that create? Not one I’d be that bothered about. At all. So we’d be left with 2 tourneys I couldn’t give a F**k about, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that feeling

      Why is the EPL so entertaining. It’s because the (relatively) fair distribution of TV monies means the league is way more competitive. Look at the Spanish league - it’s a boring sh*t show dominated by 3 teams. Is that what we want for English football?

      The owners are a disgrace, but they are no different to the others. There has been rightful and universal condemnation.

      I’m not surprised. Look at the ticket price episode, look at the furlough debacle. They are greedy capitalists who give not a single F**k about football, it’s history, heritage or the fans. Their only concern is the $. However, this is no different to just about all other football owners. The days of owners being emotionally invested in clubs is long gone and is never going to return

      For the avoidance of doubt I actually don’t blame the owners. They are a symptom of what football has become and was always inevitable. Who do I think is responsible - well mainly FIFA / UEFA and the EPL (and probably the other national leagues but I don’t know enough about them)

      FIFA and UEFA have been such a greedy, corrupt organisation taking backhanders and turning a blind eye to so many building issues (Qatar WC, systematic failure to address the multiple on pitch incidences of racial abuse etc etc). They got rich and fat skimming off of the tidal wave of money coming into the game. They helped accelerate the demise of football as a spectator sport in the interests of money by switching the Cup winners cup to the CL. They lost the moral high ground and ultimately the ability to act as guardians years ago. If it wasn’t so tragic for football I’d piss myself at the Schaudenfreude of it all, and their claims of this is “spitting in the face of fans” like they ever gave a F**k

      The EPL is equally culpable. Why. Well they were happy to turn a blind eye to any sort of governance of English football. They sold out the interests of the entire football league in the interests of the EPL. They let anyone with a cheque book pitch up and upset the normal dynamics of football as well as diluting any of the heritage and integrity of years gone by. I mean look at the owners they let become custodians of football. Sovereign nation with terrible human right record, “come on in”. Corrupt oligarch, friends with an autocratic dictator responsible for killing people on UK soil, “show me the money”.

      Why. Because it brought more money into the game, and by extension them. So they are now reaping exactly what they have sown by being such poor stewards of the game. They were desperate to whore out football for a few extra quid. They can’t moan when the super smart capitalists came in and out manoeuvred them. They set the rules of the game. Someone else has used it against them.

      So what can be done to save the soul of football. Well nothing IMO because I think we opened Pandora’s box years ago in the advent of the premier league era. But we can, and should, do everything we can to stop the rot and preserve some of the integrity of the game for as long as as we can. Like others have said this transcends rivalry and must be universally condemned by all fans of the game
      srslfc
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      Re: NESV/Fenway Sports Group: Owners of LFC
      Reply #27300: Apr 19, 2021 10:42:10 pm
      I know you guys have gave Neville a lot of praise but listening to him after the game it's as if it's FSG and Liverpool alone who came up with this idea.

      Sick of hearing his whining now.

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