On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the actor Ryan Reynolds and his interest in joining a bid group to purchase the Ottawa Senators.
There are more than $20 billion worth of sports franchises currently on the market, and the Senators, which have been toiling in relative obscurity for more than a decade, are drawing significant interest from more than a dozen prospective buyers. They include Reynolds, a Canadian actor, who spoke recently with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Bettman told reporters on Tuesday that the league would love to have Reynolds be a part of the group that buys the club.
It wouldn’t be Reynolds’ first foray into sports ownership. He co-purchased an obscure Welsh soccer team two years ago and built a popular documentary series called Welcome to Wrexham around the team’s journey. Sports leagues and teams are increasingly turning to non-game video content to find new fans, and shows like Welcome to Wrexham are a good example of what they want. Additionally, actor Michael B. Jordan became the latest celebrity to buy in on a sports team, leading the minority ownership group of AFC Bournemouth.
The hosts also talk about Fox grabbing MLS games for linear television, and Fitch’s “neutral” outlook for sports businesses heading into 2023.
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