Ironic: I’ve been using this team in FIFA all summer because they have close to 〽️ colors, blue and yellow.
Brady needs to take it easy and come on staff under Harbaugh.
So 'football (NTF)'?
Could not have picked a worse time. Cheap to buy a team - impossibly expensive to run one, especially if you're looking for a return on your investment. I get the feeling that owners of soccer teams in England either have enough money that they don't care that they're going to lose money on them or operate them as an advertising front for other profit-producing entities.
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:01 AM ^
Or for money laundering.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:10 PM ^
Hab, you are not entirely wrong, but at the same time it’s more nuanced than that. Acquiring lower division clubs is relatively cheap. In terms of running the clubs, you would be surprised at how inexpensive it is to build out a proper infrastructure and roster, especially outside of the US, UK a and perhaps Italy. There are a ton of teams that are currently in the 2-4th level divisions of their respective countries that have rich histories but have just been mismanaged. With the proper investment of time, smarts and capital, those teams are prime candidates for promotion. That’s where there is a chance for a boost in revenue and long-term profit; buying a team that has been relegated a few times and hopefully turning around their fortunes.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
Increasingly, big soccer clubs are sportswashing entities for foreign dictators/oligarchs.
Thanks, I was curious how Robert Kraft would be entering this discussion.
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:18 PM ^
With Birmingham being the 2nd largest city in the UK I could easily seeing them 10x in valuation if they can get to the premier league and sustain it.
I wish I was a baller
A little bit taller
Like the Michigan O-Line
Then I'd be a mauler
If we're keeping track, here's where Brady has invested in sports franchises:
- Las Vegas Raiders (NFL)
- Las Vegas Aces (WNBA)
- Birmingham City (England's Championship)
- 2023 Expansion Team (Major League Pickleball)
- 2024 Expansion Team (E1 World Championship)
Roger Waters would be proud!
August 3rd, 2023 at 10:48 AM ^
Note that Brady is likely a *minor* participant in this at best and more likely to simply lend his face and name to the whole enterprise. The actual owners are an American investment fund which specializes in distressed debt. And that alone tells you kind of where Birmingham City FC are as a club. It's not really been a great time for them.
Of course, convincing Brady to invest money and put his name on it is already a good start for them as it makes a lot of people hear and talk about a club they otherwise likely never would have heard of.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:16 PM ^
100%. Brady is a minority owner who likely received his interest at or close to zero dollars. Basically, they gave him a slice to lend his immense popularity and drive interest in their otherwise relatively little-followed club. One of the keys to international soccer from a $$ standpoint is expanding the fanbase outside of the team’s home country. US eyeballs are valuable and TB12 brings a lot of US eyeballs.
Am I the only person who’s first thought was “Welcome To Wrexham” spin-off with this club? I feel like Ryan Reynolds and Rob McEhenney have been doing well with their investment.
Yeah I saw someone on twitter ask rhetorically whether Birmingham City was going to "do a Wrexham"? I'm not sure Brady's got the media chops of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, but he will definitely boost the profile of the club.
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:01 AM ^
He didn't buy a team he bought a club
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:01 AM ^
Love ya Tom but this is dumb. European soccer teams are terrible investments. They don't have the financial safeguards that American sports teams have.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:17 PM ^
See my comment above. Brady almost certainly put in next to nothing for this investment. More likely that the investment group that acquired the club offered him a share of the club for free (or close to it) so that they could get the publicity of being affiliated with one of the most well known athletes in the world.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:41 PM ^
If the club stays in its current tier, yeah, there won't be that much outlay. But we can assume that's not what the ownership group is thinking. If you want to actually climb the ladder and make a splash in the EPL, you've got to bleed red ink.
(Sure, Brady probably isn't spending too much - maybe nothing. But he won't want to be associated with a money loser, either.)
From a purely economic perspective, as you climb the ladder the opportunity to profit increases. I’m an investor in a European soccer team, so I will use that as an example. Danish 2nd Division (3rd highest division) has average attendance of around 500-750, supporters clubs of a few hundred, and minimal merchandizing sales. The games are televised locally but steamed everywhere else (with no streaming revenues).
If you go up to Nordic Bets (second highest division), the attendance goes up to a few thousand, the games are televised (with revenue going to the teams), and merchandise sales increase. While player salaries increase if you want to have a competitive roster, the increase is not that drastic. So at that level most teams are turning a profit. If you can move up to the SuperLiga, from all of the projections that I’ve seen, most teams are very profitable. EPL is an entirely different animal, so you may be right about Brady’s group, but conceptually you can turn a profit on a soccer club.
One of the most well-known athletes in the US but in the world? I'm not disputing his appeal but does US football appeal translate to Africa, Asia, Europe?
Not being snarky, I genuinely want to know. Thoughts? Even better—evidence?
I think that’s a fair point. TB Is a superstar here in the US but I’m not sure how that translates internationally. I would assume that his lengthy marriage to one of the most famous international supermodels does give him a larger international profile than any other US football superstar.
Well, the Super Bowl gets televised to many countries, and Brady was in a bunch of them.
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
I honestly don't care about this guy post football. He was a great qb. He's just an eccentric, obsessed, kinda creepy rich dude now.
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
You mean the same guy but just not playing football. All those qualities, eccentricity, obsessiveness, and (how do I work creepy into a football quality?) are necessary to succeed at the level Tom Brady has.
August 3rd, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
I dunno about you all, but I'm gonna be so here for it if Brady hires a Ted Lasso type to manage the team.
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
Space Coyote can become Wonderkid [sheepishly corrects: It's actually "Wunderkind"]
August 3rd, 2023 at 12:13 PM ^
Looks like a soccer team to me.
The whole "It's not soccer, it's football" argument is really dumb to me. No one demands that we call trucks "lorries", pants "trousers" or spell jail as "gaol".
The British coined the term "soccer" themselves, so they have no reason to be defensive about it now.
You call caviar 4 star?
August 4th, 2023 at 12:25 AM ^
I hope he didn't use bitcoin too buy it.