Red Sox Fervently Denying Report They Might Be For Sale
By Ty Duffy
More Red Sox drama! Fox Business reported Fenway Sports Group is considering selling the Red Sox and had “quietly shopped” the team to potential investors. The team could be worth about $1.3 billion, about twice what owners paid in 2002. John Henry and Co. have issued fervent public denials.
"The Red Sox have publicly denied that they are for sale. Reached Thursday, a spokesperson for the team said of the potential sale that “there is no truth to that rumor.” However, there has been talk for some time that the team is informally gauging interest in the club. The price tag eyed for any potential sale would be a steep one, according to people who have spoke with Red Sox management: $1.3 billion. Forbes cites the value of the Red Sox at around $1 billion."
Will the Red Sox actually get sold? We doubt it. The company changing its name to “Fenway Sports Group” would be one hint. The Red Sox already were very profitable with the revamped stadium and the 80 percent NESN ownership. They are set to become even more profitable (even if the team bottoms out), with sharply reduced payroll expenditure with the Dodgers trade and lucrative new MLB television deals.
The more interesting situation is Liverpool. As bad as the situation in Boston has been, the Liverpool one is worse. The club overspent last year and got burned. This year, the club took a hard tack toward the money ball route, lost out on Clint Dempsey and ended up without a striker. Liverpool is an iconic soccer brand. There’s potential for the club to become a self-sustaining marketing juggernaut and a lot more valuable with a new stadium. The first step for all those plans, though, is returning to the Champions League. Off to a historically bad start, Liverpool are a long way from that.
[Photo via Presswire]