Oscar winners and Super Bowl champions throw MILLIONS at US soccer
Oscar winning actors, NBA Hall-of-Famers and Super Bowl champions: Investment in American soccer is spiraling with stars prepared to throw MILLIONS at the sport as it breaks into the mainstream
- Americans own, or partially own, eight of the 20 clubs in the Premier League
- But back in the USA, celebrities and athletes are buying into soccer’s future
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The trend of Americans investing in soccer overseas has become increasingly prevalent these days, especially in regards to their impact on the Premier League.
Eight EPL teams – including giants like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United – are either wholly or partly owned by American investors.
In addition to those with big pockets, small stakes are being bought up by Americans with an interest in growing the league and the game at home. LeBron James has been an investor in Fenway Sports Group, and therefore has a stake in Liverpool. Just recently, J.J. Watt and his family announced the purchase of a minority stake in Burnley.
But stateside, more and more celebrity Americans are buying up minority stakes in MLS and NWSL teams than ever before. They are helping the game grow at home by bringing their popularity and any attention given to them towards the teams they’ve invested in.
As a result, the sport continues to grow larger by the day – indicating that a bright future may lie ahead for the beautiful game domestically.
Here, DailyMail.com takes a look at just some of the celebrities and athletes that have bought into American soccer in the hopes it will take off in the future.
Sports stars J.J. Watt (left) and LeBron James have both invested in Premier League soccer
But other American stars – like Patrick Mahomes – are instead investing in US-based teams – here, he is pictured watching his Sporting Kansas City team in action
ANGEL CITY FC
From their founding in 2020, Angel City FC has attracted celebrities and athletes into their ownership group more than any other club in the National Women’s Soccer League.
With Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman as a founder of the club, she’s been able to use her connections to help recruit a star-studded cast of investors.
Famous actresses and musicians listed on the site as investors include: Academy Award-winner Jessica Chastain, actresses Uzo Aduba, Sophia Bush, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, and Gabrielle Union alongside musicians Christina Aguilera, Becky G
Angel City also features an overwhelming number of former US women’s national team members including Shannon Boxx, Rachel Buehler, Lauren Holiday, Lorrie and Ronnie Fair, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Shannon Mac Millan, Tisha Venturini, and Abby Wambach.
Other athletes and celebrities include author Glennon Doyle, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East, USMNT player Cobi Jones, YouTubers Casey Neistat and Lilly Singh, Reddit founder (and Serena Williams’ husband) Alexis Ohanian, WNBA star Candace Parker, NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford, retired hockey player P.K. Subban, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, and fashion designer Rachel Zoe.
Academy Award-winner Natalie Portman has helped attract celebrities to Angel City FC
Portman’s exposure brought in other celebrities like singer Becky G & actress Jennifer Garner
AUSTIN FC
After being founded in 2018, Austin FC has grown to become one of the more successful expansion sides of the past five years.
One of the club’s biggest supporters is Oscar winning actor Matthew McConaughey – becoming a minority owner in the club back in 2019.
On the opening day at Austin’s Q2 Stadium in 2021, McConaughey was on hand and was seen banging the drums in front of the supporters section.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LFlPaiEW1kQ%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US
When he was announced as a part owner, McConaughey praised the move as a ‘quality investment’ for the city he grew up in.
‘The most diverse and borderless game in the world is now coming to one of the most multi-cultural, creative and diverse cities in the world. Austin FC is a healthy investment in our city’s culture and future,’ McConaughey said in a press release at the time.
His passion and belief in soccer was expressed in an interview with Men in Blazers, saying, ‘There’s one game that you can depend on being played anywhere in the world and that’s soccer.
‘A soccer ball is the great equalizer, it’s a peace maker, it is the greatest invitation in the world.’
Matthew McConaughey has seen the potential for soccer to grow in the United States
LOS ANGELES FC
When the reigning MLS Cup champions LAFC lifted the trophy for the first time last season, all of the owners got a chance to hold onto the biggest cup in American soccer.
One of those people was SNL alum and comedian Will Ferrell – who stood on the field of BMO Stadium and drank from the chalice in victory.
The comedian has been one of the most vocal supporters and owners of the team ever since its founding in 2014 – having been sited multiple times at games and in the supporters stand. He even broke ground at the stadium when it was being built in 2016.
Other notable members of the ownership team include NBA legend and Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson as well as former MLB All-Star Nomar Garciaparra.
Will Ferrell has often been spotted at LAFC games – even taking a drink out of the MLS Cup
Other celebrity investors include former Laker and Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson
NASHVILLE SC
As a city known for its entertainment, Nashville SC extended the opportunity to own a piece of the club to one of Tennessee’s leading ladies.
Actress Reese Witherspoon and her husband, tech investor Jim Toth, bought a stake in the club back in 2022.
‘As a Tennessee native, it is thrilling to see how much growth and development has come to our home state,’ Witherspoon said at the time. ‘One of the things that my whole family is most excited about is Nashville Soccer Club! The opportunity to go as a family and watch a world class team compete has been such an incredible experience.’
The same day, the club decided to extend an ownership stake to one of the city’s best sports stars: Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
‘As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with a Major League Soccer club is truly a dream come true,’ Henry said.
Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon is a part owner of hometown club Nashville SC
On the same day Witherspoon was announced, Titans RB Derrick Henry also got a stake
This year, they extended stakes to two more sports stars: Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and top Nashville Predators forward Filip Forsberg.
‘I’ve always had the dream of owning a soccer team,’ Antetokounmpo said. ‘When my brothers and I explored Nashville SC, we knew it was a team and a city that we wanted to get involved with.’
‘Nashville is the best sports city in the country, and I am extremely blessed to now be involved with two of our pro teams,” said Forsberg. ‘Our city is one big family and fanbase, and we support each other on and off the field. Nashville SC has been such a great addition to our sports culture, and joining the ownership group was an opportunity I wasn’t going to pass up.
‘I grew up a Liverpool FC fan in Sweden, and after today I am happy to add a second set of colors to cheer for!’
Sports stars Giannis Antetokounmpo (L) and Filip Forsberg (R) also own stakes in Nashville
NJ/NY GOTHAM FC
Known as just ‘Gotham FC’ by its fans, the team playing out of Red Bull Arena has grown to capture the hearts and minds of the New York metro area after having some of the best players in the world grace the pitch.
Carli Lloyd, one of American soccer’s best ever players, retired back in 2021 – but is currently on the team as an investor.
In addition to Lloyd, former Giants quarterback Eli Manning became an investor in the club back in 2022.
Manning said that he wanted to bring new chances to succeed athletically to his daughters, saying, ‘We’re driving what happens next in the world’s game with some of the greatest athletes in the game, and I can’t imagine what’s more exciting than being a part of that.’
Manning isn’t the only elite athlete who is invested in the team. Kevin Durant, who also has a stake in the Philadelphia Union, and Sue Bird are two basketball stars that can include Gotham FC stakes in their portfolios.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning bought a stake in the NWSL’s NJ/NY Gotham FC
INTER MIAMI CF
While owner David Beckham is decidedly not an American, his impact on the sport in the United States cannot be unmeasured.
In January of 2007, whilst with Real Madrid, Beckham announced he would leave to join LA Galaxy that summer.
The move immediately grew the profile of Major League Soccer and his arrival was promoted for months. Not only did he give some form of credibility to the league, he brought a level of stardom never seen before, or arguably since.
In his contract to join the team, he was given the right to buy an MLS expansion team in any market but New York City at a fixed price of $25million. Considering that Austin – which was founded in the same year as Inter Miami – paid $150m for an expansion fee, Beckham’s contract was seen as a great savings.
Attracting players to an international city like Miami hasn’t been hard for Beckham – who has pulled in World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi and Argentine international Gonzalo Higuain in the past.
When David Beckham moved to MLS in 2007, he got the chance to own an expansion team
Beckham cashed in on that offer back in 2018, when he founded Inter Miami FC
Beckham now has the chance to bring in a superstar to rival his own MLS move: Leo Messi
But one name constantly tied to the team is reigning world champion Lionel Messi. With rumors suggesting that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer, no one team has emerged as a front-runner for his services.
A reunion in Barcelona is possible, as is a multi-hundred-million dollar move to a team in Saudi Arabia. But Messi’s tease that he’d like to play for Beckham’s Miami side shouldn’t be ignored.
A move to MLS could see Messi join under similar terms as Beckham – with ownership stakes, rights to a team, or even revenue sharing as part of the deal.
But if the Argentine captain does indeed move to America, his arrival will rival that of Beckham’s in its importance to the growth of the game ahead of the World Cup in 2026.
Fans in MLS are watching the PSG developments close to see if Messi will come to America
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Seattle Sounders, one of the best clubs in MLS history, has an ownership group featuring prominent names like TV host Drew Carey and baseball Hall-of-Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
Reigning Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes is an investor in both of Kansas City’s soccer teams: Sporting KC in MLS and KC Current of the NWSL. Free agent NFL running back Mark Ingram is a part owner in DC United.
NBA stars have also invested. In addition to Durant’s stake in the Union, two-time MVP Steve Nash is an investor in the Vancouver Whitecaps, and 2018 MVP James Harden has a stake in Houston Dynamo alongside boxer Oscar de la Hoya.
The NWSL in particular is a burgeoning hotbed for celebrity ownership. Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam tennis champion, is a stakeholder in North Carolina Courage. When Olympique Lyon bought the Reign, NBA Hall-of-Famer Tony Parker bought in. Olympic gold medalist Kendall Coyne Schofield and her husband, NFL player Michael Schofield, have bought into the Chicago Red Stars.
These are just some of the many examples of celebrities that want a slice of the pie in the future of American soccer. As appetite for the game grows, more and more in the United States are looking to expand it locally.
The need to invest in big name clubs a la Boehly, Kroenke or even LeBron isn’t required for interest to grow. By doing it at home, the brands grow bigger and the profile of the sport in the minds of Americans has the potential to greatly improve.
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