Washington Post sports columnist John Feinstein reported during his regular weekly appearance on 106.7 The Fan on Friday that “somebody who’s in a position to know” has told him that Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is one of 20 official applications for ownership currently submitted to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) league office. MLB requires a formal application and approval prior to consideration for potential ownership.
Feinstein did not specify which team or location Leonsis’ was applying for, but it’s assumed that his application, and a number of, if not all of the other 20 applications, have been submitted for the potential purchase of the Washington Nationals.
The Washington Post reported last month that the Lerner family had begun the process of exploring potential changes in the club’s ownership structure, including the possibility of selling the team. Rumors immediately followed that Leonsis was potentially interested in the purchase of the team.
Mark Lerner, Ted Lerner’s son who serves as the club’s managing principal owner, told The Washington Post in a statement on April 11 that the family has hired New York investment bank Allen & Company to research potential investors, and possibly buyers, for the Nationals.
“This is an exploratory process, so there is no set timetable or expectation of a specific outcome,” Mark Lerner said in the statement. “The organization is as committed as ever to their employees, players, fans, sponsors and partners and to putting a competitive product on the field.”
Leonsis has owned the Capitals since 1999. He also became the majority owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards in June 2010 and purchased the rights to the WNBA’s Washington Mystics around the same time he took over the Wizards.
By Jon Sorensen
I would prefer my sports team owner to only own my team in their sports portfolio.
I was thinking about that as well, but does it really hamper their effectiveness to manage multiple teams. Most, if not all of the duties are delegated to a GM, business staff, etc. if he is good at identify top mama gem ET, I think I’m fine with it. What scares me is an unknown owner/ownership group that won’t spend money, or runs the team into the ground. Leonsis is a known quantity, has won a championship, and is always at the salary cap max with the Capitals.
Let’s not give Leonsis a pass on attacking fans and for being a cheap schmuck in 2003.
That being said, as long as the new owner keeps the Nats in town, idgaf who buys them.
Yes please. Imagine an owner like Snider taking over the Nationals.
Don’t forget that Jack Kent Cook owned both the Washington Redskins and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s, two of the most successful teams of their era, as well as the LA Kings, the Toronto, Maple Leafs.
Hi Everyone