In Basta’s footsteps. Why do stars buy sports clubs?

Not so long ago, rap singer Vasily Vakulenko, known as Basta, became the new owner of Rostov soccer club SKA. The musician literally saved the team, which was barely making ends meet. In two weeks of the championship he has already managed to cover all the old debts to players and employees, to invest an additional 10 million rubles from his personal funds and to find new inverstors – the company “RT-Capital” and the government of the Rostov region.

Basta was born and raised in Rostov-on-Don and has been a lifelong CSKA fan. Therefore, he simply could not remain indifferent to the fate of the club from his small homeland. Vasily’s act is not the only one of its kind. Foreign stars have long picked up the trend of buying sports clubs or becoming their shareholders. So why do they do it?

Supporting a hometown team

Vakulenko was not the only one concerned about the fate of a team close from childhood. British singer Elton John was born in the suburbs of Watford and always dreamed that the eponymous soccer club played in the Premier League and reached unprecedented heights. Therefore, in 1976, the musician bought “Watford”, significantly improving its affairs. Thanks to Elton, the team at that time entered the first division. And after another ten years, when John had already managed to sell the club, he had to come back and save the players from failure and bankruptcy. Currently, Sir John does not own “Watford”, but holds the honorary position of president.

The decision of both musicians to support the place in which they were born, clearly causes respect. After all, buying an unprofitable team, no one can say for sure: whether it will recoup its investment or incur even more costs. For example, Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith successfully bought a share of the Philadelphia Sevens Sixers basketball team, and rapper Jay-Z bought the Brooklyn Nets. Robbie Williams, on the other hand, was less fortunate – the British singer took over Port Vale and gave away a lot of money. Despite Williams’ help and his faith in the best, the team brought him neither major victories nor profits.

Investing in a sports club as a business decision

Unless, of course, we are talking about teams on the verge of bankruptcy. Guided by the possibility of getting a large profit over time, Matthew McConaughey, together with entrepreneurs Brian Sheffield and Eddie Morgan created a soccer club “Austin”. Yes, yes, right from scratch.

Contrary to the opinion that U.S. soccer is not as popular worldwide as European soccer, it still brings in a lot of money because of the demand on the North American continent. In addition, if a team makes it to MLS, investors are compensated for their investment according to the club’s success in the season. Other elite leagues are not an exception either and bring big returns. This was probably the principle that guided Jennifer Lopez and her ex-husband Marc Anthony when they became co-owners of the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

Enhancing reputation and fan base

Perhaps the purchases of sports clubs by showbiz stars still seem amazing to you. An even more interesting case is when an American basketball player invests in an English soccer team. In 2011, current Los Angeles Lakers (then Miami Heat) forward LeBron James became a shareholder of Liverpool. The NBA player paid $ 6.5 million for a 2% stake in the club. And this is far from a gamble, but a smart move.

“Liverpool” – a club with a worldwide reputation and a strong influence on sports trends. And James is the first player in the world, who at the peak of his career showed such initiative towards another sport. With a loud act, LeBron awakened the interest in his person from soccer fans and won their favor.

Buying a sports team as entertainment

Journalist and commentator Vasilij Utkin ventured into a sporting adventure, becoming the owner of the amateur Moscow club “Egrisi”. You really can’t call this deed any other way. Few people had heard the name of the team before Utkin started promoting it on the Internet and looking for sponsors. To generate interest in the players, Vasily began filming the show “Egrisi” and publishing it on his YouTube channel.

By the way, the new owner still doesn’t pay the players, and the maintenance of the young team costs him about 600 thousand rubles annually. This year, “Egrisi” won the First Division of the SVAO, which formalized its entry into the top division, and entered the amateur league AFL.

The reasons why showbiz and sports stars buy sports clubs can be many. It doesn’t matter if they are related to selfless help to a failing team, personal gain or an adventure that will bring variety to the everyday routine. What matters is that the primary focus of the players and spectators remains on the quality of the game and not on the powerful owners.