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CHICAGO — After both Liverpool and Manchester United were put up for sale after catching the attention of Chelsea, Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts has announced that his family will make a major acquisition of the iconic football club. suggested that they were not prepared for A baseball team you already own.
“When it comes to the Premier League, the answer is no,” Ricketts said during a Q&A session with fans at the Cubs convention on Saturday. , (the Cubs) have nothing to do with it.”
The consortium, led by the Ricketts, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, finally pulled out of Chelsea’s complicated sales process last year, ahead of a final bidding round. Ricketts was considering signing for Chelsea in 2019 and met Roman Abramovich when the Russian oligarchs were not under pressure to sell the club. Chelsea has been sold for more than $5 billion to a group led by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boley amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and British government sanctions against Abramovich.
Ricketts saw Chelsea as a golden opportunity, with lasting Cubs achievements including the end of a 108-year World Series drought and a billion-dollar renovation of Wrigley Field. For Ricketts, it would be difficult to find another football club with global brands, prime locations and personal connections. Still, it will be a time-consuming process and will come under further scrutiny from international media and a skeptical fan base abroad. is not that many. Things have changed dramatically since Boston Red his Sox owners bought Liverpool for his $476 million in 2010.
“I’m a Chelsea fan,” Ricketts said. Obviously, we didn’t do that, but hearing or reading about other things the family was doing took resources away from the Cub to fund it. I think you can take comfort in not being caught.”
It still raises perception issues when a big-market franchise undergoes another multi-year restructuring. I have full confidence in Jed Hoyer, president of baseball management. He acquires young talent and makes pitching and defense the team’s new identity. The signing of All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson to his seven-year, $177 million deal changed the mood at this Fanfest in Chicago at the Sheraton Grand.
The Ricketts will never perform like New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. It suggested it would spend a level ($233 million) that would trigger the Competitiveness Balance Tax (CBT). When a fan mentioned Cohen’s free-spending approach and asked if the money generated from the new Wrigley Field sportsbook would go to major league rosters, Ricketts responded with a sarcastic response.
“Well, I hope sportsbooks give me money like Steve Cohen has,” Ricketts said. If you look at salaries this year it’s going to be very close to CBT we’ll have to think twice about how we manage the competitive balance tax there are some financial penalties but for the first few years are relatively minor, but they rise over time and can cause you to lose access to amateur talent, draft positions, and a few other penalties for staying too long in CBT. , the way you look at it has to be managed towards it.
“We know we have the financial resources to put a really competitive team on the field. Jed will need to get some advice on how he wants to manage it. I want to put it in the field.”
Sammy Sosa after hitting a home run on September 30, 2004. (John Biever / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The Ricketts announced that the Cubs will erect a statue of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg outside Wrigley Field, but Sammy Sosa remains a glamorous figure at the Friendly Confines. Ricketts is the all-time leader in franchise history with 545 home runs and has a withdrawn personality compared to all Cubs alumni who regularly show up for spring training and convention events and conventions. He said he had “nothing new to report” about the organization’s frayed ties. at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs have turned over nearly the entire organization since Sosa spent 13 seasons (1992-2004) on Chicago’s North Side. This is the period before the Ricketts family purchased the team from Tribune. According to a New York Times report published in 2009, Sosa tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 as part of a major league-his baseball investigative test that was supposed to remain anonymous. rice field. Sosa testified before a congressional committee in 2005 that he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
“There are two sides to this,” said Ricketts in a brief boo. I believe there are two sides to this story.I know many fans have contacted me directly who believe there are two sides to this story.I want to put this on the back burner as well.But I think about it a lot and want to do it in a way that respects both the people who love Sammy as a player like I did and the people who respect the game. I don’t think the final chapter is written about this, we’re always open to finding ways that work for everyone. I don’t really have an update on that while.”
(Top photo by Tom Ricketts: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
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