With the Chargers owners in mounting debt, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos could be in the folds to take over ownership of the Los Angeles Chargers. Bezos has been linked to previous teams in the past and this could finally be the opportunity where the richest man in the world could enter the NFL sphere.
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Jeff Bezos could buy every single NFL franchise and still have a ton of money left over. With the owners of Los Angeles Chargers in financial turmoil exceeding $350M in mounting debt, Bezos could finally become an owner of an NFL Franchise.
What is going on with the Chargers ownership?
Alex Spanos purchased 60% of the Chargers back in 1984. Since then Spanos has expanded his control to almost 96% which was eventually passed on to his children.
Recently, Dea Spanos Berberian, the sister of Chargers controlling owner Dean Spanos, filed a petition for the sale of the Chargers. The petition was filed with the Los Angeles County Court in an attempt to force the sale. Spanos Berberian argues in the petition that the team has caused a mounting debt exceeding $350M that “has imperilled the family’s finances”
Spanos Berberian is a co-trustee of the Spanos family trust along with Dean Spanos. Dea also named a potential owner in her petition. And it was no other than Jeff Bezos. She called the Chargers “a perfect opportunity” for Bezos, given his previously reported interest in buying an NFL team.
Jeff Bezos’ interests in the NFL.
It isn’t a secret that Bezos has wanted to diversify into the NFL. Amazon also recently finalized a new 11-year media deal with the NFL to acquire exclusive rights to Thursday Night Football. Amazon is paying about $1 billion per year, according to people familiar with the matter.
The reports of Bezos wanting to own an NFL team date back to 2018. He was linked to buying the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 after the passing of owner Paul Allen. But the Seahawks had Allen’s sister take over
The same year, rumours swirled that Bezos was interested in the Detroit Lions, which has been owned by the Ford family since the early 1960s and wasn’t up for sale. Most recently, Bezos was named a possible future owner for the Washington Football Team after current owner Dan Snyder was being pressurized to sell the team.
According to reports, Jeff Bezos has formed multiple relationships within the NFL ownership group and has strong support from within the league. The Los Angeles Chargers are an upcoming team in one of the biggest markets in the country. Thus it isn’t a surprise that Bezos could be interested, and it wouldn’t be one if he does end up as the new owner
