Bought by stars: how sports clubs benefit from celebrities’ ownership

Why Does Deadpool Need Football?

Investors from the Gulf are snapping up teams and high-profile players—it’s a question of prestige, investment, and a form of "soft power." Recently, though, screen stars and former top athletes have joined the royals, becoming notable players in the sports ownership game. While some fans decry the loss of competitive spirit, others celebrate the salvation of clubs that were teetering on the edge of collapse.

We’re not here to speculate about the future of sports. Instead, we’ll spotlight celebrities who own (not just hold a few shares of) teams and see how these teams have transformed under their ownership. And, of course, we’ll tell you whether these clubs are now worth betting on.

We listed the clubs based on their current performance after being purchased by a celebrity. As they represent various leagues and even sports the main criteria is how successful their results have been recently.

Wrexham: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney

One of the world’s oldest football clubs, Wrexham, was struggling a few years ago in the National League—the fifth division of English football. Any lower, and they’d be in the amateur leagues. Bookmakers were offering odds of 20/1 or more for promotion to the fourth division. Then Hollywood came to town, and back-to-back promotions followed. Now, the odds of reaching the Championship are about ten times lower.

Wrexham Promotion

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Bet

37/20

TikTok joined the sponsors, and a Disney division produced a series about the team. Thousands of users from the U.S. and Canada started following Wrexham's social media accounts. The changes that have taken place for this "Cinderella story" over three years are too many to count. But here are the main ones.

Wrexham: Before and After the Purchase

According to Reynolds, the club still costs more than it brings in. However, every investment is immediately reflected in its performance. Forward Paul Mullin, one of their acquisitions, quickly became the top scorer in League Two, scoring over 30 goals. However, he’s yet to break into the top 10 in League One, and there are rumors that a replacement may be in the works.

Paul Mullin Top Goalscorer

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33/1

Under Reynolds and McElhenney, Wrexham set a record for the longest unbeaten streak at their home stadium, the Racecourse Ground, winning 19 home games in a row. In the National League, they amassed a record 111 points. Of course, the ultimate dream of the Hollywood stars and all the fans is to reach the Premier League. But will they have the resources to get there? The team, which started the season in League One with confidence, saw a mid-season dip.

Achieving three consecutive promotions is a feat only one English team has managed: Wimbledon, that rose from the Isthmian League Premier Division to League Two between 2008 and 2011. And if you’re counting only fully professional leagues, no one has done it.

Inter Miami: David Beckham

Before Beckham, Inter Miami didn’t even exist, and MLS was largely seen as an exotic experiment by Americans who had taken an interest in soccer. Since 2018, Inter’s value has skyrocketed from nothing to a billion dollars, and its social media following has increased 17-fold in just the last year.

Inter Miami's Statistics in 2024

At some point, the owners had a realization: if Beckham’s name alone could attract millions of fans, many of whom hadn’t even been interested in soccer before, why not bring in more seasoned stars and ride the wave of their popularity? It all started with Frenchman Blaise Matuidi and culminated in a commercial and sporting sensation—Lionel Messi’s arrival. After Messi joined, ticket prices at the stadium surged by 82 percent. The list of legends who’ve chosen to wind down their careers in Miami is impressive.

• Blaise Matuidi - joined in 2020 as a free agent

• Gonzalo Higuaín - joined in 2020 as a free agent

• Sergio Busquets - joined in 2023 as a free agent

• Jordi Alba - joined in 2023 as a free agent

• Lionel Messi - joined in 2023 as a free agent

• Luis Suárez - joined in 2024 as a free agent

If the controversial figure of "bite enthusiast" Luis Suárez isn't enough for the Florida crowd, another potential addition could be on the horizon. Paul Pogba, whose doping suspension was recently reduced, might be heading to Miami as soon as this spring. For more on other possible destinations for the unpredictable Frenchman, read here.

Paul Pogba Next Club Inter Miami FC

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9/1

As we can see, Beckham isn't spending much on transfers. Yet, beyond the hype, these past stars are delivering on the field as well. In the last two years, Inter Miami have won two trophies: the Supporters' Shield and the Leagues Cup. However, fans have some complaints about Suárez, with some chanting in a recent game, “It’s time to go to Saudi Arabia.”

MLS is less predictable than any of the top 8 European leagues. In the past decade, bookmakers have successfully predicted the champion only about one in four times. This season, despite being the top favorite with 7/5 odds, Inter Miami managed to exit in the first round of the playoffs.

RLL Racing: David Letterman

Iconic NBC and CBS host David Letterman, one of the longest-running figures in American television with 6,000 episodes of his late-night show (only Johnny Carson has more), is also an avid racing fan. In 1996, he bought a stake in an IndyCar team.

The team was founded in the early 90s by Bobby Rahal, but it truly began to win and consistently participate in various competitions only after Letterman’s involvement. It’s worth noting that Letterman owns the team in partnership with two other businessmen.

RLL best results before and after Letterman 

RLL Racing have consistently remained in the top 10 in both IndyCar and IMSA. Letterman brought in new sponsors that the old team could only dream of, including BMW, Hy-Vee, and United Rentals. While specific financial figures are not disclosed, estimates suggest sponsorships could bring in around $5–10 million. This is a massive jump from the team's budget, which before the purchase didn't exceed a million dollars—leaving little need for further commentary. Just one victory at the Indy 500 in 2020 brought in $2 million in prize money.

RLL is an oval-track team, especially excelling on larger tracks, rather than on city and road circuits. At the Indy 500, Letterman’s team is one of the top three in the 21st century. While Penske and Andretti are almost untouchable, when the odds for the May race come out, RLL is almost certain to be one of the best bets for a top-3 finish.

Philadelphia 76ers: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

Long before the famous Oscar slap, when Will defended his wife’s honor, he and Jada bought a stake in the NBA team Philadelphia 76ers in 2011. While they aren't majority owners, they are actively involved in the team’s development, though they haven’t disclosed exactly how many shares they hold.

We compared the team's achievements across two periods: the 10 years before the purchase and the years of the "Smith era."

Under the Smiths’ ownership, the team set a franchise low in the 2015-2016 season, finishing 15th with a historically poor 10-72 record. But this was part of a challenging transformation phase known as “The Process.” The strategy involved intentionally sacrificing short-term results to accumulate draft capital, trading stars for picks, and scouting young talent with high potential.

Fans famously chanted “Trust the Process” from the stands. Since 2017, Philadelphia haven't missed the playoffs, and despite a rough start to this season, they’re unlikely to miss out on a playoff spot. However, over the past 10 seasons, the team has consistently struggled to advance beyond the second round.

Philadelphia 76ers to Win Odds

The sports results have indeed improved, but the financial performance has been mind-blowing. According to Forbes, since 2011, the value of the 76ers franchise has grown more than 10 times, from $280 million to $3 billion. The team’s revenue has more than tripled, now reaching $400 million, one of the highest in the NBA.

Real Valladolid: Ronaldo

Now we come to a partnership where things aren’t as rosy. Ronaldo Nazário bought the Spanish club in 2018, and since then, the team has been relegated to the Segunda Division, then returned to La Liga, but now seems on track to drop back to the second division.

Real Valladolid's Results Under Ronaldo

From a sporting perspective, the arrival of the Brazilian legend hasn’t changed much. For the past decade before his involvement, the team had been a "yo-yo club," constantly fluctuating between divisions—and it remains that way. This season, their position is almost hopeless, with bookmakers pegging Valladolid as the top candidate for relegation.

Real Valladolid to Be Relegated

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7/20

Ronaldo has made every effort to attract investments and financially strengthen the team. To some extent, he’s succeeded. Sponsorship and advertising revenue grew by 45%, rising from €7 million to €13 million. His efforts also led to a boost in merchandise sales, including record-breaking shirt sales, and increased the club's valuation from €48 million to nearly €65 million.

Naturally, Ronaldo's name alone attracts attention to the team. The number of fan clubs (peñas) grew from 39 to 51. However, this alone isn’t enough to pull the club out of trouble. Over the past 25 years, La Liga history shows that within 2-3 years of a new owner, a club’s prospects become clear. Ronaldo has owned Valladolid for nearly six years.

Epilogue

The presence of media figures at the boardroom table doesn’t guarantee a championship title. But in 100% of cases, it guarantees an increase in investments. Investors and new owners often come from North America, ensuring financial stability for clubs, though not always success on the field. Let’s not forget that Manchester United, owned by the Glazers since 2005, is, according to a recent Deloitte estimate, one of the five most profitable teams in the world. Yet, you can’t look at the Premier League table without tears.

In short, having a truly big star among the owners is almost a certificate for a top-10 finish or promotion from lower leagues. But nothing more. Is this good for the sport? We don’t know. But it’s definitely good for the shareholders' wallets.