Adam Kos Anyway, April 1st is still a long way off, and the news that has surfaced is so serious that it doesn't even come from the Apple TV+ comedy hit Ted Lasso. At least two sports resources namely reports that Apple has "expressed interest" in buying British soccer team Manchester United. And in the larger context, it's not a stupid idea at all.
The club itself is currently for sale by its current owner, while a number of other parties are said to be interested in a potential acquisition. Meanwhile, Manchester United is one of the most popular football clubs in the world and holds several records. But why should it be a problem for Apple?to invest in the club at all?
Money, money, money
There's a lot of money involved in sports, it's probably no secret. Sports and technology are becoming more and more intertwined. Apple TV+ already cooperates with the MLB, and even wants to pour 2,5 billion dollars a year into the NFL, so why not just buy some classic European football club on the side? The ownership of clubs by different brands is not entirely new, although it is true that rather than ownership, companies invest in collaborations, i.e. typically advertising, where the jerseys of the given team sport different logos of big companies depending on how much finance they provide.
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Even clubs and possibly entire competitions are usually owned by someone, when it is more unknown, e.g. Liberty Medium, for which the whole of Formula 1 stands, but also the Atlanta Braves club. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment then own the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets or Arsenal FC. Fenway Sports Group then owns Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and Pittsburgh Penguins.
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But the important thing is that according to Forbes The 20 largest holding companies in sports grew an estimated 22% last year, from $102 billion in 2021 to $124 billion today. The general idea then is that the company buys multiple professional sports franchises, regardless of how they are geographically located. So if Apple were to go for it, Manchester United would be just the first in the line.
Moreover, these companies are not very visible anywhere. But consider if Apple bought all of Formula 1 and broadcast it exclusively through its Apple TV+, or at least it gave the rights to other stations, just like Liberty Media does. After all, it has grown by 5% in the last 30 years, because it managed to make Formula 1 extremely popular. So it's not just a certain prestige, there's also unimaginable money involved and Apple can afford practically anything these days, so why not own a football club.
