NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell contemplates Saudi billionaires owning football teams in future after LIV Golf merger
Saudi Arabia Public Investment Funds have been buying a lot of sporting franchises across the world.
Follow Us
Roger Goodell (Image via SI)
Saudi Arabia’s rich billionaires have been buying a lot of sports franchises across the world. Most recently, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund backed LIV Golf agreed to a merger deal with PGA Golf in one of the most controversial moves in the sports world. As a result, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell believes Saudi’s riches could end up owning NFL teams in the future.
During Goodell’s recent appearance on CNBC, the NFL commissioner was asked if he is open to changing the league’s rule to allow for public investment in the NFL like Saudi Arabia’s public investment fund. Goodell had an answer ready to go.
“We haven’t made the move as other leagues have to any kind of public investment,” Goodell said. “It’s something we’ll contemplate at some point in time, but we really like our basic model now where we have private ownership. Those owners are in the meeting room, they’re part of the league and they’re part of our success.”
LIV Golf, which was created as a competition to PGA Golf with Saudi Arabia’s backing, led to a merger between the two parties. That clearly shows that direct investments in the existing leagues are not the only option for investing in a particular sport. The Saudi billionaires haven’t turned their attention toward football yet.
But their aggressive activities in other sports, including soccer, golf, and WWE, make it clear that they might end up wanting to own NFL franchises in the future. And many people believe with the right money, the NFL could bend their rule to sell a franchise to them.
Insider Albert Breer once speculated Roger Goodell might change NFL’s investment policy
In recent days, there are many reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia’s billionaires might turn their attention toward football soon after investing in several sporting leagues across the world.
The league has a foreign investment policy, which might be a problem for the billionaires’ plan of owning an NFL franchise. However, the league Commissioner Roger Goodell could end up changing the foreign investment policy in the future according to insider Albert Breer. Breer made a point that the rising price tag for an NFL franchise could result in a situation where none other than Saudi Arabia’s PIF would be willing to pay an absurd amount of money to own a football team.
So, the insider speculated that the league might have no choice but to change the policy to allow Saudi Arabia to buy an NFL franchise in the future. Eventually, the league could have some foreign owners.
In case you missed it:
- Raider RB Josh Jacobs makes a bold decision on his contract negotiations as franchise tag deadline approaches
- Eagles rookie Jalen Carter gets sued by ex-Georgia football staffer for fleeing a fatal car crash scene
Do follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
Aravind Raj
(2075 Articles Published)