Y! Sports Biz: Angels in the Owner's Box

News

Finance

Sports

Mail

Story by

Story by
Y! Sports Biz: Angels in the Owner's Box

Dylan Dittrich Staff writer

Wed, September 2, 2026 at 4:20 PM UTC ·

13 min read

About Our Ads

👋 Welcome to Wednesday!Don't forget to tell your friends and colleagues to subscribe !

In today's edition:Kroenke gets his wings, Money and Tradition are college football's biggest rivals, Tradition trumps Money at Everton, don't Judge KAT's purchase, and more.

Time to show you the money...

⚾️ Kroenke gets his wings

The biggest empire in sports just got bigger: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment is acquiring the Angels, rounding out a portfolio that already included the NFL (Rams), NBA (Nuggets), NHL (Avalanche), Premier League (Arsenal), and MLS (Rapids).

Company of one:With the purchase, Kroenke becomes the only owner with majority stakes in each of the Big Four American leagues. In comic book parlance, Thanos just added the missing stone to his Infinity Gauntlet.

Deal deluge:Hopefully, the Padres didn't get too comfortable atop the record books as the most expensive MLB franchise ever sold. Kroenke's purchase comes at a reported $4.0 billion valuation, exceeding the $3.9 billion paid for the Padres, a deal which just closed last month. The Angels' sale is the fifth in 2026 among the Big Four leagues, and the third since the beginning of August.*

Merciful end of an era:Outgoing owner Arte Moreno bought the Angels in 2003, with the team fresh off a World Series title, paying a reported $183.5 million. 23 years and 14 losing seasons later, he's selling for $4.0 billion.

The team appreciated by 14% annually, but fans haven't appreciated the team's direction, having watched eleven consecutive seasons finish below .500.
Their patience with Moreno's ownership had worn thin, given poor performance, perceived underinvestment in the organization, and comments made earlier this year that deemphasized winning.

Glass more than half full:Angels fans who have longed for on-field success have reason to be optimistic. Though patience has been required at times (Arsenal fans wanted #KroenkeOut just five years ago), Kroenke's portfolio has shown a recent penchant for filling trophy cases.

Arsenal FC:2026 Premier League Champions, 2025 Women's Champions League Champions
Denver Nuggets:2023 NBA Champions
Colorado Avalanche:2022 Stanley Cup Champions
Los Angeles Rams:2022 Super Bowl Champions
Colorado Rapids:2010 MLS Cup Champions

Fired up Freeway Series:It turns out, a Los Angeles baseball team was for sale this summer. It just wasn't the Dodgers. Could new Angels ownership ignite a more fiercely contested "cross-town" rivalry? How quickly that happens depends primarily on the outcome of ongoing labor negotiations.

The real question:Both Angel Stadium, the fourth-oldest ballpark in MLB, and the surrounding land are owned by the City of Anaheim. That land's future is a significant question mark, particularly given the key role of real estate ownership in Kroenke's sports businesses.

The City was set to sell both the land and the park to a Moreno-affiliated management company in 2022, but that sale was canceled amid a corruption investigation.
In 2025, the Angels extended their stadium lease until 2032. There are two additional three-year options to extend the lease through 2038.
If Kroenke is seeking a land purchase and a new stadium, the existing Orange County site, where 130 acres of parking lots surround the stadium, might be the most attractive option imaginable.

Time to lose Los Angeles?The Home Run for Anaheim Act, signed into law just days ago, could incentivize development on the site, allowing the City to pursue an exemption from developing affordable housing. The catch: That exemption requires that any lease or sale of the property refers to the team as the Anaheim Angels.

Bottom line:If there are concerns about the prospect of an MLB lockout, this summer's acquisitions have not reflected them. In fact, the entry of one of the world's most experienced and accomplished sports owners is as large an endorsement as the league could hope for.

Parting thought: It seems fitting to commemorate the end of the Moreno era with one of the great sports tweets of all time . Enjoy.

*Sales announced this year: Padres (May, $3.9 billion), Seahawks (July, $9.6 billion), Lakers (August, $12.5 billion), Timberwolves (August, $4.5 billion), Angels (September, $4.0 billion).

🏈 Where does college football geaux from here?

College football was — and perhaps still is — America's most tradition-rich sporting ground. But as players jump schools, pros jump back to campus, and schools jump conferences, is the sport close to jumping the shark?

This week in college sports messiness:The latest chapter in college football's eligibility saga seemingly pits LSU against its own conference, as Lane Kiffin's Tigers seek to import transfers recently shed from NFL training camps… inviting the vehement opposition of every other SEC school to the point that words like probation, expulsion, and boycott have been whispered .

Coming to a head:Like others before it, this episode is not an isolated controversy but a symptom of a larger rudder-loss. However it ends, it, too, will do so without curing the sport's chronic illness, which requires intermittent but fleeting relief from courts of law. With each bout, it bears asking whether the sport — unquenchable in its commercial and competitive desires — has irrecoverably distanced itself from the joys once fostered by tradition, rivalries, and connections between student-athlete and school.

Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports

You can trace all of the "How-did-we-get-to-the-point-wheres" to the tsunami of revenue rolling into the sport, money that effectively obliterates decades of tradition. Every time Money and Tradition collide, Money wins in a five-touchdown rout. And in the stands, plenty of fans, broadcasters and university officials who were once wearing Tradition jerseys have happily changed into Money ones now that they've seen how the game is going.

But nobody roots for Money. Nobody roots for new broadcast agreements, or for escalating coaching salaries, or congressional acts "protecting" college sports. People root for their teams on the field, the competition and tradition and aura that surrounds a college football Saturday. Every single grubby money-grab, every tacky justification, every courtroom filing only tarnishes the game a little more.

Keep reading: College athletics is eating itself, and LSU is at the head of the table .

What to watch:A hearing in Louisiana looms on Thursday, which could decide — at least for the moment — whether the ex-professional players in question can suit up. Whatever the court decides, Money and Tradition won't have played their final game. Their rivalry appears poised to write a history as long and bruising as LSU-Alabama.

⚽️ Score one for Tradition

Though we've become accustomed to Money running up the score on Tradition across sports, Tradition is still hiding a few tricks up fans' sleeves.

One of their own:Premier League fans reserve a unique fondness and pride for those players developed in their team's academy system, particularly those born and raised in their community. Harrison Armstrong, a 19-year-old Everton midfielder, is one such player, a born-and-bred Liverpudlian with the makings of stardom.

Resolve tested:That potential attracted a £40 million bid from Nottingham Forest, a club that finished beneath Everton in the table last season. It appeared Everton was willing to entertain it, even reportedly sanctioning the player's travel to Nottingham in advance of a move.

Oh no you don't:Fans revolted at the thought of selling their prized homegrown star to a club that's arguably lower on the footballing food chain than Everton.

Supporters spent 90 minutes away at Bournemouth on Saturday chanting their displeasure, effectively threatening a rebellion and ultimately forcing the club to pull the plug on the deal.
American owner Dan Friedkin was reportedly involved in the about-face, avoiding an unforgivable offense among the local supporters.

Spirit of the Blues:Fans exerting control over personnel decisions is not a power dynamic most teams should embrace. However, the calculus changes when it involves a local player that symbolizes the club's traditions, roots, and spirit. For Everton supporters, selling the legend before it could be written was a bridge too far, and they weren't afraid to remind the world who the club belongs to to prevent it.

A win for Tradition!It moves to 3-83 in the season series against Money.

Tough luck, Toffees:Everton's transfer window still ended unhappily, as American striker Folarin Balogun pulled the plug on a move to the club at the very last moment. Fan unrest continues...

⚡Lightning Round

📺 Apple TV, Yahoo partner on altcasts: We are partnering with Apple TV to deliver alternate broadcasts of "Friday Night Baseball" and MLS games. The Baseball Bar-B-Cast team will call the first two innings of two September games, streamed on Yahoo. Yahoo will also stream two Inter Miami games called by The Cooligans against Cruz Azul (9/16) and FC Cincinnati (10/28).

🏒 NHL teams move to Prime:Earlier this week, it was reported that the Dallas Stars, part-owners of streamer Victory+, would leave the platform , moving their local broadcasts to Prime Video. Victory+ lost the Ducks, Rangers, and NWSL last month amid reported missed rights payments . Today, it was announced that Prime Video will be the exclusive in-market streaming home of seven NHL teams. The Blues, Blue Jackets, Ducks, Hurricanes, Stars, and Wild will join the Kraken on the platform.

🎙️ Simmons invites scrutiny: Bill Simmons (who lives in California) shared on his podcast Monday that he had asked his daughter's boyfriend (based in Massachusetts) to log into his FanDuel account to place wagers on his behalf. The problem: Proxy betting is prohibited by Massachusetts and FanDuel. FanDuel reported the activity to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, voided the bets, and actioned the account. Lesson learned .

See what else is trending on the Yahoo Sports Business Hub .

📆 This Day in History: Players Curtain-Raiser

Perhaps no tournament has demonstrated the golflation present in the sport's purses better than the Players Championship. The beginnings, though, were more humble.

On this day in 1974,Jack Nicklaus won the first Players, then called the Tournament Players Championship (TPC), finishing two shots clear at 16 under par.

Tell him what he's won:Nicklaus pocketed $50,000, part of a $250,000 total purse. In today's dollars, that's about $330,000 and $1.65 million, respectively. But inflation has not kept pace with golflation. The purse at the 2026 Players was $25 million, with the winner earning $4.5 million. Behind the Tour Championship, that was the biggest purse in golf, offering more than all four majors.

Times have changed:The inaugural tournament was played in Atlanta over Labor Day Weekend. It moved to mid-March in Ponte Vedra in 1976, and then to its current site at TPC Sawgrass, the first of the PGA's TPC clubs, in 1982.

But some things never change:Since even that first tournament, the Players has been touted as golf's fifth major.

"The players are resolved to make this tournament the fifth major championship," said then-PGA commissioner Deane Beman. "It is their championship and they are extremely proud of it. The players felt that they didn't want to recognize their own championship any less than the other major championships."
Evidence of the players' strong feelings: The winner was awarded a 10-year exemption, on par with the era's majors. That exemption has since been reduced to five years, though the Players and the majors remain on a level playing field.

Peanuts for the Golden Bear:Nicklaus' $50,000 win represents less than 1% of his $5.7 million in career PGA earnings. The modern prize money, at $4.5 million, is a bigger coup for all of today's PGA players, even Scottie Scheffler (for now).

🌌 Dream Job: Landing in a new galaxy

Welcome to "Dream Job," where we explore some of the most fascinating and desirable job openings in the sports industry. Along the way, we'll learn just how diverse the sea of sports opportunities really is.

In today's edition:With the transfer window closing, the Galaxy need someone to help their new signings assimilate to life in Los Angeles and the U.S.

Role: Team Operations & Player Care Coordinator
Employer:LA Galaxy

Responsibilities:Incoming star players need to focus on the game, not the dozens of logistical details that accompany starting work in a new country. That's where this role comes in. But the operational responsibilities extend far beyond new signings to a staggering amount of team logistics.

Coordinate and support the full relocation process for new player signings, including travel, housing, banking, communications, transportation, documentation, schooling, and language lessons. Prepare and regularly update a detailed welcome package to ensure a smooth transition for players and their families.
Assist in the game day experience for players and their families— coordinating logistics such as arrival, parking, ticketing, hospitality, childminding, and travel for both home and away matches.
Coordinate and execute all aspects of team travel, including flights, lodging, meals, ground transportation, and logistics for training and games.
Support players with media and appearance obligations in coordination with team administration and communications. Manage player mail and deliveries, including care packages, sponsor items, and fan mail.

Help the stars land:Given the team's location and pedigree (having won six MLS Cups), the Galaxy are a top destination for soccer stars eager to explore what America has to offer. This transfer window, the club welcomed former Barcelona player Sergi Roberto and Mexican star Hirving Lozano. But prior windows have delivered Marco Reus, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Steven Gerrard, and — of course — David Beckham.

Center of the Galaxy:Beyond the glamorous haze of new signings, this role is the behind-the-scenes operational heartbeat of a professional sports franchise. Can you make the galactic trains run on time for one of the biggest teams in American soccer?

🎾 Patch Things Up: US Open Edition

Frances Tiafoe, in action again tonight at Louis Armstrong Stadium, outlasted Martin Damm in a five-set thriller on Monday.

Patch things up:We've removed the logos of Tiafoe's apparel sponsor from his t-shirt, headband, and wristband in the photo above. What company is it?

Hint:Yoga.

Answer at the bottom.

👨‍⚖️ All rise to see what KAT bought

What does an NBA champion buy himself as a reward for reaching the league's summit? A cardboard treat, of course.

What a KATch:Karl-Anthony Towns, who has blossomed into a serious card collector, paid $900,000 for Aaron Judge's 1-of-1 Dual Gold Logoman Autograph card. You may recall Shohei Ohtani's same card selling for $11 million . The cards commemorated the players' back-to-back MVP awards, a feat achieved by just 15 players in MLB history.

Put it in context:Towns made $57 million last season. The card purchase amounted to 1.6% of that compensation, which excludes any off-court earnings.

The median American personal income is $45,140. A comparable card pickup, then, would cost the median American about $720, no small chunk of change.
That's often enough to buy a 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks Aaron Judge rookie card, of which there are 1,727 in PSA 10 condition — a mere 1,726 cards (and 2,705 cards graded lower) away from being a 1-of-1.

Move over, Maybachs?Luxury cars, watches, and jewelry aren't on their way out as the preferred flexes of professional athletes. But as Fanatics advances across the sports and collectibles ecosystem, some, like KAT, will inevitably have their interest piqued by the market values of the Hobby's blue chips.

Patch Things Up answer:Lululemon. Tiafoe, previously a Nike athlete, became a Lululemon ambassador at the beginning of 2025.

Thanks for reading! Wanna talk shop? Follow me on X and Linkedin , or drop me a line: dylan.dittrich@yahooinc.com .

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: