Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2 amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Last week, the UK government sanctioned a 55-year-old man after Downing Street said it had proven his ties to Vladimir Putin.
Russian-Israeli billionaire Abramovich has always denied these ties, but has already decided to sell Chelsea amid major geopolitical shifts.
After the imposed sanctions, numerous potential applicants had until Friday to apply for the purchase of the Blues. Two of those candidates were Todd Boley and Tom Ricketts?
But who are they? Sportsmail gets a glimpse of the couple in the US.
Todd Pain does not manage the Dodgers. Speaking of which, he also doesn’t run the Lakers, another team in which he owns a minority stake. His company Eldridge invests in dozens of companies ranging from sports and entertainment to games, technology and insurance. The controlling owner of the Dodgers is Mark Walter, not Pain.
However, when Walter’s ownership group bought the Dodgers, Boly secured a record-breaking television rights deal that gave the team more than enough money to sign any players they wanted. Boli has also supported investments in refurbishing the old stadium and non-traditional areas such as player nutrition and biomechanics, as well as new companies testing ways to shorten the queue for fans.
From afar, it is difficult to say how much Boeli can be involved in the Chelsea operation. Boeli’s home in Connecticut is a little further from London than Los Angeles, and the Dodgers have been successful thanks to a strong management team in Los Angeles.
Todd Boley is not the controlling owner of the LA Dodgers, but has played a key role in their success.
Boli is one of the American businessmen hoping to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
He believes so strongly in the value of sports and entertainment in bringing people together in person and through interactive technology that he dismisses critics who suggest he is overpaying for assets.
The Dodgers were valued at less than half what Walter and Boeli paid for the team, and a decade later, the cost is double what Walter and Boeli paid.
And, of course, the Dodgers win. They’ve made the playoffs nine years in a row, every year since Walter and Pain bought the team. Pain regularly appears at Dodgers playoff games, often wearing his Dodgers-inspired running shoes.
The Dodgers won the World Series in 2020 and made the playoffs for nine consecutive years.
They won the World Series in 2020, recalling what Boli told the Los Angeles Times in 2012 when he and Walter bought the team. At the time, the purchase price was considered so extravagant that Beli was asked how he would define successful team ownership.
“That’s not what you’re asking me about, are you?” he said. “The more we win the World Series, the more valuable this franchise is, right?”
(Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times)
Hiring elite executive Theo Epstein, investing hundreds of millions of dollars to redevelop historic Wrigley Field and beautify the area.
And capture the centennial drought of the World Series.
That’s what Tom Ricketts did when he lifted the Chicago Cubs from the depths of Major League Baseball to one of the elite franchises just five years ago.
Tom Ricketts (right) turned the Chicago Cubs into one of the elite franchises.
Ricketts, 55, became a Cubs fan while attending the University of Chicago, and will likely hang out with Chelsea fans while the honeymoon is fresh.
After buying the Cubs from billionaire Sam Zell for about $900 million in 2009, Ricketts strolled through the upper deck lobby and tossed baseballs to random fans. In recent winters, families have gained access to an ice skating rink adjacent to Wrigley.
But Ricketts has been less visible in recent years as the team’s fortunes have waned. A year before the COVID pandemic, Tom and his siblings no longer participated in the family workshop during the team’s annual fan convention, saying interest in them had faded.
However, The Cubs suffered a large financial loss due to Covid, which worried many fans.
Pain and Ricketts are among the top contenders for a spot at Stamford Bridge.
Nearly two years ago, Ricketts claimed that he and other baseball owners were facing “biblical” income losses due to the pandemic. This worried many fans, especially those with low incomes or job losses.
Ricketts did not elaborate on the losses, but his family owns several local businesses, including a boutique hotel across the street from Wrigley Field.
Six of the Cubs’ most popular players left through free agency or trade after the 2020 season, fueling fans’ nightmares of another reinstatement.
Stamford Bridge may receive necessary renovations and the area will become more family-friendly. But sustainable success can be fleeting.
(Mark Gonzalez, Chicago sportswriter)