In addition to pro teams based in the US, the former Mariner, Ranger, and Yankee reportedly wants to expand his investing operation to include international clubs as well.
Legendary baseball star Alex Rodriguez has big plans to expand his ever-growing business empire. As reported by the New York Post Friday, the retired Yankees, Rangers, and Mariners slugger intends to develop a powerful “buyout fund” that intends to invest in professional sports clubs in the United States and around the world. Still understood to be in its early stages of development, the end goal is to acquire minority stakes in MLB, NFL, and NHL teams stateside. Overseas, the group is eyeing everything from soccer to cricket.
A-Rod’s involvement in sports at the higher level doesn’t stop there. The 47-year-old and e-commerce billionaire Marc Lore teamed up to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves, completing a $290 million payment in March to increase their controlling stake to 40% as part of the $1.5 billion deal to take over the team from longtime governor Glen Taylor. The transaction also included the majority interest in the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
“Alex’s successful purchase of the Timberwolves franchise has drawn the interest of large PE firms and institutional investors who are courting him to create sizable PE funds that would invest in the broader sports and real estate universe,” a source well aware of the transaction revealed to the New York Post.
A caveat of the 14-time All-Star’s deal to own the Timberwolves and Lynx would surely prohibit his latest startup from US pro basketball investments moving forward. However, it appears that both A-Rod and Lore are focused on shaping the Twin Cities into a championship hub.
As for this latest endeavor, the Post added A-Rod is currently on the hunt for a management team, even enlisting the help of recruiters to oversee that project, as it’s understood he wants to amass capital in “the billions.”
Elsewhere, Rodriguez also hopes to give fans an unfiltered look into his life they haven’t seen before — the New York Post reported in April that the prolific star is shopping a new documentary focused on his life and experiences. Gotham Chopra, known for collaborating with Tom Brady on projects like ESPN’s Tom vs. Time, would reportedly be involved in the project.
Over his decorated 22-year career, A-Rod won three AL MVP awards and, despite being suspended for the entire 2014 season due to his association with a clinic linked to performance-enhancing drugs, retired as baseball’s all-time highest on-field earner. He hit 696 career home runs, ranking him fifth on the all-time list behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), and Albert Pujols (703). He has worked as a broadcast analyst with ESPN since 2018.