LeBron James was way ahead of the curve.
The four-time NBA champion and all-time leading scorer blazed a lucrative trail in 2011 that the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Tom Brady, and J.J Watt have all since trodden.
James paved the way for many US stars to follow with his Liverpool investmentCredit: Getty
Liverpool FC was sold to American John W. Henry’s Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in 2010 for $478 million (£300m).
James, a reported billionaire with over $479 million (£363m) in career earnings, jumped on board a year later with $6.5 million (£4.9m) worth of investment for a two per cent ownership stake in the historic club.
In 2021, LeBron converted his stake in Liverpool to a one per cent share in FSG’s global empire, following the Reds’ 2019 Champions League victory and Premier League title a year later.
It made James and his long-standing business manager Maverick Carter co-owners in FSG’s Boston Red Sox (MLB) and Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL).
Liverpool also produced a line of official LeBron merchandise — an LFC X LeBron collection featuring footwear and apparel — putting the respected James brand in front of new eyes in previously untapped locations.
It was a business relationship best described as mutually beneficial.
On the pitch, Liverpool experienced one of their most successful periods in decades with Jurgen Klopp at the helm.
Off it, the six-time European Cup winners became the the fourth most valuable soccer team in the world ($5.37b, £4.07b) in 2024, according to Forbes, trailing only Real Madrid ($6.6b, £5b), Manchester United ($6.55b, £4.9b) and Barcelona ($5.6b, £4.2b).
James, meanwhile, turned an initial $6.5 million (£4.9m) investment in Liverpool into a one per cent stake in $10 billion (£7.5b) valued FSG, a stake that could be worth up to $100 million (£75m) for the Los Angeles Lakers star.
The King was winning on and off the court and his involvement in English football created a domino effect for equally hungry American athletes-turned-entrepreneurs wanting a slice of the pie.
LeBron James has a long association with LiverpoolCredit: twitter.com/LFC
Reynolds took over Wrexham and has become a beloved ownerCredit: Getty
Acting pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, of Deadpool and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame, turned their gaze to an industrial and market hub in the North of Wales.
The R.R. McReynolds Company, LLC bought relative minnows Wrexham for $2.5 million (£2m) in February 2021.
The Red Dragons are now worth around $11.8 million (£9m) and have enjoyed back-to-back promotions to League One while increasingly endearing themselves to the moneymaking North American market through an Emmy-nominated Disney+ documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ and Reynolds’ ridiculous marketability.
NFL legend J.J. Watt and his wife, former United States international soccer player Kealia Watt, followed suit by purchasing a minority stake in Burnley in 2023.
Their exact percentage and how much they paid remains unknown, but 84 per cent of Burnley is owned by the American firm ALK Capital through several subsidiaries, while the other 16 per cent belongs to individual shareholders like the Watts.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion and entrepreneur Tom Brady jumped on the bandwagon last year, too, becoming a minority owner of Birmingham City.
The NFL great entered a partnership with Knighthead Capital Management and owns 3.3 per cent of the club, which was recently relegated to the third tier of English football.
The New England Patriots icon sits on the club’s advisory board as chairman, a role that includes working on new commercial partnership opportunities and collaborating with the sports science department “to advise on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs.”
Watt enjoyed a lengthy career in the NFL before becoming an investor at BurnleyCredit: Getty
NFL legend Brady is part of the consortium that purchased Birmingham
NFL interest in English football is at an all-time high and, in 2023, owners of the San Francisco 49ers — 49ers Enterprises — assumed control of Championship outfit Leeds United as part of a $223 million (£170m) takeover.
American businessmen Paraag Marathe and Jed York run the investment arm of the 49ers, and purchased a 15 per cent stake in the Yorkshire club in 2018 before increasing that to 44 per cent in 2021.
49ers Enterprises has attracted numerous big time US celebrities, including NBA players Larry Nance Jr, Russell Westbrook, and T.J. McConnell, who joined as minority partners.
Golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are also involved as minority stake owners, as is legendary Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
Actors Russell Crowe and Will Ferrell are the latest celebrities to buy a stake in the group.
Swimming legend Michael Phelps is one of the athletes to invest in LeedsCredit: Getty
Creed star Michael B. Jordan is also part of the investment group in BournemouthCredit: Getty
Likewise, AFC Bournemouth were given the Hollywood treatment when Creed star actor Michael B. Jordan was announced as a minority stakeholder as part of Bill Foley’s takeover.
Billionaire business Foley, who also owns the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, bought the South Coast club with several other partners in 2022 for $147 million (£111m).
This week it emerged that former MLB center fielder Dexter Fowler was part of the Cherries’ ownership group as a minority investor.
Bournemouth were one of nine Premier League sides on the opening weekend of the 2024-25 Premier League season with American investment.
Arsenal (Stan Kroenke), Aston Villa (Wes Edens), Chelsea (Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital), Crystal Palace (John Textor, Josh Harris, David Blitzer), Fulham (Shahid Khan), Ipswich Town (ORG, BPSP and Avenue Sports), Liverpool (Fenway Sports Group), and Manchester United (Glazer Family) are proof that the American invasion in English football is here and here to stay.
The Glazers took over Manchester United in 2005Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Money is clearly a significant factor.
The Premier League — and English football as a whole — is a global spectacle where entertainment, sports, and business interests come together.
Combine that with its rich history, cultural significance, and virtually uncapped potential for financial gains, and it’s clear why deep-pocketed American magnates are increasingly being drawn to the beautiful game on this side of the Atlantic.
American billionaires — and athletes — are undeniably attracted by the global reach of Premier League clubs. The Premier League is the most-watched soccer league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes and a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.
That’s a lot of dollars.
The Premier is a global product with millions of viewersCredit: AFP
Additionally, US sports stars are pulled in by the passion of English fans and the opportunity to grow their own personal brands in a cash-rich market with a long affinity for Americana.
And while the likes of Brady and Watt are rarely the difference between promotion and relegation, or even active in the day-to-day goings on at clubs, they do represent an obvious way ‘in’ for teams to engage with a spend-happy US audience who are ripe and ready to be turned into willing consumers by not yet nailing their colors to an English club’s mast.
US celebrities aligning themselves with English soccer teams is a recent phenomenon that isn’t going anywhere.
There’s been nearly a $1b worth of celebrity-endorsed investment into the Premier League over the last decade plus, as more and more household names cotton on to the tremendous upside of partnering with English football institutions.
LeBron realized that back in 2011, and remains the shining example of US athlete and English football club coming together to form one perfect, financially-driven marriage of convenience.
