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“‘Craig, everything’s on the table, right? Especially after this year. We will see where we are with the name, but I can’t say that right now.’”
That was basketball legend and new part-owner of the Washington Commanders franchise Ervin “Magic” Johnson hinting at the possibility that he may change the team’s name again.
Johnson teased yet another name change for the Washington football team (which was also recently called the Washington Football Team) while speaking with “The “Today” Show’s Craig Melvin.
On Thursday, NFL owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders from embattled owner Dan Snyder to a group led by Josh Harris and Johnson for a record $6.05 billion.
Under Snyder, the Washington franchise weathered several controversies including allegations of a toxic workplace culture, particularly for female employees, as well as a ticketing scam investigation and assertions that the team’s previous nickname has a racially insensitive meaning.
Read more: Congress blasts Washington Commanders for ‘toxic work culture,’ says NFL ‘has not protected workers’
Johnson stressed on Friday that he and Harris, who also owns the the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, hope to institute a work environment that’s totally different from the one under Snyder.
“We know how valuable the employees are, because they make it run every single day. And so we’re going to hire the best people,” Johnson said. “We already got a lot of great people. So this year it’s about listening, watching and really learning.”
“You have to let the employees know that you respect them and it will be a safe place to work,” he added.
An emotional Johnson also expressed how proud he is to be a professional sports owner as a Black American. Once Michael Jordan’s pending sale of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets franchise is executed, there will be zero Black sports franchise majority owners in any of four major American sports. (To be clear, Johnson is the Washington team’s minority owner, and Harris is set serve as the main majority owner and the ultimate decision-maker.)
“I’m going to excel not only for myself and my family, but for all African Americans, making sure we can see ourselves in these seats,” said Johnson.
The Commanders sale was the biggest price tag ever paid for a North American professional sports team, topping the 2022 sale of the NFL’s Denver Broncos to Rob Walton of Walmart Inc.
WMT,
for $4.6 billion.
Here are the top five most expensive sports franchise sales in U.S. history, prior to the Commanders sale:
- $4.6 billion, Denver Broncos, sold to the Walton-Penner group in 2022
- $4 billion, Phoenix Suns, sold to Mat Ishbia in 2022
- $2.4 billion, New York Mets, sold to Steve Cohen in 2020
- $2.35 billion, Brooklyn Nets, sold to Alibaba’s Joe Tsai in 2019
- $2.275 billion, Carolina Panthers, sold to David Tepper in 2018
Harris and Johnson have their work cut out for them. The Commanders have had just one playoff victory in the last 22 years, and were dead-last in fan attendance in 2022.
More on MarketWatch:
Dan Snyder agrees to sell NFL’s Washington Commanders to 76ers owner Josh Harris
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