Americans Eye Europe’s Moneyball

European soccer teams have long been the envy of American sports investors. There’s been money to be made in the elite-level teams. Well, now, said money is going stateside, with a raft of Americans owning some of the most iconic teams in the European game. Are they all in it for the money? Of course they say they are here for the sporting ambition, but their teams don't tend to be the outright favorites when you look at winners odds on offshore sportsbooks.

Chelsea’s Spend Strategy

Todd Boelhy acquired Chelsea in 2022. His tenure as massive incoming transfer fees have defined the owner, continuing Roman Abromovich's trend of not giving managers nearly enough time to succeed and faltering to build any tangible success—well, the men’s team at least. The women’s team has been exceptional throughout the Boelhy era.

Boelhy famously said he wanted to buy the best players to bring immediate success to Chelsea. On the face of it, this sounds like sporting ambition. Still, the American has also noted that he was pleased with the surging prices that clubs were afforded by international broadcast deals, especially the American rights. Is he simply trying to forge a team to earn him more dollars in the long run?

San Francisco 49ers lead investment in Leeds United

One of the most significant differences between American and British sports is the terminology and definition of a sports team. In the US, teams are known as franchises—large commercial entities with endless marketing opportunities. In the UK and most parts of Europe, sports teams are seen as clubs with a community. Supporters are like family and shouldn’t be charged out of the nose.

Leeds United, one of the biggest clubs in England, has been involved by Americans since 2018 when the franchise consortium behind the San Francisco 49ers took an interest in the West Yorkshire club. This was done with the ambition to take the club back to the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

Since then, the Mighty Whites have returned to the Prem, come back down to the EFL Championship, and have since become the sole property of the 49ers group. Paraag Marath has often cited his sporting ambitions for the club, acknowledging the differences between US and UK sports culture. He has also announced stadium expansion plans, as he is just as interested in maximizing the club's revenue streams.

Disney FC: Wrexham Goes to Hollywood

Well, they deserve a spot on this list, don’t they? It is as if Wrexham AFC doesn’t need any more attention. Ryan Reynolds and that other guy…Rob McElhenney decided to invest in Wrexham, sending the team up from the National League to League One. To their credit, these two actors took time to learn about Wrexham as a club before investing but have since upset most of the English football league.

Is it a passion project for sporting success? It could be, but the money from Disney+ made it appealing as well – as an entire documentary was made following the club’s takeover and how their financial blessings allowed them to dominate teams in the fourth and fifth tiers of English football. Even if it didn’t originally intend to be, it is most certainly now a money-spinning project.

Cardinale tries to bring AC Milan back to its former glory.

It was relatively complex to decipher what Gerry Cardinale meant in his interview with SportsPro last year. The American investor at the head of RedBird Capital Partners was discussing sports. Rights and club ownership. Nonetheless, he sounded all the right notes for AC Milan supporters by saying he purchased the club with intentions of taking them back to the very top of Europe’s elite teams, suggesting that he is in this project for sporting achievement first and foremost.

While that may be true, a look at the various bookies on offshoresportsbooks.com shows that Milan aren't fancied at all to win anything this year, so a substantial turnaround is required.

Atalanta also attracts US dollars for Lombardy.

AC Milan isn’t the only football club in the Lombardy region to have a prominent American backer. Atalanta has been playing good football for the best part of a decade now under Gian Piero Gasperini. The team had made a name for itself by playing attractive football and advancing in big European competitions without significant investment.

That was until Stephen Pagliuca, the American behind the Boston Celtics, and his team acquired 55% of Atalanta in 2022.  The impact was immediate as the team lifted a continental trophy, its first-ever last season; the Italian team won the UEFA Europa League. The final was a 3-0 romp of Bayer Leverkusen, with three goals coming from Ademola Lookman – one of the players there were able to purchase after having their US cash injection.