The expensive toys of Paul Allen
What do you do when you have 20 billion dollars in the bank and have already been responsible for a watershed moment in the history of mankind? Well, in the case of Paul Allen; the often forgotten co-founder of Microsoft, you buy sports teams.
The reclusive Allen already owns his hometown Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (the american variety) and the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association, and now his sights are firmly set on Southampton FC in the English first division.
For someone who has displayed sound business acumen in building the biggest IT company in the world, his sports teams leave a lot to be desired. He has often been called the ‘worst team owner in all sports’. He pumped in millions of dollars in the Trail Blazers, but the only title they have earned in his tenure, is the sobriquet of ‘The Jail Blazers’ (for the criminal record of the players). Their pathetic performances caused their owner to put the team up for sale. Sadly for Paul, he couldn’t find a single buyer.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have been earning the blessings of all the unemployed (read deemed useless by all the other teams) players by offering them wealthy contracts. Their enviable losing record has ensured that the city of Seattle won’t be putting up a statue of their most famous son anytime soon.
The interest in Southampton follows a recent trend of American sports tycoons buying English football clubs. The clubs have largely benefited from the cash infusion, helping change the ‘Yankee upstart’ image of the Americans in the UK. Southampton’s proud tradition has taken a massive beating; their team has been languishing in the second tier of English football for quite some time now. Paul Allen has one last chance with Southampton. His philanthropy for the football club could do for him, what the Gates Foundation does for good friend Bill Gates - atonement for all their sins (the sporting ones in Paul's case).
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The reclusive Allen already owns his hometown Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (the american variety) and the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association, and now his sights are firmly set on Southampton FC in the English first division.
For someone who has displayed sound business acumen in building the biggest IT company in the world, his sports teams leave a lot to be desired. He has often been called the ‘worst team owner in all sports’. He pumped in millions of dollars in the Trail Blazers, but the only title they have earned in his tenure, is the sobriquet of ‘The Jail Blazers’ (for the criminal record of the players). Their pathetic performances caused their owner to put the team up for sale. Sadly for Paul, he couldn’t find a single buyer.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have been earning the blessings of all the unemployed (read deemed useless by all the other teams) players by offering them wealthy contracts. Their enviable losing record has ensured that the city of Seattle won’t be putting up a statue of their most famous son anytime soon.
The interest in Southampton follows a recent trend of American sports tycoons buying English football clubs. The clubs have largely benefited from the cash infusion, helping change the ‘Yankee upstart’ image of the Americans in the UK. Southampton’s proud tradition has taken a massive beating; their team has been languishing in the second tier of English football for quite some time now. Paul Allen has one last chance with Southampton. His philanthropy for the football club could do for him, what the Gates Foundation does for good friend Bill Gates - atonement for all their sins (the sporting ones in Paul's case).
1 comment:
AA, I absolutely enjoy reading your blog. Fantastic. There has to be a way to get more people to have a look at this.
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