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Something we’ve been tracking for this entire calendar year appears to have reached a conclusion. The investment group led by Philadelphia 76ers managing partner Josh Harris has reportedly reached an agreement to purchase the NFL’s Washington Commanders for $6 billion.
EXCLUSIVE: Dan Snyder has reached an agreement in principle to sell the @Commanders for $6 billion to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris
— Sportico (@Sportico) April 13, 2023
Harris’ group, includes billionaire Mitchell Rales and former NBA star @MagicJohnson pic.twitter.com/ZIWKqeqtmN
The purchase price will be the highest ever for a U.S. sports franchise, well above last year’s sale of the Denver Broncos for $4.6 billion. Harris’ group was chosen over that of Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, who also submitted a fully-funded $6 billion bid. Despite much speculation, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos never made a formal bid for the franchise. Harris will now have the Sixers, Commanders, New Jersey Devils, and Crystal Palace F.C. under his investment portfolio.
We’ve discussed this topic a few times previously here at Liberty Ballers, so let’s just quickly touch upon the salient talking points. Getting Dan Snyder out of the sports world is surely a good thing, although $6 billion is a heck of a golden parachute. There is certainly a possibility that this change in ownership benefits an Eagles’ division rival, as the Washington franchise had become something of a dumpster fire under Snyder’s leadership. However, the Devils haven’t actually experienced a great deal of success over the past decade under Harris’ watch, so it’s not like we should instantly expect big things from the Commanders.
In the wake of the new NBA collective bargaining agreement, Sixers fans just don’t want to hear that the organization is worried about the second luxury tax apron line or something like that because Josh Harris went out and bought a shiny, new $6 billion toy. Make James Harden an offer this summer based on what he deserves from an on-court perspective, not from a cash flow perspective for the Harris family estate. If those things happen, no one will care that Josh isn’t doing an E-A-G-L-E-S chant when the division rivals meet.
Plus, we get Magic Johnson diving into a whole new sport to enliven our Twitter feeds and bring us hard-hitting analysis like this:
The only way San Antonio or Miami don't win the championship is if neither team makes the finals.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 7, 2014
He’s no stranger to NFL coverage:
I hope this Pittsburgh vs. Kansas City game is just as exciting as the Packers vs. Cowboys game.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 16, 2017
Anyway, good for Washington fans, but as always, Go Birds!
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