Los Angeles Dodgers ownership is looking at expanding its empire by acquiring AEG, owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings, as well as Staples Center and MLS franchises/facilities.
AEG, part of Philip Anschutz’s business empire that also includes railroads, media, petroleum businesses and travel firms (Xanterra is the Yellowstone National Park concessionaire), includes Los Angeles’s NBA and NHL teams, and the firm has done preliminary work on a downtown stadium for a National Football League team.
Right now the sale of AEG is in a preliminary stage — prospective bidders haven’t even been provided financial data — and there will be plenty of jockeying for the firm’s assets. It’s not even clear whether AEG will be sold as a single entity or broken up (the firm also owns MLS franchises and stadia in Los Angeles and New York/New Jersey). Guggenheim Partners, which owns the Dodgers and Dodger Stadium, has already established itself as a player in the sporting world and beyond: besides the Dodgers, Guggenheim recently purchased Dick Clark Productions, outbidding the likes of Ryan Seacrest in the process.
Also, it’s worth noting that Stan Kasten, president of the Dodgers, has plenty of experience in working in multiple sports; Turner, under his watch, owned the Atlanta Braves, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers. And let’s not forget Magic Johnson, a minority investor with Guggenheim, has a long history with the Lakers.
RELATED STORIES: New Dodgers owners: We need to upgrade fan experience; New owners take control of Los Angeles Dodgers; Court approves Dodgers sale; Time Warner mulling stake in Dodgers?; Dodgers sale expected to be approved Friday; Dodgers to mark 50th anniversary of Dodger Stadium in tonight’s season opener; Reax to Dodgers sale to Johnson group; Kasten, Johnson group to buy Dodgers, Dodger Stadium for $2 billion; The unimaginable emerges: The sale of naming rights to Dodger Stadium; Seven groups still in running for Dodgers; Dodgers sale complicated by McCourt decision to keep land surrounding Dodger Stadium; Torre quits MLB post to pursue Dodgers; O’Malley: I want to bring the Dodgers home; Dodgers lower season-ducat costs for 2012; Jamie to Frank: The Dodgers are yours; MLB to bankruptcy judge: Force McCourt to sell Dodgers or we’ll do it later; Weirdness bubbles to surface in Dodgers bankruptcy; Dodgers attendance woes could cost team $27 million; Judge: Dodgers must accept MLB loan; MLB: McCourt not acting in best interests of Dodgers; Dodgers: Selig was unfair toward us; McCourt files for bankruptcy on Dodgers, Dodger Stadium; Selig: No to proposed Fox/Dodgers TV deal; McCourts reach tentative divorce agreement, allowing Frank to keep Dodgers — maybe; Could McCourt lose Dodgers and keep Dodger Stadium?; Gloves are off for McCourt: Selig has no right seizing Dodgers; Schieffer new Dodgers monitor; McCourt response to Selig: strong words, no lawsuit; Selig seizes Dodgers from McCourt; Stow still in critical condition; No arrests at Dodger Stadium with new security system in place; Dodgers scrap half-price drink promotion; All quiet at AT&T Park last night; Security tight for tonight at AT&T Park Dodgers-Giants tilt; Dodgers up security; will it be enough?; Giants fan severely beaten in Dodger Stadium parking lot; suspects sought; Selig shoots down Fox loan to Dodgers; Messy McCourt divorce takes another turn
—-
This article first appeared in the weekly Ballpark Digest newsletter. Are you a subscriber? You can sign up for a free subscription at the Newsletter Signup Page.
Share your news with the baseball community. Send it to us at editors@augustpublications.com.
Join Ballpark Digest on Facebook and on Twitter!
Follow Ballpark Digest on Google + and add us to your circles!