Fan Ownership Worked In Soccer, Can It Work Baseball?
Last year the UK soccer club Ebbsfleet United tried a novel approach to resurrect the club. They sold shares that gave fans a voting portion of all club decisions. Not only did they make enough money to have the club be financially viable, the team had a bit of a resurrection on the field and almost got to the point where the success was being shunned by the local supporters who had followed the club and their middling success, or lack there of. over the years. Could Ebbsfleet become a business model for success elsewhere? Thus far, the answer has been no. Probably more because of the economy than anything else, few have tried to find the initial cash and all the other pieces needed to launch such a venture, and the value of most teams in the United States, even at the minor league baseball and hockey level. is still well outside the realm of possibility for public, or fan owned properties. The minors are still much more business, with smart businesspeople and pretty well off owners (e
