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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
They’re quite the Odd Couple, these two.
Vegas Golden Knights majority owner Bill Foley is back in the news trying to acquire yet another asset for his wide-ranging business portfolio. The man who bought a historic hotel in Santa Barbara, opened a 6,000-seat arena in Henderson and snapped up a vineyards lodge in Oregon in the past year is pursuing the purchase of a professional soccer team in England. Foley said through his assistant in Las Vegas Friday that he cannot comment on the deal yet.
Chairman of Fidelity National Financial, the 77-year-old Foley also owns several restaurant brands and has been aggressive in building ice skating centers in metro Las Vegas to grow the sport of hockey and generate fan interest in his NHL Golden Knights and minor league Silver Knights of the American Hockey League.
Las Vegas Raiders/Las Vegas Aces owner Mark Davis was last seen in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena Thursday, watching his WNBA Aces try to garner the first major league team championship in Las Vegas. (The Aces lost Game 3 last night and will play the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 on the road Sunday.) The son of legendary former Raiders owner Al Davis, Mark Davis in Jan. 2021 bought the Aces from MGM Resorts International, which had purchased the WNBA franchise in 2017 when it was based in San Antonio.
The 67-year-old Davis does not beef up his business portfolio like Foley does. Davis’ idea of an acquisition was buying land near Allegiant Stadium to supply more parking for his NFL stadium that has only 2,300 parking spots on site off Hacienda Avenue west of Mandalay Bay.
The British media was all over the story about Foley wanting to buy AFC Bournemouth, a team owned by Russian native and businessman Maxim Demin. Foley is in exclusive talks with AFC Bournemouth, according to the Athletic.
It’s not unusual for owners of major league teams in the United States to own Premier League teams in England. For example, the Tampa-based Glazer brothers, who own the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers, also own one of the Premier League’s most famed teams, Manchester United. MLB Boston Red Sox owner John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group controls English soccer team Liverpool. The lost goes on.
While Foley draws the spotlight as the owner of the NHL Golden Knights, he actually partnered with the Las Vegas-based Maloof brothers who lobbied NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to have an NHL franchise in Las Vegas.
Foley stays in his suite at T-Mobile Arena for Golden Knights games and Davis does the same at Allegiant Stadium for Raiders games.
But a big difference is that Davis likes to chat with fans at both Raiders and Aces games. LVSportsBiz.com has witnessed Davis spend time with Raiders fans before games, signing autographs.
Davis also sits courtside at Aces games and literally holds court with fans who stop by to say hi. In fact, he signed one woman’s arm cast before an Aces-Sun Finals game at Michelob Ultra Arena Tuesday.
Foley actually gave a serious look at creating an expansion Major League Soccer team in Las Vegas. He looked at 20 potential locations around the Vegas market. But it appears that the duo of Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens and Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris have the inside track at trying to deliver a MLS team to Las Vegas.