By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Just like A’s manager Mark Kotsay assembling his lineup every day, Athletics owner John Fisher is putting together his lineup card of investors as the historic American League franchise prepares to move from Northern California to Las Vegas in 2028 to open a new stadium on the Strip.
Fisher’s latest addition to his investor team is former Major Leaguer Chan Ho Park and Park’s Team61 investment group that is investing $70 million in the A’s. Food/beverage concessionaire Aramark has cut a $175 million deal with the A’s, while Mark Cuban’s Harbinger Sports Partners have also invested in the A’s.
The A’s sent a press release to the media about Park, who is Korea’s first major leaguer.
“Team61 is an investment consortium whose participants include Park and Hollywood actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim. The group invested through the Athletics’ capital-raising process for the Athletics to relocate to Las Vegas and build a new ballpark, becoming the first case in which Korean capital acquired an ownership stake in a Major League Baseball franchise.
“The partnership carries particular symbolic significance because Park, Major League Baseball’s first Korean player, has now become the first Korean owner in MLB history. It also reflects the philosophy of a player who has dedicated his entire life to advance Korean baseball.”
The A’s have hit the skids this season and probably could use Park to pitch because the Athletics’ pitchers have struggled mightily as the A’s have plummeted to a record of 44 wins and 62 losses.
PSA