Manchester United’s majority owners, the Glazers, are the dictionary definition of unpopular owners.
In spite of spending 20 years in control of United, they are just as despised as they were back in 2005. In fact, there were demonstrations held at the start of the month to protest both themselves and minority owners, Ineos.
Nonetheless, the deal has certainly worked out for them. According to The Athletic, the Glazers have pocketed about £1.4 billion in share dividends, management fees and selling minority stakes in the club.
New investment interest
The family have a long history in American Football investment and have owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 1995.
They have also branched out into cricket, purchasing the Desert Vipers cricket team in the United Arab Emirates after failing to buy an Indian Premier League team in 2021. The Glazers do not give up easily, though, and reports broke earlier this month that Avram Glazer is currently bidding for two Indian cricket teams the Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Why cricket?
Many would be scratching their heads about what an American wants with a cricket team, but Avram has been credited by some for being able to spot money-making potential in sports beyond what is traditionally popular in the United States.
It is believed that the Royals could be sold for something north of $1.2 billion, while the Royal Challengers could cost as much as $1.8 billion.
In spite of the sport being popular in just a handful of countries, there is method to the Glazers’ thinking. According to Gareth Balch, the chief executive and co-founder of global sports marketing firm Two Circles, “this century, if you look at the top 20 global sports, cricket has been the fastest growing, and it is almost all to do with T20, its most simple and accessible format.”
Balch also adds, “the IPL is the biggest shooting star in global sport right now. The league’s franchise valuations have grown by a multiple of 10 since it launched in 2008, and that’s underpinned by the number of cricket fans. Demographics are destiny when it comes to sports investments, and India is looking like the best destiny.”
Factoring in the world’s biggest population and a rapidly growing economy, it is easy to see the appeal for the Glazer family and their money-making instincts. The sport has amazing TV deals and a huge national following, even if it has not quite hit the international markets yet.
Mike Fordham, who now runs his own sports consultancy but helped to create The Hundred competition when he worked for the England and Wales Cricket Board, has also explained how owning an IPL team would be very prudent for the Glazers.
He explained, “like the NFL, (the IPL’s) got guaranteed profitability for its franchise-owners due to the size of the media revenues. Teams get an equal share of the $1.2billion-a-year media rights deal and — because it’s the biggest entertainment property in India — that’s likely to go up in about a year. It’s must-have TV content.”
What’s more, there is a growing South Asian population in the United States and owners will be hoping that this can drive the popularity of the sport in their own country.
The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
