Thursday was the day all Washington football fans have been dreaming of since Daniel Snyder first started dragging the franchise down after acquiring it for $800 million in 1999.
Yesterday afternoon, 31 NFL team owners unanimously approved the sale of the Washington Commanders to Josh Harris, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, for a record-setting $6.05 billion.
The historic sale ends the Daniel Snyder era, which will most likely be considered the worst team ownership tenure in NFL history.
Harris, who also owns equity stakes in the New Jersey Devils and the English Premier League’s Crystal Palace Football Club, was as excited as the long-suffering fan base.
“I’m going to be in Washington a lot,” said Harris in a press conference after the vote. “I need to be present, I’m going to be part of the community again. I’m really looking forward to coming home.
“This is incredibly important right now for this city and I’m going to be remembered for what I do in Washington, so that’s not lost on me. So I’m all in.”
That’s great news for Washington fans, who have been begging for Snyder’s removal for decades.
While Commanders’ fans celebrate, another fact that should be remembered is that Magic Johnson is part of Harris’ ownership team, which only strengthens the chances of the franchise’s revival under the new management team.
Magic took to Twitter to express his excitement over the purchase of the team.
“This is truly the biggest achievement in my business career and a historic moment for the entire Black community. Talk about God’s perfect timing,” tweeted Magic. “This was the right organization for me to be a part of given its global appeal, history of winning, and the diverse fanbase and DMV community. I have a special relationship with the DMV. Many people don’t know I’ve done business in the Washington, DC area for many years. I was one of the owners of the Washington Hilton, I built multiple Starbucks franchises and Magic Johnson Theaters, and empowerment centers with the Magic Johnson Foundation. I also have my company SodexoMAGIC headquartered here. The DMV community has embraced and supported me, and I am honored and ecstatic to be a co-owner of the Commanders franchise!”
Magic also made history on Thursday by becoming the first Black person to have ownership stakes in NFL, MLB, WNBA and MLS teams.
But even more significant is the fact that after the sale of the Commanders, the NFL now has seven Black minority team owners.
It all started in 2009 when Venus and Serena Williams bought an equity stake in the Miami Dolphins, making them the first Black owners of an NFL franchise. The majority 95% ownership in the team was bought by current owner Stephen Ross for $1.1 billion in 2009 and he sold a reported .5% stake in the team to the Williams sisters that year. The team is now worth a reported $4.6 billion.
That same year, Warrick Dunn purchased a minority stake in the Atlanta Falcons for $9 million and the team was valued at $856 million; now it’s estimated to be worth $4 billion.
13 years later, when the Denver Broncos were sold for a then-record $4.65 billion to Walmart heir Rob Walton in 2022, Mellody Hobson became the third Black NFL minority team owner. She was quickly joined by F1 star Lewis Hamilton and former Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
Now, a year later after the historic Denver Broncos sale, Magic Johnson joined the ranks of Black NFL team owners and made history in the process.
Hopefully, the next team sale results in a Black majority team owner.
