By Jodi Smith | Celebrity | August 3, 2020 |
By Jodi Smith | Celebrity | August 3, 2020 |
Most of the headlines read “Dwayne Johnson Buys the XFL for $15 Million” while never mentioning his long-time business partner, and former wife, Dany Garcia, at all. However, like the amazingly good dude he is, Johnson made sure to point out her involvement and a groundbreaking fact in a Tweet today.
Taking a moment to illuminate this very cool and huge milestone.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) August 3, 2020
My XFL partner, Dany Garcia becomes the first woman to OWN an entire sports league independent from a team. She was the architect in this acquisition and now we go to work — for the love of football. @xfl2020 https://t.co/7IOuGBSxYu
The alternative to the NFL was previously owned by Vince MacMahon of WWE fame but the shortened 2020 season brought the endeavor to its knees. Chapter 11 was filed this past April before Garcia, Johnson, and RedBird swooped in before a scheduled auction to offer up the $15 million for the league.
In a press release, Garcia provided this insight on the purchase that also includes RedBird Capital:
“For Dwayne, Gerry and myself, this property represents an incredible opportunity. It is the confluence of great passion, tradition, and possibility. Sports and entertainment are the foundations of the businesses I have built. Melding our expertise combined with our commitment to deliver exciting and inspiring unique content, has us all focused on developing the XFL brand into a multi-media experience that our athletes, partners, and fans will proudly embrace and love.”
Here’s hoping the third time is the charm for the league, allowing the XFL to compete with the NFL in a way that will empower players, coaches, and others the freedom to work for an organization that actually cares about them. I cannot imagine this team of people putting profits over safety or societal responsibility, but we shall see.
If you need me, I’ll be researching the teams and picking one to go all-in over in the upcoming season.