Ishbia brothers own small piece of White Sox...

[Lip Man 1]

https://www.sportico.com/business/team-sales/2025/mat-justin-ishbia-white-sox-stake-twins-1234823444/

[bmags]

some poster on here:
uhmmm NARRATIVE VIOLATION, the Ishbia twins become owners and the white sox go from 30 games above .500 to 180 games below since they've been (single-digit) owners???!?

[Quin]

Jerry: "It's impossible to find a seller."

Hobson owns part of the team.

"Just absolutely no one with Chicago connections to be found."

Ishbia brothers own part of the team and are actively trying to buy an MLB franchise.

"Man, Dave Stewart sounds like a good future owner."

[Lip Man 1]

29 minutes ago, Quin said:

Jerry: "It's impossible to find a seller."

Hobson owns part of the team.

"Just absolutely no one with Chicago connections to be found."

Ishbia brothers own part of the team and are actively trying to buy an MLB franchise.

"Man, Dave Stewart sounds like a good future owner."

And remember Andrew Berlin, who grew up a Sox fan and owned a small piece, twice made offers in 2008 to JR and was rebuffed.  

[Quin]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

And remember Andrew Berlin, who grew up a Sox fan and owned a small piece, twice made offers in 2008 to JR and was rebuffed.  

I understand him not wanting to sell 3 years after a World Series, on the cusp of a return to the playoffs and the Bulls entering the Rose Era (i.e., Jerry was probably feeling good about sports).

Now? Not so much.

[caulfield12]

11 minutes ago, Quin said:

I understand him not wanting to sell 3 years after a World Series, on the cusp of a return to the playoffs and the Bulls entering the Rose Era (i.e., Jerry was probably feeling good about sports).

Now? Not so much.

Philadelphia 76ers' downtown stadium plan recently fell apart as well.

Calling this pretty much the worst/bleakest period in White Sox history.

At least the mid to late 80's, the early 1970's...they had end points or fixes and turnarounds in sight.  (Unless you want to go back to 1919 to the 1950's, lol).

The late 80's had a massive core of incoming talent and a new stadium that was originally quite exciting until the reality of it dawned, juxtaposed with what the Orioles had achieved simultaneously with Camden Yards.

 

Honestly, even the A's (because they will eventually have a home and new stadium) and Rays (Tampa/NYY minor league home) situations feel more optimistic from a fan standpoint.

Maybe we're the Marlins, but even they have a much nicer/newer facility.  The Rockies at least have a nice stadium and incredibly loyal fans who get to watch the Dodgers/Padres/DBacks at least, lol.

Even the Pirates have the makings of a monster rotation to look forward, Skenes is already a superstar...the only question (not Livvy Dunne related) is whether he'll dare sign an extension to remain in that market for the first 7-8 years of his professional career.

[caulfield12]

Maybe Jerry can block the Ishbia brothers from selling their shares, lol...and lock them into taking over the White Sox instead of the Twins?

[caulfield12]

This is the situation in Minnesota, where the Ishbia's are circling...

 

 

“We’ve been pleased with the level of interest, not surprisingly,” the source said. “The goal is to pick a winner before Opening Day.”

Once a deal is completed, the Twins would become only the sixth Major League Baseball club to be sold since 2012.

The most recent team purchased was the Baltimore Orioles, sold last March to David Rubenstein for $1.725 billion. The New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Miami Marlins all have been purchased since 2017.

New York City-based capital market company Allen & Company is facilitating the sale of the Twins.

Potential buyers have contacted the Twins over the past six weeks after signing non-disclosure agreements to gain access to the club’s confidential financial picture. MLB has already begun to vet potential owners and will take a deeper look at stronger candidates as the transaction nears a close.

“There’s a lot of people within geographic striking distance, whether they’re from the Twin Cities or not,” the source said of the potential market. “It’s a solid ballclub that frankly can be purchased at a price that is less than astronomical.”

 

Forbes estimated Ishbia, 47, has a net worth of $5.4 billion. He’s the founder and managing partner of Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, and according to Forbes also has a 22 percent stake in United Wholesale Mortgage, for which his brother Mat serves as CEO and chairman. The Suns’ controlling partner after purchasing the NBA club in December 2022, Mat would act as a minority investor in his older brother’s bid to buy the Twins.

The industry source briefed on their plans said the Ishbia brothers are very interested in purchasing the Twins and have held several meetings with local leaders.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6045579/2025/01/07/minnesota-twins-sale-update-opening-day/

[Lip Man 1]

3 hours ago, Quin said:

I understand him not wanting to sell 3 years after a World Series, on the cusp of a return to the playoffs and the Bulls entering the Rose Era (i.e., Jerry was probably feeling good about sports).

Now? Not so much.

Some of the minority owners were urging him to sell right after 2005. Get out while the going is good and JR said no. 

[southsider2k5]

5 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Some of the minority owners were urging him to sell right after 2005. Get out while the going is good and JR said no. 

Take a guess at what the White Sox were worth after the 2005 season, and then get back to me as to why he didn't sell.

[Lip Man 1]

4 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Take a guess at what the White Sox were worth after the 2005 season, and then get back to me as to why he didn't sell.

Not saying he should have sold at that time, simply passing along what I was told that some of the minority owners thought the value would never be higher and it was time to get out.

[caulfield12]

8 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Take a guess at what the White Sox were worth after the 2005 season, and then get back to me as to why he didn't sell.

$2.2 billion was the very peak value of the team...which must have been around 2019-2021.

 

That said, I'm pretty sure they were #8 highest valued at one point around 2006-2008, now they're all the way down to the #15-17 range.

Great job, JR.

Would be lucky to get $1.8-1.9 billion today.

[southsider2k5]

8 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Not saying he should have sold at that time, simply passing along what I was told that some of the minority owners thought the value would never be higher and it was time to get out.

They were somewhere just short of 2 billion dollars wrong.

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

15 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

They were somewhere just short of 2 billion dollars wrong.

Could have taken the proceeds from a sale in 2006 and invested in the S&P 500 and seen a similar ROI all while holding a far more liquid asset. And, honestly, with the way things are trending it wouldn’t surprise me if the franchise is worth less than $1.5B by the time they actually sell. Between driving the team into the ground and the RSN overhang now surrounding many teams including the Sox things are pointing down.

[caulfield12]

9 minutes ago, JUSTgottaBELIEVE said:

Could have taken the proceeds from a sale in 2006 and invested in the S&P 500 and seen a similar ROI all while holding a far more liquid asset. And, honestly, with the way things are trending it wouldn’t surprise me if the franchise is worth less than $1.5B by the time they actually sell. Between driving the team into the ground and the RSN overhang now surrounding many teams including the Sox things are pointing down.

The Twins' purchase price will be a good barometer.

Newer stadium that's pretty pedestrian...recent playoff appearances but payroll capped in the $130-140 million range, disintegrating tv deal but still much better local ratings overall, nevertheless a definite cap on market size.  Young talent in Lewis and Jenkins to name a few.

Edited Tuesday at 12:51 PM by caulfield12

[JUSTgottaBELIEVE]

32 minutes ago, caulfield12 said:

The Twins' purchase price will be a good barometer.

Newer stadium that's pretty pedestrian...recent playoff appearances but payroll capped in the $130-140 million range, disintegrating tv deal but still much better local ratings overall, nevertheless a definite cap on market size.  Young talent in Lewis and Jenkins to name a few.

That’s true. Probably worth about the same today but with the way Jerry is operating this franchise now and for the foreseeable future the Sox are trending down in a hurry. Not to mention the annual operating losses they’ve experienced the last several years.

[Chicago White Sox]

22 minutes ago, JUSTgottaBELIEVE said:

That’s true. Probably worth about the same today but with the way Jerry is operating this franchise now and for the foreseeable future the Sox are trending down in a hurry. Not to mention the annual operating losses they’ve experienced the last several years.

This franchise’s value exponentially improves with a change in ownership.  I can only imagine how excited potential buyers would be to get a major market franchise on a discount because the previous owner was so incompetent.  The problem is that Reinsdorf won’t sell his team until he passes and apparently is a vampire who will live forever so none of this matters.

[southsider2k5]

2 hours ago, JUSTgottaBELIEVE said:

Could have taken the proceeds from a sale in 2006 and invested in the S&P 500 and seen a similar ROI all while holding a far more liquid asset. And, honestly, with the way things are trending it wouldn’t surprise me if the franchise is worth less than $1.5B by the time they actually sell. Between driving the team into the ground and the RSN overhang now surrounding many teams including the Sox things are pointing down.

Judging by the extreme premiums happening for franchise purchases vs Forbes valuations in recent years, I would posit a sale price more like 3 billion versus 1.5.

[caulfield12]

17 minutes ago, southsider2k5 said:

Judging by the extreme premiums happening for franchise purchases vs Forbes valuations in recent years, I would posit a sale price more like 3 billion versus 1.5.

Well, it only takes ONE buyer.  But a healthy competition would drive the price higher...that said, looking at it fr a Buffett value investing standpoint, it's about as undervalued an asset as you will ever find for a franchise in a US major media market.

Remember, the RSN bubble officially blew up two years ago in the majors...except for those top 6-8 teams, it has pretty much been a blood bath.

That said....the stock market has jumped 30-40% higher the past couple of years, Bitcoin, Nvidia, etc.

Edited Tuesday at 03:46 PM by caulfield12

[BrittBurnsFan]

2 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Judging by the extreme premiums happening for franchise purchases vs Forbes valuations in recent years, I would posit a sale price more like 3 billion versus 1.5.

And Jerry has cleared the organization of major financial commitments that any potential buyer would have to consider.  Not saying he is doing this on purpose...but think if the Dodgers were put up for sale with their payroll structure at the moment.  One would have to take a long hard look at the financial obligations just in terms of player pay.  This situation sucks for fans, sadly Jerry seems to be creating an opportunity for a new owner to have as clean of a start as possible.  Again, not suggesting he is doing this on purpose.  

[chitownsportsfan]

Ishbia bros are scum bags and bad owners. Look what they did to Phoenix. I hate being a fan of the White Sox.

[Dick Allen]

28 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Ishbia bros are scum bags and bad owners. Look what they did to Phoenix. I hate being a fan of the White Sox.

I'd take my chances.

[chitownsportsfan]

7 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

I'd take my chances.

Fair. I probably would as well but it would make perfect sense to go from JR to the Ishbia bros. Devil you don't know is better than the one you do but they have a really bad record as decision makers in sports.

Edited Tuesday at 07:26 PM by chitownsportsfan

[Quin]

4 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

Judging by the extreme premiums happening for franchise purchases vs Forbes valuations in recent years, I would posit a sale price more like 3 billion versus 1.5.

And, despite Jerry's best efforts, the Sox have one of the best selling brands in baseball — at least when it comes to hats.

A competent owner could turn the Sox into a financial powerhouse by doing things like not low balling Chance the Rapper (see: asking him to work for free) and continuing to get good promotion that way. 

[caulfield12]

49 minutes ago, chitownsportsfan said:

Fair. I probably would as well but it would make perfect sense to go from JR to the Ishbia bros. Devil you don't know is better than the one you do but they have a really bad record as decision makers in sports.

Not an MSU fan?