Author Questions Details About Tom Brady’s English Soccer Ownership
Birmingham City hasn't been a well-performing side in years
Tom Brady was announced as minority owner of Birmingham City FC on Aug. 3, and there might be more to the decision than just an interest in soccer.
The Boston Globe’s Greg McKenna on Wednesday took a deeper dive into the motivation behind the former New England Patriots quarterback’s relationship with the English Championship side.
Brady went to the club’s home opener last Saturday in the Blues’ 1-0 win over Leeds United, which is owned by the San Francisco 49ers through 49ers Enterprises and includes Russell Westbrook, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas among its investors. The 46-year-old sat with chairman Tom Wagner, who is co-founder of U.S.-based Knighthead Capital Management, and CEO Garry Cook, who took over the side this year.
The ownership group isn’t well known in the soccer space, which had fans wondering if Brady was brought in simply as a public relations stunt. Wagner claimed that wasn’t the case, but author Martin Calladine was skeptical of the “paid pitchman.”
“I think it’s problematic because what’s being done there is it’s obscuring the true nature of the ownership of these businesses,” Calladine told The Boston Globe.
Wagner insisted Brady’s role was to provide expertise in several areas, including nutrition, health, and wellness. He also has ownership stakes in the Las Vegas Raiders and Las Vegas Aces but his role as an investor in FTX was not lost on Calladine, who has written two books on soccer scams and FIFA corruption and is working on a book about how clubs have taken unstable or fraudulent cryptocurrency companies as sponsors.
“What makes Brady so credible here is his cleverness, his incredible work ethic, his known interest in business and branding,” Calladine tweeted on Aug. 3. “Which is exactly why so many people bought into, and lost everything, on his FTX endorsement — and are now suing him for huge sums. He’s a paid pitchman.”
English clubs in the top four tiers are required to report all shareholders, but Birmingham City does not list Brady, and Calladine told The Boston Globe “he would be shocked if Brady’s stake is anywhere near 10 percent.”
Brady wouldn’t be the first athlete or celebrity to be used for a PR campaign. Fellow retired NFL J.J. Watt and his Kealia, who played in the NWSL, are investors in Burnley, which was left into debt after Alan Pace and his firm, ALK Capital, acquired the club in 2020.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund controls Newcastle United, and it feels inevitable it will target a United States franchise, especially after the merger with the PGA Tour.
