The Sports Scribe

Identity is one of the main drivers of passionate fans in every sport, from local amateur levels to the elites. It drives tickets sales and merchandise while filling column inches, videos and social media banter the world over.

Just as the leadership of a local amateur club can determine the types of people drawn to a club, so can the billionaire owners of the world’s biggest teams influence how the club is perceived through the eyes of its global fan base and their rivals. Many have ridiculed Chelsea FC and Manchester City as being clubs with a limited following with even less prestige whose trophies can be measured in currency spent.

The hollow relationship modern fans have with the boardroom puppet masters is no more evident than at Manchester United. The world-famous Red Devils are owned by the Glazer family, who also happens to own the recently crowned Superbowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Six siblings including brothers Bryan, Joel, Edward and Avram inherited both teams from their father Malcolm who passed away in 2014.

Malcolm bought the Buccaneers in 1995 for $192m, and Forbes now values the NFL franchise at $2,2b. The Glazer patriarch was a businessman with a diverse portfolio, with his most notable trophy being his control of an oil and gas company, Zapata Petroleum Corporation, founded by George HW Bush. Manchester United cost Glazer 790m British pounds in 2005, and Forbes value the European giants at $3,8b.

Manchester United generate double the revenue than their NFL cousin, roughly $800m compared to $400, and with the Buccaneers’ player expenses increasing from $110m in 2011 to over $230m this year, one could be forgiven for assuming the biggest brand in international football helped earn the Buccaneers their recent Superbowl title. One questions just how good a goal scorer Manchester United could afford if they were not funding Tom Brady and The Gronk?

Should anyone doubt where Glazer loyalties lie, when Manchester United knocked Liverpool out the FA Cup on 24 January, the Glazer brothers were in Wisconsin celebrating an NFC Conference title win over the Green Bay Packers. It is understandable that the Glazers would pick their own country over their foreign toy, but I doubt Manchester United fans will enjoy the thought of playing second fiddle to Yanks across the pond, especially considering their own failure to win a trophy.