The Washington Commanders released a statement today announcing that Dan Snyder is exploring a potential sale of the team. People are already floating possible new owners—some more grounded in reality than others—but one name in particular is gaining traction: Jeff Bezos.
There are already betting odds on who will be the Washington Commanders owner in 2023. pic.twitter.com/ZSsQVhPs6K
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) November 2, 2022
The Amazon founder is no stranger to conversations about NFL ownership. In 2019, CBS Sports reported Bezos was interested in buying a football team—there just weren’t any squads on the market. Now that Washington’s team is potentially up for grabs, the Blue Origin founder could become the first league owner to make it to space.
"hear me out… football in space." pic.twitter.com/lSj9hNWMbU
— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2022
Owning the Commanders would further expand Bezos’ footprint in the Washington area. He already owns the local daily newspaper, resides in a Kalorama mansion, will soon have a namesake education center in the Air and Space Museum, and—oh yeah—brought HQ2 to Crystal City. Adding the embattled football team to his portfolio would make for a DC dynasty that spans industries.
Of course, there’s always the question of money. According to Forbes, Bezos’ net worth is $117.8 billion, and the publication sets the Commanders’ team value at $5.6 billion. Needless to say, Bezos could basically Amazon Prime the team before he finished the drive to FedEx Field.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
