Ever since Magic Johnson sold off his piece of the Los Angeles Lakers last fall, people have been wondering what he would do next. Ever since Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt turned into a financial ruin, people have been wondering what's going to become of the Dodgers.
Might there be a correlation here? Now that he's in the market for a new business venture, is it possible that Johnson would consider buying the Dodgers?
Believe it or not, the answer is yes. At the very least, Johnson would consider it. He admitted as much when LA Times writer Bill Plaschke asked him point-blank about the idea at a recent forum.
Courtesy of CBS Sports, this was Johnson's response:
If the Dodgers ever came up for sale, would I take a look at it with some other people? Of course you would look at it. Because the brand is so strong. As we speak today, they do have an owner. It's never good to talk about an organization that already has an owner. I will say this: the Dodgers brand is amazing?
While the idea of Johnson making a move on the Dodgers is undeniably intriguing, it's not going to be an easy coup to pull off. The Dodgers may have filed for bankruptcy earlier this summer, and the team may be in an ongoing battle with Major League Baseball, but McCourt is still the king in the castle until further notice. He won't sell the keys to the kingdom until he's good and ready.
Even then, one wonders how an ownership group headed by Johnson would be received. He may be a successful businessman, but he is also a basketball man. Because baseball fans are known to be set in their ways, support for Johnson might not be universal.
But if it came to it, that's how it should be. Of all the candidates that have been mentioned as future Dodgers owners, Johnson fits the bill better than any of them.
For one, and this is a point mentioned above, Johnson is a very shrewd businessman. Thanks to his ventures both within and outside the sports world, he has accumulated a net worth that has to be close to $1 billion at this point. Maybe even over it. He may not be Mark Cuban, but Johnson definitely has more dough than McCourt.
Moreover, it sounds like Johnson does have a soft spot for baseball. And better yet, he has a soft spot for the Dodgers.
Here's what else he had to say:
When I hit this town over 30 years ago, the Lakers were on Page 3. The Dodgers were on the front page of Sports. This was a Dodgers town....This town has a love affair with the Dodgers that was amazing. [Tommy] Lasorda was probably the most special, colorful manager, he knew baseball. It was a special time. I was always wondering, 'When will the Lakers get on the front page of the L.A. Times?' We had a lot of work to do. We sure won this town over. I remember when the Dodgers were the team.
In a way, Johnson can return the favor if he goes after the Dodgers. After taking the town from them during his playing days with the Lakers, he could give it back to the Dodgers. They've been around for a while, but that would be one of the most significant victories the Dodgers franchise could ever achieve.
In theory, it sounds like a great idea. And when (not if) the possibility of Johnson owning the Dodgers actually becomes a reality, it will still be a great idea.
It's not going to be easy to restore the Dodger franchise's long-lost glory, but Johnson is one guy that would be up to the task.
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