Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made waves when they bought Welsh club Wrexham AFC for $2million. But the two actors are far from being the first celebrities to make the leap from show business to the management box. In the United States alone, football history is dotted with big names who have dipped their toes into football ownership.
The North American Soccer League, in particular, was full of big-name owners and players. eBay, of course, is full of the remnants of the league, which folded in 1984. Let’s take a look at some American football ephemera related to the league’s famous owners.
Undated original photo of musician Elton John and footballer George Best 8×10
Price: $9.99
The Rocket Man is most commonly associated with Watford FC, the English side he supported as a youth and eventually bought. But this was not John’s first foray into football club ownership. A year before taking ownership of The Vic, John caused a stir by investing in the Los Angeles Aztecs of NASL.
The Aztecs entered the NASL in 1974 and quickly made their mark by winning the NASL Championship in their very first season.