- Bob Iger is now a controlling owner of the Los Angeles-based Angel City FC.
- Iger and his wife Willow Bay reached a deal with the soccer franchise worth $250 million.
Bob Iger and Willow Bay are the new majority owners of Angel City FC.
Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, and his wife Bay, a journalist and the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism dean, have agreed to purchase a controlling stake in the Los Angeles-based franchise at a valuation of $250 million, the club said.
The deal makes Angel City FC the most valuable women's sports team in the world, and the couple will invest an extra $50 million into the club.
"It's actually an historic moment in sports and an historic moment for women's sports," Bay told ESPN.
"I think to be part of the team, to be part of the future trajectory of this team, this sport and women's sports, is incredibly exciting," she added.
Iger and Bay are joining a slate of recognizable names in the ownership group, including actors Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, and several former US Women's National team players.
Venture capitalist and Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian is one of the founding investors of Angel City FC. In 2020, his daughter with tennis star Serena Williams became the youngest team owner in professional sports at 2 years old.
I have stories for another day of professional investors back in 2019 who told me investing in an NWSL team would be a total failure. Needless to say, we're just getting started and I couldn't ask for better partners than Willow & Bob who will have the board control necessary to… https://t.co/1NwtGLgNhb
— Alexis Ohanian (@alexisohanian) July 17, 2024
"Needless to say, we're just getting started and I couldn't ask for better partners than Willow & Bob who will have the board control necessary to be true control owners," Ohanian said in a post on X. "I'm excited to continue to serve on the board and support this team in the new chapter."