Rihanna Wants To Buy A Football Club - Which Team Suits Her Best?
You're a multi-platinum selling recording artist, people know you everywhere you go, and you can pretty much buy anything in the entire world. You have it all, so what do you do next? Buy a football club, of course - especially if you're Rihanna.
According to reports, the 'Diamonds' singer is looking into buying a football club in the UK after she's finished creating a soccer academy in her homeland of Barbados. Rihanna took a trip to Brazil to watch the last few matches of the World Cup - so are her aspirations something she's really going to pursue, or is it just a case of the highly addictive World Cup fever? "We figured she was still on a high from the World Cup. But now it's becoming clear she really is serious," a source told the Daily Star. At the World Cup, Rihanna supported Brazil throughout until going for Germany in the final.
It's no secret that Rihanna's got her ties to the football world as she's friends with (and was also rumored dating) current Chelsea star Didier Drogba, but could that have anything to do with it? Aside from taking over Chelsea, which other clubs might be the best fit for Ri Ri's style? She can't go wrong with Manchester City or Manchester United, but then again, Aston Villa does have a pretty cool name. Buying a team based entirely on its name isn't as far fetched as it sounds: hip-hop artist P. Diddy intended on buying Crystal Palace back in 2010, only because he liked the name. Classic Diddy.
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Its also been said that Rihanna was interested in buying a team in Los Angeles, California, and of course the team that resides there are the L.A. Galaxy. While the allure of buying an L.A. team is enticing, there's one team that could use her even more: NYC FC. The upcoming Major League Soccer expansion team set to debut next season may just become the next big thing in New York sports, and considering Rihanna resides in NYC, it only makes sense that she takes part in the franchise. The MLS as a whole is hardly something that Americans go crazy about when there's also American football and baseball around, too. However, after the World Cup, there's definitely potential for the league. Rihanna buying one of the hottest new teams could possible skyrocket the interest of professional soccer in America.
Next page: What are some other celebrities that own sports franchises?
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Though Rihanna's quest to become a football club owner might seem a little random, it's definitely not an uncommon thing for celebrities to do. In fact, there's probably a good number of celebrities that own a professional sports franchise that some people never would have known. One of the more common ones would be Jay Z: he bought a share of the NBA franchise the Brooklyn Nets before having to sell it to become a sports agent. He only owned less than 1%, but it was enough to tie Jay's name to the team and have it known throughout the entire city. As for other basketball owner-celebs: R&B artist Usher owns a stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers, Nelly is a part owner of the Charlotte Hornets, and Will Smith's got a piece of the Philadelphia 76ers. It's not just guys and basketball either: Black Eyed Peas star Fergie owns part of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
Celebrities owning sports franchises are probably one of the coolest things that can happen in sports (besides your favorite team winning, I guess). When you've got all that cash, why not throw a couple million to tie your name to some of the biggest entities in the whole world? It's good for the franchises too: no matter the sport or league, a celebrity wanting to be a part of you is always going to make a headline, and it might even bring in some new fans in the process. Whether Rihanna follows through on her ownership or not, don't be surprised to see even more celebrities buying sports teams in the future.