Boehly group add LA Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter to Chelsea bid

With the bidding deadline extended to April 14, reportedly, from April 11, the various shortlisted groups in the Chelsea Football Club ownership race have a bit of extra time to make any last-minute moves.

And while some — and by some I mean the Ricketts — are throwing around baseless accusations of “dirty tricks” in the backlash against them as if we needed any more reason to dislike them, others are making good use of this opportunity to add some considerable financial muscle and sporting cred: namely, Todd Boehly’s group officially adding LA Dodgers principal owner Mark Walter to their consortium, as first reported by The Athletic this morning.

Boehly and Walter are both part of Guggenheim Baseball Management, under whose ownership the Dodgers have become the preeminent power in Major League Baseball, making the playoffs a rather ridiculous nine seasons in a row (longest active streak by far, and third longest all time) and winning it all a couple years ago. They currently count four of the biggest stars of the game as part of the team.

“We focused on the team. We focused on the fans in the stadium. Then we focused on the community. The thing that makes me proudest about my partners is that we enunciated all those things clearly on the day we first took over. And they have lived up it.

“It’s easy to articulate that kind of plan. It’s maddeningly difficult to execute, especially on a sustained basis.”

“We followed some very basic premises. Hire the best people throughout the organization. And give them the resources to get the job done.”

-Stan Kasten, Dodgers team president, source: The Athletic

Walter, who is the “controlling partner” of the management group, made his billions with Guggenheim Partners, a private investment firm. Walter and Boehly also worked together to acquire a minority stake in the LA Lakers recently, and are also part of the ownership at the LA Sparks, the 2016 WNBA champions. So Walter’s involvement is not necessarily a surprise, but is a welcome development nonetheless.