Who owns Los Angeles Dodgers? $8.5bn owner behind Premier League controversy

The Los Angeles Dodgers will face the New York Yankees in a blockbuster World Series with superstars Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge battling it out for their first MLB title.

The Dodgers prevented an all-New York World Series by defeating the Mets 4-2 to win their first National League pennant since 2020. Meanwhile, the Yankees reached their first World Series since 2009 with a convincing 4-1 series victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

The World Series will pit the league's top stars against each other: Japanese two-way superstar and reigning NL MVP Ohtani against 2022 MVP Judge . Ohtani joined the Dodgers last offseason in a blockbuster 10-year, $700 million contract, with $680 million in salary deferred for a decade.

Who are the financial backers behind the Dodgers , though? Including Premier League soccer club owner Todd Boehly. Mirror Sport US tells you all you need to know.

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Who owns the Dodgers?

The Dodgers are owned by Guggenheim Baseball Management, a group of investors led by Mark Walter. Other investors include NBA legend Magic Johnson, Peter Guber, Stan Kasten, Bobby Patton, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Alan Smolinisky, Robert L. Plummer, and Boehly.

Walter, the chairman and controlling owner of the Dodgers, purchased the franchise from Frank McCourt in 2012 for over $2 billion. Walter's ownership oversaw the Dodgers' first World Series win since 1988, winning the 2020 series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Who is Todd Boehly?

Boehly cofounded the holding company Eldridge in 2015 and has investments in several sports teams, including the Dodgers, Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks, Chelsea , and esports' Cloud9. The American billionaire, who's worth $8.5bn, largely made his money in the financial sector with his company Eldridge, as well as Guggenheim Partners, where Dodgers co-owner Walter is CEO.

How has Boehly done with sports team ownership?

Boehly has faced heavy criticism since his 2022 acquisition of English soccer powerhouse Chelsea from controversial Vladimir Putin-linked Russian Roman Abramovich. The 51-year-old has invested well over $1bn in player transfers, with only a handful going on to play a key role in Chelsea's first team, such as English international Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo, and Nicolas Jackson.

However, Boehly has proven to be trigger-happy with managerial changes, working with four permanent managers and two interims. Recent appointment Enzo Maresca appears to be getting a good tune out of the inflated squad, though, with the Blues sitting sixth in the Premier League and in top-four contention.

There has also been a rift among the ownership at Chelsea since Boehly's arrival at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has two owners wanting to buy each other out and neither wants to sell up. The rift is between Boehly and another key financial player, Behdad Eghbali, and the American is said to want a resolution in the coming months. A lack of early success in Boehly and Co's ownership has left some Chelsea fans skeptical of their ownership, with Abramovich's tenure being trophy-laden with soccer's biggest honors, such as Premier League and Champions League titles.