After scoring a piece of Royals ownership, is Patrick Mahomes walking down Michael Jordan's path?
Patrick Mahomes reached a goal that few American athletes have accomplished — owning a piece of a professional sports team.
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback elaborated publicly for the first time about his purchase of a piece of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals, which was announced in late July. Specifically, Mahomes was asked whether he or teammate Travis Kelce — who is part of a group of investors looking to purchase the New York Mets — first eyed the business opportunity.
“I don’t know who had the idea first,” Mahomes said with a laugh. “But it was something where, obviously I love baseball — I grew up in [MLB] clubhouses and I love everything about it.”
Shortly after the Royals began the process of being purchased by new controlling owner John Sherman last August, Mahomes said he knew he wanted to be part of it.
“It took almost a year to get the language right and have the right timing with everything going on in the world obviously,” Mahomes said. “But we were able to do it and they were able to let me join in with them and be part of something that’s going to be long term and in Kansas City for a long time.”
What does long-term mean? Mahomes has spoken many times about building a legacy, both on and off the field. And when it comes to off-field endeavors, he has already joined the rarefied air of elite athletes who have been fortunate enough to own a piece of teams. That impressive list includes the likes of Aaron Rodgers (Milwaukee Bucks), LeBron James (Liverpool FC), Magic Johnson (L.A. Dodgers) and Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins).
Given Mahomes’ youth at the time of his purchase (24 years old), not to mention the historic, half-billion extension he just signed with the Chiefs, one can’t help but wonder if Mahomes also has his eyes on duplicating the trail set by Michael Jordan, who became a trailblazer by becoming the first NBA player to become the majority owner of a team.
“I don’t know if I’ve thought about that, about fully owning a team,” Mahomes revealed Sunday.
That’s not exactly a “no.”
“I’m obviously very interested in all sports and being a part of sports, even when — hopefully a long time from now — my sports days are over,” Mahomes said. “And I haven’t [figured out] whatever, where, that’s gonna be at.
“But I want to be a part of sports for the rest of my life because it’s given so much to me as far, obviously, on the field but also off of it, being able to have a platform to go out there and be a better person every single day.”
Mahomes has lots of time to figure out his post-career endeavors. In the meantime, there’s plenty left to do, plenty left to accomplish. Great quarterbacks are playing into their 40s now, so he has a decade-plus to build the type of football legacy he has had on his mind, even before the recent airing of ESPN’s smash documentary “The Last Dance” — on Jordan’s epic career with the Bulls — potentially provided a blueprint.
“I think it happened even before that,” Mahomes said a few months ago, when asked how much the documentary influenced the importance of legacy to him. “I think watching ‘The Last Dance’ and watching Michael and all of the stuff that he did and that he’s done and all of the success that he has is just affirmation.”
To be sure, Mahomes is all-in on the Chiefs for the immediate future. And as his deal with the Royals also proves, it’s a commitment that extends to the city he has become a superstar in, as well.
“I’m proud of him — you know how he’s wired,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Sunday, when asked about Mahomes’ decision to buy a piece of the Royals. “He’s all-in with the city, and I think he expressed that. And if he already hasn’t, that's a definite sign that he is.”
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