Why NBA stars like James Harden and LeBron James invest in soccer clubs

Even though MLS clubs cannot compete with the other US sports leagues in terms of income, soccer is seen as a growing market for wealthy athlete-investors James Harden’s summer of soccer continues. Earlier this month, the 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player had a kickaround at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium . And he was at NRG Stadium in Houston on Saturday, enjoying Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win over Real Madrid while his new club picked up three points in Toronto. Two days prior, the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash announced that Harden has purchased a minority stake in the group that controls the MLS and NWSL clubs and their 22,000-capacity stadium. In simpler and less lucrative times, sports stars might have been content to open a memorabilia-filled steakhouse or bar in the cities where they became local legends. Now they are so wealthy – Harden’s salary for the coming season is $38m – that they have asset managers and strategic investment portfolios. Continue reading...