In what could be the beginning of the end of a decade-long postseason-less odyssey, the Los Angeles Angels are getting a change in ownership.
Billionaire Walmart heir Stan Kroenke is expanding his sports empire to include the Angels, after agreeing to purchase the team from owner Arte Moreno.
The deal will make the Angels, who haven't won an MLB postseason game since 2009, part of an exceptionally successful group of title-winning franchises in several major professional sports.
Kroenke, 80, is the chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL and Arsenal FC of the English Premier League.
Each of those teams has won a league championship
in the past four seasons.
In addition, Kroenke led the financing and building of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, which is the home field for both the Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, and has also hosted a number of other major sporting events, including the 2026 World Cup.
Through all his previous successes, the Angels may prove to be Kroenke's biggest challenge.
Moreno purchased the Angels for $184 million in 2003, just after the franchise won its first and only World Series.
They went on to win five division titles from 2004 to 2009, but then went into a downward spiral.
Despite spending big to sign free agent superstars such as Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani − and drafting three-time AL MVP Mike Trout − the Angels have made only one playoff appearance since then, when they were swept in the 2014 AL division series by the Kansas City Royals
Currently tied for the worst record in the American League at 53-85, the Angels seem to be a long way from contending as Kroenke is set to take over.
Stan Kroenke's sports teams
However, Kroenke's teams have a history of producing immediate results.
- He purchased the Colorado Avalanche in 2000 and the team won the first of two Stanley Cups under his ownership a year later.
- He took over the storied Arsenal soccer franchise in 2018, and just this past season the club won its first English Premier League title in 22 years.
- He bought the St. Louis Rams in 2010, moved the franchise to Los Angeles in 2016 and won a Super Bowl in the team's sixth season there.
- Kroenke's franchises in the NBA (Denver Nuggets, 2023), National Lacrosse League (Colorado Mammoth, 2022) and UEFA Women's Champions League (Arsenal WFC, 2024) have also won league titles.
Stan Kroenke net worth
Per Bloomberg's Billionaire Index, Kroenke has a net worth of roughly $26.8 billion.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Stan Kroenke? What can fans expect from new Angels owner?
