Jeff Bezos has entered his sports ownership era.
On Friday, Liverpool Football Club, one of the English Premier League's so-called "Big Six" clubs, announced that Fenway Sports Group sold a minority equity stake in the franchise to 1892 Holdings, which includes K5 Sports, a fund where the Amazon founder is the lead investor.
This is the first time Bezos has been publicly identified as owning a stake in a major sports team, placing him in rare company among his fellow billionaires and business titans.
The 1892 group is managed by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. Bloomberg estimates Mittal's net worth to be $42.6 billion. Bhatia was previously associated with Queens Park Rangers, where he served as director and co-owner of the fellow English football club.
EE Capital, the family office of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook, was also involved in the purchase, according to Fenway Sports Group's press release.
According to The New York Times, the minority stake values Liverpool at $7 billion. 1892 Holdings purchased 30% of the club, according to The Guardian.
"Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club's long-term interests in mind. That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world. As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special," Fenway Sports Group President Mike Gordon said in a statement.
The final sale is pending regulatory approvals, the club said in the statement.
John Henry, the owner of MLB's Boston Red Sox, is Fenway Sports Group's principal owner. Henry bought the club when it was in dire straits and has since seen Liverpool flourish. "The Reds" won the Premier League in the 2024-25 season.
Bezos had flirted with other sports teams before. In 2023, ESPN reported that the owner of The Washington Post would not make a bid for the NFL's Commanders, despite hiring a firm to explore such a move. An investment group led by billionaire Josh Harris ultimately bought the team.
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Brent Griffiths is a senior reporter at Business Insider who covers AI and tech.Previously, he worked at the Washington Post as a researcher on Power Up and the Finance 202. He started his career at Politico where he worked on the web production team and covered breaking news. His passion for covering politics has only grown since he cut his teeth covering the presidential campaign as a student journalist. He's also contributed to the Almanac of American Politics.
