Soccer team to be saved by NFL Star
Former owner Dell Loy Hansen of the Utah Royals women’s soccer team has recently left his position as part of the team. Hansen made some heavily disliked comments concerning the athlete protests currently happening, which forced him to give up his role as the team’s owner.
However, the popular women’s soccer team has nothing to worry about. It took less than 24 hours for another qualified person to express interest in owning the team after the news broke out about Hansen. The Utah Royals are already in great hands, as a well-known NFL athlete has jumped in and is eager to become the new owner of the team.
The protests stemmed from the multiple unprovoked attacks on black men and women by the police in recent months. Athletes from the NBA, NHL, and MLB have all taken a momentary step back from their scheduled games in peaceful protest.
To name just one, Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old from Wisconsin, was left completely paralyzed after multiple bullets cracked his spinal cord. Many games were canceled and postponed in light of Blake’s tragic shooting.
In response, Hansen posted on Twitter “The disrespect [shown by the athletes] was profound to me, personally.” In the following tweet, “It’s taken a lot of wind out of sails on how much I want to invest in the team – buying players and building the team.”
What is best for the team
Followers, fans, and colleagues immediately took the comments to be extremely disrespectful and tone-deaf. Once Hansen understood how detrimental his thoughtless tweets were, he attempted to apologize publicly. By that time, he was already urged to dismiss himself of his title of owner of the team.
Shortly after the incident, Hansen publicly announced his leave. He then acknowledged that the team is switching to a new owner.
Lisa Baird, National Women’s Soccer League commissioner, publicized a statement following the unfortunate events. Baird explained the move that Hansen is making is best for the team and the team’s management.
She continued to explain that although Hansen’s addition to the team was appreciable for the time being, the best decision as of now is to continue without him.
So, who owns the team now?
JJ Watt, the American athlete who is the defensive end for the Houston Texans, hardly took two whole minutes to express interest. Before saying a definitive “yes,” he simply tweeted, “I’m interested” Those few words were enough to begin the process.
The Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the year threw himself into a world that doesn’t completely revolve around football. With Watt leading the team, it could bring new waves of excitement and interest to American women’s soccer.
Watt is married to Kealia Watt, who is a part of the National Women’s Soccer League on the Chicago Red Stars team. Given her current status as NWSL star, and Watt’s new position of Women’s soccer team owner, this could bring new light and positive attention to US soccer.
There is a question if the new ownership could impact online betting. Especially with the current pandemic, although roulette online and popular card games like poker and blackjack are on the rise, sports betting has come to quite a halt.
Everybody is eager to see how well Watt will do owning the team, and what changes may be happening soon. Fans of the Utah Royals have nothing to worry about, as their beloved team is in great hands.