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Serena Williams, Lewis Hamilton Each Commit $13M to Sir Martin Broughton Chelsea Bid
April 21, 2022
Serena Williams and Lewis Hamilton—two of the most successful athletes in the history of sport—are now reportedly part of a bid to buy English Premier League club Chelsea.
According to Mark Kleinman of Sky Sports, Williams and Hamilton are each contributing £10 million to Sir Martin Broughton's Chelsea bid. That equates to about $13 million apiece in U.S. dollars.
Broughton's group is vying to purchase Chelsea on the heels of owner Roman Abramovich putting the team up for sale. Abramovich made the decision to sell after the European Union hit him with sanctions in the wake of his native Russia invading Ukraine.
Williams, 40, is widely regarded as the greatest female tennis player of all time with 23 career Grand Slam singles titles to her credit—an Open Era record.
Meanwhile, the 37-year-old Hamilton holds the all-time Formula One records with seven championships, 103 race wins, 103 poles and 183 podium finishes.
Kleinman noted that Williams and Hamilton were approached to join Broughton's group both because of their success as investors and the fact that they will bring even more diversity into the fold.
Per Front Office Sports, Hamilton's involvement is something of a surprise since he has long talked about being an Arsenal fan and is believed to have an Arsenal tattoo on his left ring finger.
Even so, it is a major coup for Broughton, who is also working with Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, led by Josh Harris and Dave Blitzer. Harris and Blitzer own the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and NHL's New Jersey Devils, and they also have a stake in EPL club Crystal Palace, which they would have to divest before completing a deal for Chelsea.
While Broughton's group seemingly has a strong chance to land Chelsea thanks to the superstar stable of investors it has assembled, it is far from a guarantee.
According to Kleinman, Todd Boehly, a part-owner of MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as Steve Pagliuca, who is a stakeholder in the NBA's Boston Celtics, also remain in the running to buy Chelsea.