Article on Phil Anschutz in Washington Post

[Darryl]

Today's Washington Post print edition had a front page article on Phil Anschutz. The article was not just about DC United, and not just about soccer, but talked about his overall impact on the Washington DC region and MLS in general. Interesting read, whether you are interested in the DC United angle or not.

For those unaware, Phil Anschutz is a billionaire businessman with a personal and financial interest in soccer. He owns 5 of 10 MLS teams.

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A Low Profile and a Large Footprint
Anschutz Makes Mark on Area With Soccer, Newspapers

By Annys Shin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 21, 2004; Page A01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A808-2004Nov20.html

Since taking control of D.C. United three years ago, Anschutz has made it a priority to turn around the team's fortunes and make it more attractive financially. He is on track to do both. D.C. United recently won the 2004 Major League Soccer championship, its fourth title and first since 1999. And Anschutz representatives are in talks with city officials about building a 24,000-seat, soccer-only stadium on the Anacostia River, an effort to increase the value of the team.

[Mountainia]

I haven't read much about Anshutz, but from reading this, I get the impression that he sees potential value in Soccer, and that's why he's running this league. Not because he likes soccer.

We see railroads, he sees communication paths. We see old, bankrupt movie theatres, he sees new entertainment venues. We see small, barely surviving local papers, he sees demand for local content and ads. We see soccer, he sees, what, stadiums?

If I had the money, it might not be a bad bet to tag along with Phil. Just make sure you have all the same angles covered that he has.