Even White Sox fans are entitled to good news once in a while, and boy did we just get some. According to Jon Greenberg and Dan Hayes of the Athletic, one of the White Sox minority owners just took one step closer to owning the team.
Chicago-area billionaire Justin Ishbia, who was a potential bidder on the Twins, is instead increasing his share of the White Sox, leading people to believe he could eventually replace Jerry Reinsdorf.
— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) February 22, 2025
Story with @DanHayesMLB:https://t.co/U9QEsPhvJ8
According to the article, Justin Ishbia, who is part of the majority ownership of the Phoenix Suns with his brother Mat, is doing a 180 and increasing his stake in the Chicago White Sox. The most shocking part about this situation is that, according to Greenberg, it was Jerry Reinsdorf that approached Ishbia to increase his shares in the White Sox.
This comes on the heels of multiple reports that after attempting to expand his shares in the White Sox prior to this, Ishbia was going to shift his focus on buying the Minnesota Twins instead, while completely selling off his shares of the White Sox.
Luckily for White Sox fans, that will no longer be the case. In fact, it appears that it will open up a clear path for Ishbia to take over the majority of the team in the near future.
People with knowledge of the discussions believe that the deal will allow Ishbia to take control of the team at some point by buying the shares of longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf and other partners.
Jon Greenberg, The Athletic
In the article it explains how Ishbia bought a stake in the team a little over four years ago and has tried to increase his share since becoming a minority owner. At this point, his Justin Ishbia's net worth is around 5 billion dollars, which should give him plenty of room to continue to expand his ownership in the team.
The shares that will be transferred to Ishbia will be bought at a franchise evaluation at around 1.8 billion dollars. While Ishbia will not take control of the team with this purchase, it should give White Sox fans hope for the future, as the Suns have spared no expense trying to compete for an NBA title, while trying to give their fans the best possible experience they can.
Mat, Justin's brother announced that they would be implementing a $2 menu at their home games, starting this season.
Winning starts with our fans. When I walk the concourse at games there aren’t food options for families who don’t want to spend a lot of money. That needs to change, so today we’re rolling out our $2 value menu for all home @Suns games. pic.twitter.com/BsluNoKD5P
— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) December 18, 2024
This shows that they actually care about the fans and aren't in it for just for the money. They want to give fans the best experience they can, which should be at the top of the to-do list for an owner. Additionally, they make all their games free to watch for fans over their air, as well as on streaming services direct to consumers.
Suns Owner Mat Ishbia says Suns games will no longer be on cable and plans to make it free to watch over the air on local channels and direct-to-consumer streaming services
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 28, 2023
“We're not focusing on money. We're focusing on winning, success and taking care of fans, taking care of… pic.twitter.com/EP5y2HMZd1
This would be a fresh start for the White Sox, as the channel that currently broadcasts their games is in a deadlock with the biggest TV provider in the Chicagoland area, leaving a majority of fans with no way to watch the game without having to go through the hassle of switching a TV provider, or spending more money.
The ownership for the White Sox would be a bit different than the Suns, as sources in the article report that Justin would be the main owner of the team, while Mat would be a large investor, the opposite of how it currently is for the Suns.
While it is unclear how long it would be before Ishbia could take control of the shares of the team, White Sox fans can be excited that change will come soon, as Reinsdorf seems to have picked his predecessor for the chairman of the White Sox.
