More Bezos NFL Murmurs & An S.B.F. Co-Conspirator Mystery

Jeff Bezos, in his putative pursuit of the Commanders, has essentially thrown away the typical playbook for purchasing a sports team.
Jeff Bezos, in his putative pursuit of the Commanders, has essentially thrown away the typical playbook for purchasing a sports team. Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Theodore Schleifer
April 11, 2023

When Jeff Bezos began to circle the Washington Commanders last fall, news dutifully emerged that he had recruited two celebrity sidekicks to add star power to his prospective campaign to replace Daniel Snyder in the owner’s box: Jay-Z and Matthew McConaughey, according to Bezos allies, were separately committing their names to his forthcoming offer. The leaks, at the time, were not unusual: Celebrity endorsements, especially from those with ties to the teams or fan bases, are a well-worn part of sports-franchise ownership P.R. campaigns; look no further than Apollo Global co-founder Josh Harris reeling in Magic Johnson, who last week was more than happy to talk publicly about their joint Commanders bid on the Today show, N.D.A. be damned.