Jennifer Lopez and A-Rod partner with NFL greats to buy the New York Mets

Superstar couple Jennifer Lopez and fiancé Alex Rodriguez placed a bid to purchase the New York Mets with a group of investors that includes Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, Chiefs Super Bowl champ Travis Kelce, and 2014’s Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray.  

According to ESPN, their group made an initial offer of $1.7 billion, but the highest bid belongs to hedge fund manager Steve Cohen for $2 billion. Cohen is a Mets minority owner who previously walked away from a $2.6 billion deal to buy the team in February when owner Fred Wilpon opposed Cohen’s push for immediate control of the organization.  

Though Cohen can easily outspend other bidders – His estimated $14.1 billion net worth dwarfs Lopez and Rodriguez’s combined $750 million – dropping out the initial purchase deal could have soured the Mets against his current attempt at ownership.  While Lopez’s group’s offer was lower, she and Rodriguez bring something to the table that money can’t buy… Star power. 

Lopez and Rodriguez are an A-list celebrity couple that draws a fan base from Hollywood and the sports world.  Lopez alone has 126 million Instagram followers, placing her as the fifteenth most-followed star on the platform.  At 3.8 million followers, Rodriguez is no slouch, their latest viral “Flip the Switch” video was viewed over five million times on his page.  

View this post on Instagram

Late night Tiktoks?? @jlo . Follow me at AROD13!!!

A post shared by Alex Rodriguez (@arod) on Mar 8, 2020 at 8:27pm PDT

The sheer magnitude of the couple’s popularity could bring a level of excitement to the organization, that unlike their New York counterparts the Yankees, the Mets have never been able to achieve.  

All the bidders will have to wait until the Wilpon family decides who will be invited to the next round. For now, former Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher is simply excited. “Being a former athlete and having a chance to be a part of a group trying to purchase a professional team, it’s pretty cool.”

Marie Finn