JJ Watt talks to Ryan Reynolds about investments in Burnely/Wrexham

Celebrity entrepreneurship is everywhere, as Shay Mitchell returns from a “Pretty Little Liar” to luggage dealerGwyneth Paltrow moved from Shakespeare in love to salesman vaginal suppositories and egg, and Ashton Kutcher moved on from the star of “Dude Where’s My Car?” to the guy asking, “dude, where’s my next venture capital firm and how soon is mine venture capital firm create an AI portfolio?” (The answer to that is just five weeks.) No matter what you’re looking for, bad vitamins or really good stuff, A-list stars are ready to be your dealers and investors. And, post four months retirementformer NFL player JJ Watt is no exception.

The former Pro Bowl defensive end for the Houston Texans is now playing a different game, after becoming a minority shareholder of the English soccer team, Burnley FC. Shortly after co-investing with his wife, Kealia, a sports star in her own right as a former USWNT player, Watts appeared to be having a blast with his new team, and he is open about how he took a page from celebrity mega. -playbook of investor Ryan Reynolds.

Co-star of “The Proposal,” serial investor, and Blake Lively’s husband, Reynolds has some advice for Watts about the transition. Reynolds, who co-invested in Welsh soccer team Wrexham along with actor Rob McElhenney, happy to give Watts some points, Burnley’s new shareholder SPOKE The Athletic. Watts said Reynolds emphasized the importance of recognizing that soccer abroad has a different culture that involves an intense loyalty that is not always common in American sports.

“He told me that I have to respect and honor that history and tradition and do right by that group or you’re going to lose it before you even get started,” Watts said. His strategy to endear himself not only to the team but to the fans or “supporters,” in English parlance, of Burnley, seems to be about integrating himself into their culture, and having fun while he’s at it.

Go on a pub crawl as supposed “research” to connect with the base, Watts Explains that his quest to love himself involves “many pints of Guinness along the way,” which reads like a Frat star saying that chugging Natty Lights is about research, even though in the case of Watts it can be fruitful (as Watts tried. to identify the fanbase).

He speaks The Athletic that he enjoyed watching McElhenney and Reynolds’ successful journey (nods from them about learning about the team’s community), and[ing] ball” with Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, a former star player at nearby Manchester City, a marquee investment from Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Some American athletes also invest in English clubs, especially LeBron James who has one reported a 2% stake in Liverpool in 2011 for $6.5 million—soon converted to share with Liverpool’s owner, the Fenway Sports Group. With Liverpool up for sale at a $4 billion valuation, James’ investment seems to have increased significantly.

Reynolds and McElhenney’s $2.5 million investment in Wrexham has also paid off, apart from a hit documentary series for FX/Disney, they progressed on the pitch. Last month, they won promotion to a division within England’s pyramid structure, and they will start playing in League Two (the fourth division) next season. In theory, they will reach the first division, the Premier League dominated by Manchester City, in the future. The accounts tell a different story, said the BBC report with Reynolds and McElhenney lost £3 million since taking over from Wrexham a year ago. Perhaps, as Reynolds once claimed, Lively should be consulted before the two poured nearly $3 million into the underdog team, though the club says turnover has increased fivefold since last year.

The duo also seemed to enjoy participating as co-owners, as they were repeatedly photographed celebrating during the emotional high and below. At one point, co-star Paul Rudd came to see what they had accumulated so much FORCE and money to. “I love this sport so much that I actually hate it,” Reynolds said the BBC.

Watts’ new club, Burnley, was relegated from the Premier League in 2022, but just weeks ago won promotion back to the top flight for next season. (Needless to say, Premier League clubs are worth more than most or all of their lower-division counterparts.) As the team prepares for the Premier League, Watts makes it clear that he is not there to make ripples, just as he was there to soak in their customs. “It was here long before I was here and long after I was gone; All I try to do is respect and enhance what you have,” he said of Burnley.



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