Tim Cook wants Apple to buy Manchester United soccer team
A report from the UK claims that Tim Cook is keen on Apple buying Manchester United, one of the UK's most famous and successful sports teams.
Britain's Daily Star tabloid newspaper is reporting that Apple is considering paying $6.9 billion for the Premier League football team, Manchester United. It's one of the League's highest-profile teams, and is where David Beckham first came to fame.
According to the newspaper, the current owners are the Glazers, said to be US billionaires. Reportedly, the Glazers initially wanted $9.9 billion for the team, but have decided to sell to the highest bidder.
The paper claims that Apple is one of the firms that wants to discuss a potential deal to take over the team.
Reportedly, Tim Cook is keen to explore unspecified opportunities that owning Man U would bring to Apple. He is said to be lining up talks with the banks appointed to oversee the sale.
The Daily Star further says that Apple "could" fund the building of a new stadium. Manchester United's current stadium, Old Trafford, is in need of renovation and the owners have recently vacillated between repairs and restoration, or an entirely new build.
Neither Apple nor the owners of Manchester United have commented, and the Daily Star gives no attribution or any indication of sources.
Such a purchase would be the first time Apple bought a sports team, but it has famously has a fictional one with "Ted Lasso." It has recently used its "Ted Lasso" characters to promote the World Cup.
Apple TV+ has also recently greatly expanded its soccer coverage, though through a deal with the US Major Soccer League, rather than the UK's Premier League.
Read on AppleInsider
Britain's Daily Star tabloid newspaper is reporting that Apple is considering paying $6.9 billion for the Premier League football team, Manchester United. It's one of the League's highest-profile teams, and is where David Beckham first came to fame.
According to the newspaper, the current owners are the Glazers, said to be US billionaires. Reportedly, the Glazers initially wanted $9.9 billion for the team, but have decided to sell to the highest bidder.
The paper claims that Apple is one of the firms that wants to discuss a potential deal to take over the team.
Reportedly, Tim Cook is keen to explore unspecified opportunities that owning Man U would bring to Apple. He is said to be lining up talks with the banks appointed to oversee the sale.
The Daily Star further says that Apple "could" fund the building of a new stadium. Manchester United's current stadium, Old Trafford, is in need of renovation and the owners have recently vacillated between repairs and restoration, or an entirely new build.
Neither Apple nor the owners of Manchester United have commented, and the Daily Star gives no attribution or any indication of sources.
Such a purchase would be the first time Apple bought a sports team, but it has famously has a fictional one with "Ted Lasso." It has recently used its "Ted Lasso" characters to promote the World Cup.
Apple TV+ has also recently greatly expanded its soccer coverage, though through a deal with the US Major Soccer League, rather than the UK's Premier League.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Of course there’s the headline: Time Cook wants Apple to buy...
Followed by the first sentence: A report claims...
And we fall for it every stinking time.
First of all, Cook has always been very calculated in what he says, especially in regards to Apple. Maybe this was a rare flub, but I have doubts that it is. Second, being one of, if not the, most well known teams it's excellent branding for Apple in the sport. Why simply pay a team to be your sponsor when you can own the team, be the sponsor, and make a direct profit off their branding?
Additionally, they are in need of a new stadium. If Apple gets their team(s) designing a stadium it very well cold become as iconic as its stores—perhaps to the point that you and I might go to see if we're ever in Manchester. If Apple can argue that an iconic stadium could bring in more tourists then they can get the city to pay for it (which is too common with stadiums in the US, and possibly a sticking point with the locals).
Or, maybe this tabloid newspaper is wrong or made it up simply because the popular and excellent Ted Lasso is an Apple TV+ series.
There is a case to be made for brand recognition in some cases but Apple doesn't that.
The Glazers were never really liked at Manchester United and the club will definitely need a new stadium sooner rather than later. The current Old Trafford, in spite of the relatively recent additions just doesn't hack it as a modern day, aesthetically pleasing football stadium and looks like the garden shed stadium when compared to others around Europe. That task alone is going to be a very costly headache.
Add to that that so fans at clubs don't want their stadiums to be 'multi-use' which is one of the few ways they can actually get some of the outlay back.
Then there is the fall from grace effect. Not everyone will be top of the hill forever and big salaries and crazy transfer fees have long been a problem in keeping clubs economically viable. Just ask Manchester City who were the city also rans for decades.
I can't see such a move being good for Apple.
Apple is known for its leading position in markets and setting high standards, so if there was an EPL team they'd purchase, surely it'd be Liverpool who are also taking offers now, not ManU. Only reason for ManU over Liverpool, if they really were interested, would be in converting the decrepit Old Trafford stadium
No, just no.
(Well, two. I never said Tim was like Elon. I said just the opposite.)
”Additionally, they are in need of a new stadium. If Apple gets their team(s) designing a stadium it very well cold become as iconic as its stores—perhaps to the point that you and I might go to see if we're ever in Manchester.”
A clarification seems to be needed. Apple designers are amazing product designers but they’re not architects. The two fields are very different. Jony Ive did not design the new Apple headquarters, the architect Norman Foster did. Steve Jobs did not design the Cube on 5th Avenue in NY, that was the architectural firm of Bolin, Cywinski, Jackson. Steve Jobs didn’t design the stair in the first Apple office building, that was the work of the architect I.M. Pei. Just to dispel some rumors I’ve heard over and over. Apple designers have not designed any Apple stores.