A New Jersey native, Jozy Altidore grew up a New York Giants fan. But nowadays the former United States national team soccer player sports a different shade of red and blue.
Altidore recently joined the Buffalo Bills ownership group as a limited partner—part of a consortium of minority owners that includes former NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter. The 10 new limited partners, which includes private equity firm Arctos, bought roughly 20% of the franchise at a reported $5.8 billion valuation. Like Altidore, a former MLS star for Toronto FC, McGrady and Carter hold Canadian ties, having played in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors.
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Using his cross-border connections, Altidore, who won a MLS Cup with Toronto in 2017, wants to assist Buffalo by bridging the gap between North American regions.
That includes creating more Buffalo Bills fans in the Great Lakes area. The third all-time leading scorer for the USMNT played seven seasons for Toronto FC. It was there Altidore realized the affinity some Toronto residents already have for the Bills, the closest NFL team by proximity. This includes his former TFC teammates who would regularly take a bus from the Toronto area to Buffalo, about a 115-mile trek, to catch football games.
“When you go and live in Toronto, the Buffalo Bills are your team, whether you like it or not,” he said in an interview. “It’s kind of crazy that it has evolved to this.”
The Bills sold a 10% stake to Arctos Partners, which already has equity in several pro teams across MLB, NBA, MLS and other sports leagues. The NFL approved private equity investment last fall.
Arctos managing partner Doc O’Connor has said that growing the number of Bills fans in Toronto, which has a metro-area population of 6.7 million, will help the firm secure a satisfactory return on its investment. Altidore, who is also an investor in emerging leagues TGL, NWSL (with Bay FC) and SailGP (through the United States team), wants to do his part to drive more connectivity within the region with early ideas of community events and various cross-border activations.
As Altidore courts Canadian NFL fans, his longtime supporters hope he can also improve the soccer culture in Buffalo as a side benefit of his Bills investment.
The local soccer community outreach to Altidore was heavy, he said, when it was announced that he would be joining the franchise as a limited partner. The Buffalo faction of the American Outlaws—a nonprofit and unofficial…