On the latest La Previa episode, host Asli Pelit speaks with José Bautista, the retired MLB All-Star and owner of the Las Vegas Lights FC of the United Soccer League (USL), about his path from professional baseball to team ownership.
Bautista played for eight clubs during his 14-year professional career, including 10 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, before pivoting to business. The USL franchise is his first investment in soccer.
“I have been looking into soccer for a while, as an investor, at all levels,” Bautista said. “I looked at opportunities at different leagues, even internationally. But this one felt right. The league is poised for growth and Las Vegas is on the map as one of the top sports cities in the United States.”
Bautista acquired the Lights in January and had less than two months to rebuild the team.
“At that time, we had only six employees, no coach and no players,” he said. “The situation looked dire, but we made it. I did not sleep for two months!”
With 53 days from the ownership transition to the start of the season, Bautista hired a new general manager, a sporting director and a new head coach, and has invested heavily in the on-field product, including significant roster transfers. He also invested in marketing, communications, ticketing and sponsorship agencies to help rebuild front office staff.
On the business side, he invested in new premium offerings by building sideline premium suites and LED boards, focusing on elevating the fan experience for season ticket holders. He also added a local broadcast partner, Fox-5, and an apparel sponsor, Hummel, the Danish sportswear company.
Bautista also worked to bring the community together around the team. “It’s not easy to win their support; we have to win it. We are doing the work,” he said.
Next, Pelit and Bautista discuss some of the lessons he brought to the Lights from his experiences as a professional athlete and his previous investments in sports.
“I think it all starts with having good advisors, people who guide you, who want the best for you, who don’t necessarily just have an economic benefit of helping you,” Bautista said. “Knowing how to accept their advice and recommendations, and apply them to your personal situation, and how you see your future and your present, brings you to a higher level, being a more sophisticated investor.”
The Lights are not Bautista’s first business venture. He was an early equity partner, lead investor and board member for Marucci Sports, a baseball equipment startup that was sold to Compass Diversified Holdings in 2020. He also invested in Canada Goose, a Canadian outerwear company that went public in 2017, and Endy Sleep, a Canada-based e-commerce company that sells sleep products and was acquired by Sleep Country in 2018.
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