On March 27, 2012, embattled owner Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise to Guggenheim Baseball Management for a record $2 billion.
The group was headed by principle owner Mark Walter and included team president and CEO Stan Kasten, and part-owners Todd Boehly, Peter Guber, Magic Johnson and Bobby Patton.
In the years since, tennis legend Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, Alan Smolinisky and Robert L. Plummer joined the Dodgers ownership group as part owners.
According to Hailey Salvian of The Athletic, Walter and King have entered into negotiations with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) to explore the launch of a new professional women’s hockey league:
The PWHPA has entered into a formal relationship with Billie Jean King Enterprises and The Mark Walter Group to explore the launch of a new professional women’s hockey league, a source told The Athletic Tuesday.
King, who is a trailblazer for gender equity in sports, has worked as an adviser to the PWHPA over the last few years. In addition to the Dodgers, she owns minority stakes in the NWSL’s Angel City FC an WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
Walter has vast experience financing sports and his estimated net worth is around $3.8 billion. Along with being the principle owner of the Dodgers, he owns minority stakes in the Sparks and L.A. Lakers, and recently purchased the Chelsea Football Club.
Walter & King’s vision for PWHPA
Since its inception in 2019, the PWHPA has strived to create a league for the best women’s hockey players in the world.
Details have not been finalized yet, but one model is calling for a six-team league with 23 players and three coaches. A 32-game schedule would be played from January to April, and a four-team playoff would ensue with three best-of-five series to determine the league’s champion.
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