Back in 2002, when the NOG (New Ownership Group) paid $700 million for the Red Sox, they probably thought they'd at least double their investment by now. You know, two rings and the passion of 'Red Sox Nation' and all. Wrong, derivative breath!Almost a decade after they underbid groups headed by Miles Prentice ($755 million) and Charles Dolan ($750 million), the NOG's Olde Towne Team is, according to Forbes, valued at a paltry $912 million—31st on the list! That's only $212 million more than they paid—and you know how many hundreds of millions they've poured into 'America's Most Cramped Ballpark'. Hardly a windfall.
Look closely and you can see the steam coming out of John Henry's ears. After all, not only is his toy worth almost half of what the Steinbrenner's toy is worth ($1.7 billion), he even trails his in-state rival Robert Kraft! His Patriots click in at $1.37 billion.
Being wired with the Commissioner just doesn't pay like it used to.