It's becoming increasingly clear that the Red Sox (and their fans) are a mere
bagatelle to the NOG (New Ownership Group) and their world-wide
Fenway Sports Group conglomerate. As detailed in an
April Forbes magazine article,
John Henry and his partners can now reap untold millions from such non-baseball ventures as player representation (
LeBron James,
Johnny Manziel), foreign sports teams (
the Liverpool soccer franchise) and even activities nobody in New England gives a rat's patootie about
(Roush Fenway Racing's NASCAR entry). Moreover, given FSG's sweetheart sponsor relationships, they can 'make' deals happen—like
New Balance getting the Liverpool jersey contract over
NIKE,
Adidas and
Under Armour. And the purveyors of the worst-tasting coffee in the world—
Dunkin' Donuts—get to sponsor LeBron as he "takes his marketing talents" to the Far East. It's all a very cozy little game—and the NOG is swimming in cash because of it. So, the next time they tell you how much they value your fandom, keep it in perspective.
