Football. Or fútbol. Russell Wilson now has a stake in both.
The Seahawks quarterback, along with his wife Ciara and various other prominent members of the Seattle community, joined the Sounders ownership group Tuesday.
The Sounders, who began play in 2009 as an MLS expansion team, are the first professional team Wilson has part ownership in.
“Seattle means so much to me and Ciara,” Wilson said, in part, in a news release. “We’re fired up about being part of the Sounders for a long, long time, having ownership in the Sounders and continuing to build that winning culture.
“When I got here in 2012, Seattle was a place that I felt I could call home forever. And obviously because of the Seahawks, and now because of the Sounders, it makes that really come to life. We’re really excited about building that winning culture. This city is a special place. The Pacific Northwest is a place we love and we get to raise our kids here and have a lot of fun while doing it. We want to bring the best soccer players in the world right here to Seattle."
Football. Fútbol. We Love them both! @ciara and I are fired up to announce we are Team Owners of the Seattle @SoundersFC one of the best soccer franchises in the world! We can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer! Family is everything! #SoundersIsFamily ⚽️💚💙 pic.twitter.com/LbOCt7WI5i
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) August 13, 2019
A Day I’ll Always Cherish! @DangeRussWilson & I are happy to announce we're Team Owners of the Seattle @SoundersFC one of the best soccer franchises in the world! Can’t wait for our kids to grow up loving Soccer! Family is everything! Football &Futbol is Family! #SoundersIsFamily pic.twitter.com/7vdwvUT3ma
— Ciara (@ciara) August 13, 2019
Wilson added: “We think this is a transformational sport. It changes peoples’ lives. It brings people together from all different countries, all different worlds, all different socio-economic statuses, all different races, all different troubles in life — it brings people together. That’s what we’re excited about for this game, this team, and what we can do in Seattle.”
The five-time Pro Bowl player has had hopes of becoming a sports owner in the past when he and Ciara made an effort to bring an MLB team to Portland.
It seems like the Sounders were a good investment, though. In 2018, Forbes ranked the team as the third-most valuable MLS squad at $310 million.
Seattle hip-hop star Macklemore and his wife, Tricia Davis, headlined the group. Others include a handful of current and former Microsoft executives.
The 11 new owners join Adrian Hanauer, Drew Carey and Jody Allen.