CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN:

THE GLAZERS BUY MANCHESTER UNITED

When the Glazer family bought into Manchester United in 2003, American ownership of Premier League teams simply didn’t exist. By the time they took full control of the team in 2005, English football was still scarce on television in the United States. But, the Glazers ownership, as well as the recognition of a team that had toured the US as part of the ChampionsWorld Series, made for a combination that helped elevated the profile of the Red Devils and global soccer in America.

For the Glazers, who also owned the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ownership was rocky from the beginning with United supporters in England protesting the takeover. But, those protests created content that forced coverage of soccer in America in a new and expanded way. Bringing even more attention to a game that was changing rapidly.

JD Deitch helped recruit new Manchester United fans in America during that time, and joins the show to discuss how and why there is so much support for ManU in the US, and how the Glazers ownership impacted it.