From Gwen Stefani to Mary Kate and Ashley, female celebrities frequently launch their own clothing, cosmetics or accessories companies. But lately, these ladies are finding a new way to spend their money!
Forget shoes and handbags – the new trend for savvy celebrities is to invest in professional sports teams. Here are five famous moms who are getting into the game:
Jennifer Lopez
She’s a singer, actress, producer and now a football team owner! Jennifer Lopez and soon-to-be ex-husband Marc Anthony are part owners of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
And it turns out that this mommy of twins is also a huge fan. You can see her at most of the team’s home games, and in August she was even spotted with a dolphin tattoo on her right shoulder blade (although it hasn’t been confirmed as a permanent inking).
Gloria Estefan
Joining J.Lo and Marc Anthony as part owners of the Miami Dolphins are Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio. “We are thrilled to be a part of our hometown team,” Estefan told reporters in 2009. The couple has been married for more than 30 years and have two children together.
Adrienne Maloof
Along with the rest of her family, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Adrienne Maloof owns the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. It was even featured on the show this season, when we saw a sneak peak of her feelings on moving the Kings out of Sacramento and into a bigger city. Lucky for the fans, the Kings stayed in Sacramento.
Jada Pinkett-Smith
An actress and mom of two kids who are also in show business, Jada Pinkett-Smith is the newest celebrity mom to own a sports team. Last week she and her husband Will Smith announced that they are now part owners of the Philadelphia 76ers.
West Philly is Will’s hometown – remember The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s theme song? It was semi-autobiographical. Over the years, the Smiths have been spotted courtside at countless basketball games. And once the NBA lockout is over, you’ll find Will and Jada watching a lot more games, this time as more than just spectators!
Beyonce
OK, so technically it might be Beyonce’s husband rapper Jay-Z who is part owner of the New Jersey Nets, but they are married and have a baby on the way. As far as I’m concerned, that makes her part owner of this NBA team as well.
You may ask yourself why owners would want celebrities involved in their business? One good reason is that it brings more attention to their team, which means more jerseys sold, more pictures of their arenas and stadiums in magazines. More exposure for any sport teams always brings in more money for the owners.
But before you start blaming Jennifer Lopez and Gloria Estefan for the Miami Dolphins not having the best season so far, just remember that most celebrities with ownership shares in sports teams only have a very small stake. Still, that small stake almost always comes with season tickets!
