Jeff Bezos to sell Washington Post, buy American football team?

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos may be mulling to sell the newspaper, The Washington Post, to purchase the American football team, Washington Commanders, the New York Post has reported. 

A source with direct knowledge of the matter told NYP that there is a potential buyer interested in purchasing The Washington Post, and is planning to submit an offer. The source did not reveal the identity of the buyer. Additionally, another individual with experience in buying and selling newspapers has also reported hearing rumours about the potential sale of the publication.

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Despite rumours to the contrary, several media outlets have reported that a representative for Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, has stated that the newspaper is not for sale. Additionally, a spokesperson for the publication, which is owned by News Corp, which also owns the New York Post, has confirmed that the paper is not on the market.

It is worth mentioning that Bezos acquired The Washington Post for $250 million in 2013. According to the New York Post, Bezos is reportedly interested in purchasing the Washington Commanders, a team owned by Dan Snyder, in order to clear the way for this purchase.

The Commanders, which have won three Super Bowls, are considered by potential investors as a franchise with great potential in a large market, having won the Lombardi Trophy in 1983, 1988 and 1992.

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Reports state that the reason for Bezos’ interest in purchasing the Washington Commanders may be due to the current owner, Dan Snyder, being upset about the newspaper’s coverage of the team’s management culture, which includes allegations of sexual harassment enabled by Snyder and other leaders. The Washington Post has published a series of investigative stories on the matter.

According to Front Office Sports, a media brand that covers the intersection of sports, business and culture, Bank of America, which has been retained by Dan Snyder to manage the auction of the Commanders, is continuing to pursue Bezos as a potential buyer, despite indications that Snyder is not willing to sell the team to the Amazon founder. This information was previously reported by The New York Post.

It was reported that the Washington Commanders received first-round bids from potential buyers last week, but Bezos, who has been rumoured to be in talks with Jay-Z to form a partnership to purchase the team, was not among them.

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Previously, Bezos has stated publicly that owning a newspaper was not his intent. He was convinced to buy The Washington Post in 2013 by its former owner, Donald Graham, to ensure financial stability and to promote online growth.

Furthermore, Bezos has repeatedly stated that football is his favourite sport, but he has not publicly announced whether or not he intends to acquire a National Football League (NFL) team. Despite expanding rapidly under Bezos’ leadership, The Washington Post is expected to experience financial losses in 2022, due to a decline in circulation following the end of the Trump Administration.

It will be a challenging situation for Snyder if Bezos, one of the wealthiest people in the world, makes a bid for the Commanders. In November, Bezos announced his plans for his billions, stating in an interview with CNN that he intends to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes during his lifetime.