Comedian and game show host Drew Carey has invested in Seattle’s MLS expansion franchise, making him part of an ownership group consisting of Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen, Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer and Hollywood producer Joe Roth, who is the majority owner. Carey, like Allen and Hanauer, will be a minority owner.
The yet-to-be-named franchise will begin play in the 2009 season and will use the Seahawks’ Qwest stadium as its home until a stadium is built. A well-known soccer fanatic, Carey could regularly be spotted at Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. national team games. “Starting in 2009, I’m rooting for my money,” he said.
One of the conditions for Carey’s signing as a minority investor was to implement a membership system similar to that of FC Barcelona in Spain, whereby fans would have a say in the direction of the team, including voting for the general manager every four years. “We’re going to let the fans control who the general manager is and whether he is hired for a four-year period,” Carey said. “Adrian is going to be the general manager, and he’s one of the owners, but four years from now … they might vote him out.”