I'm a Soccer Team "Owner"
Further proving I shouldn't be left to my own devices.
A mix of crazy things happened today.
I suppose the rise of Just The Sandwich has trained my algorithms on social media to pretty much be all sports all the time. Funny plays, up-and-coming athletes, and random contests I’ve never heard of are all in the mix. The other day, a targeted ad came across my feed: It was an appeal video to become an “owner” of a Scottish football club that’s playing in the 5 division, The Caledonian Braves. Here, I’ll show it to you:
After that seeing that I said what the hell, went to their “ownership investment page,” and kicked in the bare minimum of $100. Boom, Flobito is now a co-owner of The Caledonian Braves, Football Club.
Now there are a lot of things at play here for me. For one, I do have a personal affinity for “Alba.” My relationship is both literal (I have Scottish lineage on my father’s side) and well as spiritual, (my mother’s emerging adulthood was in Scotland as well). I had the pleasure of visiting Scotland in 2023, and there’s a cultural kinship to boot. I’ve even been attempting to learn the official/unofficial national anthem.
The Scot thing is a plus is what I’m saying. As far as investing in sports, I invested in the 2023 Florida (now United) Grid League team the Orlando Aces. They went undefeated that season and won the championship. So, on top of everything, I think of myself of a sports lucky charm. And lastly, there was a team close to me named Orange County Soccer Club. I had missed their similar “become a co-owner thing” by a single DAY and I never got the chance to throw some nickels in.
So why the “quotes?” Well because I’m not naïve to TRULY believe I’m an owner of a football club. Much like how sponsoring a zoo animal doesn’t make me an owner of a giraffe, the funds invested will probably generate next to nothing of a return on investment. As of today, there are about 5,000 other “owners” of the club. And to boot, I’m at the entry level so I don’t even get a jersey or a scarf a normal owner would wear at a promotional event.
But like how someone would “name a star,” or carve their name into a tree somewhere, it’s kind of fun to do and it comes with a confirmation that you can theoretically brag about to other people later.
And you get to hang with this guy (or at my donation level… PRETEND that you did!). That said, the content from the other “owners” have been fun to consume. It’s like I’m in some kind of a private club and that plays on the basic human desire of feeling included, amirite?
Go team!
-F