Canadian superstar Ryan Reynolds appears to have expressed interest in buying the Ottawa Senators, and while fans are talking about the possibility, one expert says it probably won’t happen.
On Wednesday, People magazine reported that the Deadpool actor and entrepreneur was considering buying the NHL team, amid reports that the owners are considering a sale.
Reaction on social media was swift, with fans posting photos of Reynolds’ Deadpool character wearing a Senators jersey in a team photo.
One account even redesigned the Ottawa Senators logo, replacing the centurion figure with Deadpool’s mask.
New logo for the Ottawa Senators, pic.twitter.com/eSxjTSyfSu
—@sportslogosnet
On Tuesday, Reynolds himself responded to a fan on Twitter who suggested he buy the team, not exactly a yes, but not a no either.
While the fans seem excited, why would Ryan Reynolds want anything to do with Ottawa, let alone buy their NHL team?
For starters, Reynolds is Canadian. He was born in Vancouver, but for a time lived in Ottawa’s Vanier neighborhood and has maintained close ties to the city.
Reynolds donated to the Ottawa Food Bank in 2020. He also impersonated Bruce the intern, the man behind Ottawa Public Health’s clever Twitter account, during the pandemic
Earlier this year, Mayor Jim Watson named a street “Ryan Reynolds Way.”
While the idea that Reynolds would be interested in buying the Senators surprises many, the team isn’t so sure.
Without reacting to the rumors about the potential interest of Ryan Reynolds to buy the team
Coach DJ Smith and defenseman Erik Brännström said they have both heard rumors that Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds might be interested in buying the Ottawa Senators franchise.
“Yeah, that’s interesting. You hear all that stuff,” manager DJ Smith said with a laugh Thursday, when asked about the possibility of Reynolds becoming the club’s owner.
“For us as a group, we just want to win hockey games and we’re going to do our best.”
Defender Erik Brännström also laughed when asked for his thoughts.
“I saw it yesterday. Yeah, it would be fun,” Brännström said, though he admitted he hadn’t seen any of Reynolds’ films.
If the Ottawa Senators are put up for sale, the price will likely be significantly higher than what Reynolds can afford on his own, says economics professor Moshe Lander. (Chris O’Meara/The Associated Press)
Reynolds would need a billionaire partner, the expert says
Even with the support of the fans, it is unclear whether the actor could afford to buy the team.
“Here’s the thing. Let’s say it has idle cash, $50 million, $100 million, right? We’re talking about a team that’s going to cost $700 million,” said Moshe Lander, a professor of economics at the Concordia University of Montreal.
“It’s going to require very, very deep pockets. And if you want to sell small token stakes to people like Ryan Reynolds, go for it, but there better be a figurehead up front who has a lot of zeroes after his name.”
Ryan Reynolds would need billionaire partners to buy Sens, economics professor says
Concordia University economics professor Moshe Lander said actor Ryan Reynolds is far more likely to be a “frontman” for the Ottawa Senators than an outright owner.
There’s the added complication that the Senators may leave the Canadian Tire Centre, located 25 kilometers west of downtown.
Three months after the death of former owner Eugene Melnyk in March, the National Capital Commission (NCC) announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with a senator-led group to develop an NHL arena and a event venue surrounded by a mixed-use development in LeBreton Flats. near downtown Ottawa.
The group’s concept was still in the early stages, the NCC stressed, with the goal of signing a long-term lease in the fall of 2023.
Lander said someone like Reynolds likely isn’t interested in getting involved in such a complicated and political deal.
Reynolds already has a history of investing in professional sports teams. Last year, he and actor-producer Rob McElhenney invested more than $3.4 million to buy Wrexham Association Football Club, a football team in North Wales.
CBC tried to reach Reynolds for an interview, but did not receive a comment.