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NEW YORK — Britain’s Manchester United soccer team is in deep financial trouble despite its winning tradition that dates to 1878. Its fans are known to resent the club’s American owners, the Florida-based Glazer1 family, which wants to sell stock in the team to help manage its huge debt.
Manchester United fans protested in 2005 against the sale of their team to American billionaire Malcom Glazer. Many considered him a financial predator2 who would not invest in quality players to remain competitive. Today, the team may be looking to investors4 to raise capital to offset5 the team’s debt of more than half a billion dollars. Analysts6 say much of it stems from Glazer’s leveraged7 purchase of the club.
Initial market reaction appears muted. Jeffrey Sica, president of Sica Wealth Management in Morristown, New Jersey8, advises caution for clients who invest in sports teams.
“You have to think like an investor3. An investor thinks about what is the profit going to be at the end of the road. The fan thinks about winning games. And if the two don’t correspond with each other, then it’s not worth investing in,” he said.
The Glazer family recently filed for an IPO, or Initial Public Offering, on the New York Stock Exchange. Sica says the New York Exchange represents a larger market than the Singapore or Hong Kong exchanges, which the family previously9 considered. But the timing10, price and number of shares remain unclear.
Glazer’s other sports franchise11, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers American-style football team, is privately12 owned.
Fans reacted last year when word first spread of a Manchester United IPO.
"It's a good way of reducing the debt and providing funds for future players," said one man.
"If the Glazers just take the money, they will be vilified13 even more by United fans, but if they wipe out the debt, I don't see a problem," said another fan.
Sica says Manchester United could continue its winning tradition, but that does not mean investors will profit from it. He notes that the IPO is meant to address the team’s debt, not necessarily its performance on the field.
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1 glazer | |
n.上釉工人,加光工人 | |
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2 predator | |
n.捕食其它动物的动物;捕食者 | |
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3 investor | |
n.投资者,投资人 | |
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4 investors | |
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 ) | |
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5 offset | |
n.分支,补偿;v.抵消,补偿 | |
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6 analysts | |
分析家,化验员( analyst的名词复数 ) | |
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7 leveraged | |
促使…改变( leverage的过去式和过去分词 ); [美国英语]杠杆式投机,(使)举债经营,(使)利用贷款进行投机 | |
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8 jersey | |
n.运动衫 | |
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9 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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10 timing | |
n.时间安排,时间选择 | |
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11 franchise | |
n.特许,特权,专营权,特许权 | |
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12 privately | |
adv.以私人的身份,悄悄地,私下地 | |
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13 vilified | |
v.中伤,诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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