THE story behind Liverpool owners John Henry and Tom Werner’s billions is certainly a laughing matter.
That is because part of their fortune was made thanks to a highly-successful comedy TV show.
The Fenway Sports Group business partners launched the company in 2001 and have since added NBA superstar LeBron James to the ranks.
Their two main assets are the Boston Red Sox baseball team and Premier League giants Liverpool.
They bought the football club for £300million in 2010 and have overseen a hugely successful period including Champions League glory and ending their Premier League duck.
But despite seeing the Anfield side’s value multiply ten-fold over the last 13 years, Henry and Werner have come under criticism for a lack of investment.
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They were interested in selling last year – but confirmed they are now staying put but remain keen for fresh investment in the form of a minority ownership.
But their influence in elite-level sports is a long way from the soya beans that helped Henry on his way.
He grew up as the son of soya bean farmers and used his expertise in the field to make his first steps into the business world by trading the beans and corn.
He advanced from that into further investments after setting up JW Henry & Co in 1981, which turned him into a billionaire.
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Now worth around £3billion, Henry also owns the Boston Globe newspaper, which now has his wife Linda Pizzuti as managing director.
As for Werner, the New Yorker graduated from Harvard in 1971 and stepped into the television industry where he rose through the ranks at ABC.
However, it was when he left the network to form The Carsey-Werner Company with Marcy Carsey that his wealth boomed and now stands at around £1.3bn.
They launched a load of successful sitcoms – including 3rd Rock from the Sun, That ’70s Show, Roseanne and The Cosby Show starring Bill Cosby.
The Cosby Show – which had 201 episodes across eight seasons from 1984 to 1992 – reportedly generated a staggering £1.93bn in TV revenue including advertisement and syndication.
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Werner’s first venture into sport came when he bought MLB outfit San Diego Padres before FSG also pumped money into NASCAR and French side Marseille.
Now the Liverpool co-owners, both 73, are hoping Jurgen Klopp can fire the Reds back into the top four after a disappointing 2022-23 season.
They have stumped up more than £100m to bolster the midfield with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Off the pitch, the owners also paid for the new Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand, the latter of which will be opened in the coming weeks.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
