San Diego Padres Werner's entry into sports team ownership came when he and 14 other
Southern California-based investors purchased the
San Diego Padres from McDonald's heiress
Joan Kroc for US$75 million on June 14, 1990. As holder of the largest financial stake in the ballclub, he served as the team's general managing partner. It was a difficult period economically in
Major League Baseball, which was riven by the financial disparity between small- and large-market franchises and ultimately cancelled the 1994 World Series because of a work stoppage that carried into the following season. Werner was appointed to Major League Baseball's Executive Council and was chairman of MLB's television negotiating committee, where he was an early proponent of the wild-card format that was first implemented in 1995. Just under six weeks into his new ownership role, he attempted to
cross-promote the team with one of his
television series in between games of a
twi-night doubleheader versus the
Cincinnati Reds at
Jack Murphy Stadium on July 25, 1990. He had invited
Roseanne Barr, the
eponymous star of
one of his sitcoms, to perform
The Star-Spangled Banner on an evening billed as Working Women's Night at the ballpark. She comically sang the
national anthem with a loud, screechy voice. After finishing her rendition, she grabbed her
crotch and
spat at the ground in an attempt to
parody baseball players. The
publicity stunt was met with condemnation from baseball
fans and
sportswriters, some of whom called it either the "Barr-Mangled Banner" or the "Barr-Strangled Banner." The Padres missed capturing the
National League (NL) West title by three games in
1989, a year prior to the start of Werner's tenure. Its 89–73 record was then the second best in franchise history. the team fell precipitously into the NL West cellar at 61–101 in
1993, six games behind the
expansion Colorado Rockies. It was on its way to a second consecutive last-place finish at 47–70, but a
players strike prematurely ended the
1994 campaign. Critics at the time attributed this sudden free fall in the standings to cost-cutting measures ordered by Werner and his fellow investors. The so-called Fire Sale of 1993 began on August 31, 1992, when
Craig Lefferts was traded to the
Baltimore Orioles. In the offseason,
Randy Myers and
Benito Santiago were allowed to become
free agents,
Tony Fernández and
Mike Maddux were dealt to the
New York Mets and
Jerald Clark was selected by the Rockies in the
expansion draft.
Gary Sheffield was sent to the Marlins on June 24, 1993,
Fred McGriff was shipped to the
Atlanta Braves.
Bruce Hurst and
Greg Harris were moved to the Rockies on July 26. Werner retained a 10% share in the franchise until he sold it to Moores before the start of the
2007 season.
The Boston Red Sox and Fenway Sports Group Werner returned to baseball in 2001, part of a group that included former Orioles and Padres CEO
Larry Lucchino and Florida Marlins owner
John W. Henry which made a successful bid to purchase the
Boston Red Sox. Their bid, which totaled $700 million (including $40 million in assumed debt) was accepted by MLB on December 20, 2001, with formal approval coming on February 27, 2002. Henry served as principal owner, Werner was named chairman and Lucchino became club president and CEO, a collaboration that generated a historic level of success. The new ownership group had been the only prospective purchasers committed to saving
Fenway Park, the team's historic home, and after three years of making substantial improvements to the ballpark, the owners made a long-term commitment to remain in Fenway, leading to more than $400 million in improvements during the first 17 years of their tenure. After the ballclub spent the 2002 season under interim GM
Mike Port, who replaced
Dan Duquette, the new ownership group promoted 28-year-old
Theo Epstein, making him the youngest GM in baseball history. The Red Sox lost the 2003 ALCS in seven games to the New York Yankees in Epstein's first season, but under new manager
Terry Francona overcame a three games to none deficit to the New York Yankees to win the 2004 ALCS, then defeated the St. Louis Cardinals for their first World Series title since 1918. World Series titles followed in 2007, 2013 and 2018. After leaving the Red Sox in 2011, Francona criticized Werner for his focus on TV ratings, quoting Werner in a 2010 meeting as saying: "We need to start winning in a more exciting fashion." Francona also criticized Werner for exaggerating his role in Red Sox management:Werner was constantly trying to assert his importance. When the Henry group first purchased the Red Sox, Werner hired a public relations firm to get his name in the local newspapers. When stories were written about Henry or the Red Sox, he was known to call writers and ask, "Why didn't you mention me in your story?" On November 25, 2010, Liverpool announced that Werner would be installed as chairman, replacing
Martin Broughton, beginning December 1, 2010. In May 2012, Werner made a controversial decision by sacking coach and club icon
Kenny Dalglish citing the club's poor league results. This was regarded as a poor decision by experts such as BBC's
Alan Hansen, given Dalglish's success in lifting the club from four points above the relegation zone to a League Cup win and an FA Cup final appearance in just over a season.
Swansea City's former coach,
Brendan Rodgers, filled Dalglish's boots, helping Liverpool finish second in the 2013–14 Premier League that also earned a spot in the UEFA Champions league after a five-year absence. Rodgers was sacked just over a year later, after failing to qualify for the Champions League a second time, due partially to the sale of
Luiz Suarez to
Barcelona, and a disappointing start to the subsequent season. German coach
Jürgen Klopp was named his replacement. According to
El País, co-owner John Henry did not trust public opinion, so he looked for a mathematical method very similar to
Moneyball, which turned out to be Cambridge physicist Ian Graham's mathematical model to select the coach and players essential for Liverpool to win the UEFA Champions League. In his first year in charge, Klopp led the team to the
Football League Cup Final and the
UEFA Europa League final during the
2015–16 season. In 2017–18, despite the sale of
Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona mid-season, Liverpool reached the
2018 UEFA Champions League Final which was their first time in eleven years. In the
2018–19 season, Liverpool finished second to
Manchester City in the Premier League race by one point, and went on to win the
2019 UEFA Champions League Final to claim their sixth title in the competition, which was also the first trophy under Klopp's management. After the European Cup win, Klopp signed a contract extension to 2024. In June 2020, following a prolonged season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Liverpool won the Premier League, their first ever Premier League title and their first top division league title since 1990. == Community and philanthropy ==