Donovan Bailey joins Snoop Dogg in Ottawa Senators bid
With his latest venture, the former Olympic champion has shifted his focus to the hockey rink
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Canadian Olympic Committee
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Donovan Bailey announced on Friday that he has joined American rapper Snoop Dogg and L.A. producer Neko Sparks in their bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators. Sparks and Snoop Dogg have been leading this bid in hopes of making the Senators the first Black-owned team in the National Hockey League.
I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be joining the first black led ownership group with @SnoopDogg and @Neko_Sparks in our bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators #THEChamp#undisputed #ownership #RunningThingsPodcast #Sens pic.twitter.com/S3A70X1iAL
— Donovan Bailey (@donovanbailey) May 19, 2023
Bailey retired from professional sprinting with a 100m PB of 9.84 seconds, which still stands as the Canadian record. Since leaving the sport, he has been busy in several other realms, including business. He started a company called DBX Sport Management, which helps amateur athletes with self-promotion, he created The Bailey Foundation (a non-profit that raises funds for multiple causes, including cancer research and youth mentorship programs in Jamaica) and he invests in real estate.
In a February interview with Canadian Family Offices, Bailey said he is “regularly approached” by startups asking if he will invest in their projects. “I am currently invested in five startups,” he said at the time. “I’m involved in fintech, I own a shoe company … I’m exploring the psilocybin and cannabis spaces, I own a hot sauce company and the pillar of my portfolio continues to be real estate.”
Now, he is looking to add the ownership of a major sports team to his post-retirement resume, and it looks like he and the rest of the team surrounding Sparks have a good shot at landing the Senators.
“I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be joining the first Black-led ownership group with [Snoop Dogg and Neko Sparks] in our bid to purchase the Ottawa Senators,” Bailey tweeted on Friday. Bailey has shown his support of hockey teams in the past, including a recent Instagram post in early May in which he sports a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with the number 9.84 on the back.
There are several other bids being considered for the Senators ownership. The decision is expected at some point in the next week.
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