Red Sox owners are here to stay, so is Fenway Park
By Sean Penney
The owners of the Boston Red Sox have no intention of selling the team anytime soon or building a new stadium to replace Fenway Park.
John Henry and Tom Werner have owned the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years now, but their passion for the team hasn’t wavered. As far as they are concerned, they will hopefully own the team for at least another fifteen years.
Speaking with the media at the team’s spring training facility in Fort Myers, the Red Sox owners addressed any concerns that they may be interested in selling the team.
The answer was unequivocally, no.
"“We talk about how long we can do this, not when we should stop,” said Henry, per the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham."
Henry, Werner and their partners purchased the franchise in 2002 for $700 million, but they could easily sell for triple that amount if they were so inclined. Last year, Forbes valued the Red Sox at $2.3 billion, making them the third most valuable franchise in Major League Baseball.
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With that staggering return on investment, you can imagine how tempting it would be to cash out and retire to a private island where they could spend their days relaxing on the beach without a care in the world.
Except these owners do care. They care about winning, so right now their focus is on delivering the fourth World Series championship of their tenure.
Henry and Werner aren’t going anywhere and neither if Fenway Park. Henry confirmed that ownership isn’t even considering plans for a new stadium.
"“It’s been sort of built to last,” said Henry. “Built to last for the next at least 30 years, if not 50 years. I don’t think we’ll see a lot of changes.”"
Fenway has been home to the Red Sox for over a century and the current ownership group has invested a significant amount into renovations to upgrade the park. The aim has been to improve every facet of the ballpark with improvements to ensure that Fenway remains structurally sound.
Under their watch, Fenway has increased its capacity by adding a number of seats – including seats on top of the famed Green Monster, which have become a popular section for its unique view of the game. The latest expansion will add more dugout-area seating, allowing more fans the opportunity to sit close to the action.
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By giving the old ballpark the occasional face lift, ownership has managed to preserve historic Fenway, where generations of fans have come to watch the Red Sox.
It’s in a great area, surrounded by plenty of bars and restaurants where fans can gather before or after the game. Even if you don’t have tickets, it’s worth the trip into the city to bar hop or grab dinner in an atmosphere that is always buzzing during a game. Fenway is also easily accessible via public transportation, as it’s a short walk away from the Kenmore T Station.
Why abandon that just so they can build a more modern stadium in a different location? Other teams have moved into impressive state-of-the-art facilities, but they mostly seem to be the same cookie-cutter designs. Fenway’s unique dimensions are part of what makes it special, which isn’t something that most fans would want to lose.
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Fenway won’t last forever, but as long as Henry and Werner are running the show, they intend to keep the park standing for as long as they can. They also intend to keep owning the team for as long as they can, so don’t expect the owners or Fenway to be going anywhere anytime soon.