Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez Add Sports Star Power in Bid to Purchase the New York Mets

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez aren’t giving up their Mets quest…

The 50-year-old Puerto Rican superstar and the 44-year-old Dominican American former-baseball-player-turned-sports-commentator aren’t giving up on their bid to purchase the New York Mets from the Wilpon family. 

Jennifer Lopez & Alex Rodriguez

After the pair reportedly teamed up with billionaire Mike Repole in an ownership group, they’ve now added a group of investors that includes some other big names. 

Per ESPN, Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher, 2020 Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce, ex-NFL star DeMarco Murray, former Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas,Washington Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal and Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee are all joining the celebrity couple’s bid.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have such high-quality individuals as part of our group,” Lopez and Rodriguez told ESPN on Monday.

The Wilpons have been looking to sell the Mets for months now, but a deal hasn’t been reached despite some interest. 

The Wilpons originally had an agreement in place to sell the team to hedge fund investor and billionaire Steve Cohenwhile remaining in control of the club for another five years, but that deal fell apart.

Recently, it was reported that Cohen delivered the family an offer for $2 billion, and was willing to offer an additional $2 billion to also acquire SportsNet New York (SNY). The Wilpons have reportedly been reluctant to give up SNY. However, it now appears the television network would now be included in a potential sale, indicating the Wilpons are more serious about a deal.

The group headed by Lopez and Rodriguez reportedly submitted an initial bid of $1.7 billion. The former New York Yankees slugger and Bronx-born pop star have reportedly put $300 million of their own money toward the bid. 

The Wilpons will review all of the bids, and work with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to determine the next steps in the process. Whoever does end up taking home the Queens-based franchise will need to their purchase to be approved by 75 percent of MLB owners.

The Wilpons reportedly hope to close a deal by the fall and gain Major League Baseball approval for the new owners before the end of the year.

Arenas to Play Ball for the Shanghai Sharks

Gilbert Arenas is headed to The Middle Kingdom…

The 30-year-old part-Cuban American basketball star has signed on to play with the Chinese league’s Shanghai Sharks, whose owner and president is former NBA star Yao Ming.

Gilbert Arenas

Arenas, who previously played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards, has been negotiating with the Guangdong Southern Tigers but opted to sign with the Sharks, who nearly disappeared due to financial problems in 2009 and were saved by Yao.

Arenas’ signing adds quality to the league, which begins play on Saturday, and follows the signing of Tracy McGrady by the Qingdao Eagles.

McGrady, known as “T-Mac,” was a teammate of Yao’s with the Houston Rockets.

Arenas, known as “Agent Zero,” could make his debut in the opening tournament on Saturday, when the Sharks take on the defending champion Beijing Ducks, a team led by former NBA star Stephon Marbury.