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 Philip
Anschutz was
one of the primary leaders behind the remarkable
growth of American soccer in the 1990s and later.
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Personal
Information |
| Class
of 2006 |
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Born: 1939 |
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Anschutz
is best known in soccer as the owner of several
Major League Soccer teams, but his influence went
far beyond that, having particularly significant
effects on the national team and the place of soccer
in popular entertainment.
Anschutz
was born and raised in Kansas, and graduated from
the University of Kansas in 1961. A few years later,
he began making inroads into the world of big business.
He started as a wildcatter in the Colorado and Wyoming
oilfields, and in subsequent years expanded from
oil and gas into real estate, railroads, telecommunications,
movie theaters, moviemaking and sports.
He
started in MLS as investor/operator of the Colorado
Rapids in the league's inaugural season of 1996.
He later became involved at various times with the
Los Angeles Galaxy, the Chicago Fire, the San Jose
Earthquakes, the MetroStars and D.C. United.
Anschutz
preferred very much to stay out of the public spotlight,
and despite his vast influence did not really become
a well-known face in American soccer. The first time
that many American fans learned what he looked like
was from photographs of him celebrating with the
players after the Galaxy's victory in the 2002 MLS
championship game.
He
financed the building of one of the leading temples
of the sport in the United States, the Home Depot
Center in Carson, California. This stadium, considered
a model of the sort of medium-sized, soccer-specific
stadium that American soccer had long needed more
of, was built as the home of the Galaxy. Since its
opening in 2003, it has hosted a number of other
events, including the 2003 Women's World Cup final
and several U.S. national-team games. In 2005, it
became the home of a second MLS team, when Chivas
USA moved in as a tenant.
Anschutz'
influence on the national team has been seen particularly
through television. As one of the leaders of MLS,
he was one of the key people in the league's acquisition
of English-language television rights to the World
Cup. His involvement in both the entertainment industry
and soccer led to his financing of the movie The
Game of Their Lives, about the 1950 United States
World Cup team.
Anschutz'
sports interests have gone well beyond soccer. He
has been majority owner of the Los Angeles Kings
of the National Hockey League, a minority owner of
the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball
Association, and developer of the Staples Center,
Los Angeles' primary indoor sports arena. He also
has owned several professional hockey teams in Europe.
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