Verdine White, a veteran member of Earth, Wind and Fire, is taking on sports ownership for the first time as the new minority owner of Old Glory DC, a professional rugby team in the Washington area.
Old Glory DC, the Washington area professional rugby team, will play its first home game of the season on Saturday, and the team has a new minority owner who happens to be a superstar.
Verdine White, a veteran member of the soul band Earth, Wind & Fire, is taking on his first venture as a sports owner.
“My forever good friend Paxton Baker got me into it and we've been talking about it for quite some time. I told him I'd love to jump in with him. Anyway, I is a sports enthusiast,” White told WTOP.
Mr. Baker is a businessman and owns stock in the Washington Nationals and Old Glory DC.
One of the reasons White was interested in investing in Old Glory DC was his affinity for the area.
“We've been coming to D.C. for a long time. D.C. is kind of where Earth, Wind and Fire got its start,” White said. “You know, we were very successful in Washington, D.C., and it has always been like a second home for us. …Early in our careers, we were so successful in D.C. I was playing and I was thinking of moving to D.C.”
White is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a 2019 Kennedy Center Honoree.
But why rugby?
“I thought it was sexy…because it was from overseas,” White said. “I thought that was really great. It's a new generation now and people are really into it…and I wanted to be a part of that too.”
It was exciting for the music superstar to recently be recognized as a sports entrepreneur by basketball great Magic Johnson, who is also a minority owner of the Washington Commanders.
“When I saw the magic, he gave me a big hug. I thought it was the biggest compliment that he paid attention to me outside of the music. …I was overjoyed. I did,” White said.
White, a veteran of the concert stage, is eager to see the team succeed in his fifth season of Major League Rugby and said he is ready to grow in his first foray into sports ownership.
“I think (Old Glory DC) is a tough team…I can't wait to get in the stands…I can't wait to cheer on the team and learn while I'm at it,” White said. “I'm always open to challenges. … Whenever you're involved in something, it's a challenge, but that's what I like about this job.”
Old Glory DC, which made the playoffs last year, will host the Chicago Hounds at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyes on Saturday at 4 p.m.
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