Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, are in the starting process of bringing a professional baseball team to Portland, Oregon.
A local Oregon group, Portland Diamond Project, have a mission to bring Major League Baseball to the city and announced that the Seattle Seahawks quarterback and the singer are new partners. No details were released to explain the financial side of things.
Honored and excited to welcome Russell Wilson and Ciara as owner/investors in Portland Diamond Project. Looking forward to working together to make MLB in Portland a reality. @dangeRussWilson @ciara #MLBtoPDX #PortlandDiamondProject #MLB #Baseball #Portland pic.twitter.com/XSOdrvwHiQ
— Portland Diamond Project (@PDXDiamondProj) June 1, 2018
If MLB were to award the city an expansion franchise, those involved in the project would naturally be the favorites to be owners.
Wilson is also a partner in a venture to bring the NBA back to Seattle. If either become reality, and Wilson is in line to become an owner, the NFL would ultimately have to approve the transaction, to ensure that any other partners would not be offering him extra incentive that could result in tampering.
The Portland Diamond Project was formally announced last month. It is led by former Nike executive Craig Cheek, who got to know Wilson when the quarterback signed his endorsement deal with the brand. The plan is to acquire land in the area and begin the process of building a ballpark.
Earlier this month, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he would like to expand by two teams, to 32. He previously cited Montreal, Charlotte and Mexico City as early favorites.
