In a $3.9 Billion dollar deal, Kwanza Jones and her husband Josè E. Feliciano placed a bid for majority ownership of the San Diego Padres which the team has agreed to. Though the deal is still pending approval by Major League Baseball (MLB), it marks a historic moment for what could be more diverse representation in sports team ownership both for people of color and women after over 120 years of leadership without Black women.
“As life and business partners, and as a family, we are honored to lead this next chapter together. We have worked hard for everything we have achieved, and we have built it together. We see that same spirit in this team and its fans, and we know what it takes to win. We are committed to showing up, listening and earning the trust of this community while building on the strong foundation established by the Seidler family,” the duo expressed in a joint statement. Peter Seidler previously owned the San Diego Padres for a few years until his death in 2023, where his family had since inherited his primary ownership stake in the team.
“As a Padres fan I couldn’t be more proud and excited about this,” one user commented on a post announcing the ownership change. Others joined in on the sentiment by commending Jones and sharing their excitement of what new leadership could look like.
In an era where people in the Black community are still becoming ‘the first’ in different industries, the support that Jones is receiving comes from a deeper level of appreciation and solidarity among those in the community. With 6.8% of baseball players being African American, as reported by MLB’s Diversity Report, it’s safe to say the representation isn’t just growing on the field but off of it as well. Black women in particular have been extensively underrepresented in the sports ownership space, but now can have reassurance in seeing others take growth to a new level.
Jones joins a growing list of other Black women who have ownership stakes in sports teams, including Renee Montgomery of the Atlanta Dream, Valerie Daniels-Carter for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Sheila Johnson as the first Black woman to have ownership rights in three different sports teams across three different leagues, including the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Mystics (WNBA), and Washington Wizards (NBA).
As formal voting for the approval of the ownership change awaits, the Seidler family is still operating the Padres day-to-day as “business as usual” until otherwise notified. For the ownership change to be approved, Jones and Feliciano will need 75% of the 30 MLB team owners to approve the purchase for financial background vetting and regulatory compliance.