Rogers' Power Play- Company will have near-lock on city's pro sports with buyout of Bell's stake in MLSE

One man is now poised to control every major men’s pro sports team in Toronto. Edward Rogers will have achieved his long-desired goal of total power over Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), if a $4.7-billion deal to snap up Bell Canada’s 37.5 per cent stake is completed, making Rogers Communications the majority owner of the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts and Toronto FC.For a decade, MLSE’s board had been split between Rogers, Bell and MLSE chair Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports.

- By Ana Pereira, Mark Colley and Josh Rubin

One man is now poised to control every major men’s pro sports team in Toronto.

Edward Rogers will have achieved his long-desired goal of total power over Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), if a $4.7-billion deal to snap up Bell Canada’s 37.5 per cent stake is completed, making Rogers Communications the majority owner of the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts and Toronto FC.

For a decade, MLSE’s board had been split between Rogers, Bell and MLSE chair Larry Tanenbaum’s Kilmer Sports.

Insiders say that the often combative ownership structure made it difficult to achieve consensus for major decisions such as whether Toronto should have its own WNBA team, and Edward Rogers reportedly butted heads with Tanenbaum over keeping Masai Ujiri as Raptors president in 2021.

But if the deal is approved, Edward, the telecom mogul who started a fight with his own family for control of Rogers Communications, will be able to call the shots for all of the city’s major men’s sports teams — from who gets to run them to payroll decisions and budget assignments.

Rogers has purchased Bell's shares in MLSE, owner of the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Argonauts and Toronto FC, for $4.7 billion.

“Winning is everything for fans, and that’s why we’re committed to investing to bring more championships to Canada,” Rogers said in a statement. “We’re passionate about sports and we’re passionate about winning.”

Former MLSE chief executive Richard Peddie, who helped negotiate the sale of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s stake in the company to Bell and Rogers for $1.32 billion in 2012, said Wednesday’s deal ends what was clearly an uncomfortable relationship for both Bell and Rogers.