Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP, File
Toronto Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista takes to the outfield with a soccer ball after rain shortened a spring training baseball workout in Dunedin, Fla., Wednesday Feb. 24, 2016. Former Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista bought the majority stake in the Las Vegas Lights of the second tier United Soccer League Championship. “Las Vegas is the place to be and has emerged as a big professional sports town, and I will do everything I can to push this club forward,” Bautista said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.
Published Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 | 3:30 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 | 11:26 a.m.
New Las Vegas Lights owner Jose Bautista doesn’t hesitate when detailing the vision for his United Soccer League franchise.
After all, the retired baseball slugger says he only knows one way to approach athletics — with an eye on winning games and championships.
“I’m taking the same mentality I had as a professional athlete in that I love to win and hate to lose,” Bautista told the Sun. “Winning will be involved in every fabric of the franchise. We want to win immediately, and hopefully I can capture that and deliver for the fans.”
When asked a few minutes later about plans to diversify the home crowd on game days, which since the franchise launched in 2019 has struggled to attract families from the suburbs of Henderson and Summerlin, Bautista stressed the best way to fill the stands is by putting a respectable product on the field.
The Lights have never played in the playoffs. Last season, they finished 12th in the Western Conference.
“I hope winning will attract fans,” he said. “That will be the main thing. We wanted to be associated with success. That starts with winning.”
Bautista, who clubbed 344 home runs in 15 big league seasons, will be the chairman and governor of the club, officials said. They didn’t indicate a transaction price.
The Lights were previously owned by Las Vegas Soccer, LLC, which brought the minor league franchise to Cashman Field in 2019.
The Lights were known for their wacky promotions, like the two llama mascots, Dolly and Dotty.
Bautista indicated plans to continue with some off-the-field promotions to attract fans. He also said he’ll be reaching out to fans in the “Luz y Fuerza” support group for their feedback on how the franchise should look and feel.
“We want to do stuff they are proud of,” he said. “Without them, there is no us.”
Bautista has been an active investor in various projects since retirement, officials said. He is a lead investor and board member for the baseball equipment brand, Marucci Sports.
He additionally has ownership in “Canada Goose, which went public in 2017, and Endy Sleep, which was acquired by Sleep Country in 2018, and serves as a Partner and Senior Advisor to Aquilance, a leading household financial management firm,” officials said.
“José’s vision and values align perfectly with our league’s ambitions and the positive impact our clubs are having in their local communities,” said Justin Papadakis, the USL’s deputy CEO and chief real estate officer. “.... The game is growing rapidly in the United States, and our clubs are bringing high-level professional soccer to communities across the country, providing long-term economic development and creating positive social impact every day.”
A new season begins in early March. The home opener is March 16 against Tulsa FC.
It will mark the initial time Bautista sees a game at Cashman Field, a venue that opened in the early 1980s and for more than three decades housed a Triple-A baseball team. Bautista spent less than 30 games in Triple-A with Indianapolis before making his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I have loved soccer forever, partially because I couldn’t play it very well,” he said. “In (his native Dominican Republic) we didn’t have the resources and infrastructure that we do now for soccer. Baseball is my No. 1 love, that will never change. Soccer is a close second.”
