Is Mark Wahlberg Buying The Columbus Crew?

Is there a Mark Wahlberg Columbus Crew takeover deal in the works? According to the actor, it’s a possibility.

In a saga that’s been going on for nearly a year, Crew owner Anthony Precourt is trying to move one of Major League Soccer’s original franchises to Austin, Texas. He claims the club is unsustainable in Columbus, with no potential investors having come forward. 

Enter the man formerly known as rapper Marky Mark. 

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Wahlberg was in Columbus on Monday to promote a new car dealership, one that sadly doesn’t sell Transformers like the ones in the movies in which he stars. Local media in Columbus, jumping at the chance to interview a famous person not under investigation for committing or covering up abuses at Ohio State, asked Wahlberg if he’d be interested in purchasing the Crew, saving them from relocation.

Wahlberg said yes. Kind of. Maybe.

“Actually, you know what, I certainly would," Wahlberg told reporters. "My dear friend Bob Kraft has not only (owns) the (New England) Patriots, but he owns the New England Revolution as well. I have a bunch of people who are involved. I think that may be something we need to discuss.”

Wahlberg says he’s a soccer fan, particularly after the 2018 World Cup this summer, the first to not include the U.S. since Wahlberg was a racist convicted felon. 

“I became a huge, huge soccer fan,” Wahlberg said in Columbus. “This World Cup really got me.”

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So, could a Mark Wahlberg Columbus Crew deal actually happen? According to sources within MLS, it’s unlikely. 

ESPN reported Tuesday that an MLS spokesperson said there is “nothing substantive” to Wahlberg’s comments about saving the Crew. 

Sadly, this Crew train still appears headed for Austin, a town that’s honestly a bit lukewarm about taking the team. 

The Austin City Council may Wednesday on a term sheet outlining a possible stadium deal to help bring the Crew to the Texas capital, the largest metropolitan area without a major professional sports team (unless you include the Texas Longhorns, but seeing as how they haven’t been relevant in college football for a while, you probably don’t want to include them). The stadium would seat about 20,000, cost about $200 million and be built on a city owned site in North Austin. 

Mark Wahlberg owning an MLS club would be pretty cool, minus his awful, racist past (although no different from the current U.S. president). His "Daddy’s Home" costar Will Ferrell owns part of LAFC. Plus, Wahlberg already owns a cricket team and a restaurant franchise.

But it doesn’t appear this rumor is likely to come to fruition.