One Dodgers 'Key Man' Makes Prestigious Most Influential List

J.P. Hoornstra | 23 Hours Ago

Dec 14, 2023; Los Angeles, CA, USA; From left Brandon Gomes, Dave Roberts, Mark Walter, Shohei Ohtani, Stan Kasten and Andrew Friedman pose for a photo at Ohtani's introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How much power and influence does Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter hold?

Enough to lure Shohei Ohtani, who's on track to have the best season ever by a designated hitter — if not the best career ever by a professional baseball player.

Walter also holds enough power and influence to make Sports Illustrated's prestigious "50 Most Influential Figures in Sports" list for 2024.

Writes Kristen Nelson:

Everyday life is likely not slow for those with an estimated net worth of $6 billion, but that has been especially true for the Dodgers’ owner in the past year or so. (Mark) Walter, who took over the franchise in 2012, scored another prize last December when he signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract. Walter already had a background in women’s sports as part owner of the Los Angeles Sparks and both Chelsea FC and its women’s club, and last year he established the Professional Women’s Hockey League. Others had tried and failed at this before, but the PWHL’s first season was a resounding success, setting women’s hockey attendance records. With deep-pocketed owners and a solid business structure, women’s pro hockey has its best chance yet to succeed

- via Kristen Nelson, Sports Illustrated

Walter's list of accomplishments as the Dodgers' principal owner go beyond one player and one season.

As the controlling partner of Guggenheim Baseball Management, he led a group that purchased the Dodgers out of bankruptcy in March 2012. Since then the team has never missed the playoffs and finished first in the National League West in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Walter's group has poured nearly as much into upgrading Dodger Stadium, the second-oldest park in the National League, as they did into Ohtani's bank account.

The result? A team that annually reaches the postseason, leads Major League Baseball in attendance, and provides one of the best ballpark experiences in baseball. The Dodgers' reputation has undergone a near-180-degree turn since the days of Frank McCourt in the eyes of free agents.

That includes Ohtani, who took the rare step of including a "key man" clause in his record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers last December.

It had been decades since the Dodgers competed with the New York Yankees for the best free agents every off-season. But under Walter, fans have come to expect it.

Walter is also a part-owner of the Chelsea Football Club in England's Premier League and the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. He also owns the Professional Women's Hockey League and the Professional Squash Association.