'This Is The NFL': Commanders Ownership Most Important to Magic Johnson
WASHINGTON D.C. -- While Earvin 'Magic' Johnson is a new minority owner of the Washington Commanders he brings the majority of social and popular culture attention with him.
Johnson was well established across multiple platforms including being an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, business owner, and a championship owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers before getting in on the deal to purchase the Commanders this summer.
Now that the deal is done and the excitement-fueled train has left the station, Johnson says of all his accomplishments this one stands at the top of the stack.
"This is the NFL," Johnson said when asked why purchasing this team might be the most important thing he's ever done. "There's no higher - bigger - sports league than the NFL. And it's been hard for us to get into the league, so give Commissioner Roger Goodell a lot of credit...it's important because now all African-Americans and minorities in this country feel like they're owners of this team too because I'm sitting in this position."
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Johnson's impact isn't being felt by the outside world alone. As he spoke to Washington's locker room ahead of practice on Wednesday the players sat in amazed focus as a legend of sports that many of them grew up idolizing gave them his secrets to being a championship team.
One specifically, offensive tackle Alex Akingbulu, a proud fan of the Los Angeles Lakers expressed to Commander Country that he was equally awed as a fan of the player Magic was and the new boss that he has become.
It's an interesting dynamic and not one that Johnson is taking lightly.
"I couldn't wait to get to the players, I couldn't wait to watch them practice," Johnson said of his first interaction with the team. "What a great group in terms of players and the questions that they had for me...the No. 1 goal for all of us is we want to win. Give [managing partner] Josh [Harris] a lot of credit he's put a lot of millions already into the team that you haven't seen and the players are ecstatic. That's what it's all about, you know, great leadership and it trickles down to everybody."
Where that leadership flows is into the fan base and the locker room, and we can honestly say spirits are higher around the Commanders organization than ever before.
There's a hunger to win, but there's also a belief they can achieve victory to a level not seen in quite some time by those wearing burgundy and gold.
And it's all starting at the top with dedicated and Hall of Fame caliber leaders.
