Larry Lucchino will hold tremendous sway over the Greater Worcester business and cultural communities until he and the rest of the WooSox ownership group decide to sell the team, which may be sooner rather than later.
In 2021, California sports and entertainment firm Endeavor made a bid to purchase the WooSox. Although Lucchino and his group turned down the offer, he did tell the Telegram & Gazette in January it would only be a matter of time before he sells the team, once the owners get an offer too good to refuse.
The team has without question increased in value since Lucchino and his partners bought it in 2015. Playing in the most expensive minor league stadium ever built, the $160-million publicly owned Polar Park, and with the sixth-highest 2021 attendance of the 120 minor league baseball teams, the top affiliate of the Boston Red Sox would be an attractive asset to any sports-minded investor. And whomever Lucchinio chooses to sell the team to could have significant impact on the Central Massachusetts business community.
While there’s very little new owners could do to possibly get out of the $61-million team obligation toward Polar Park’s overall cost, a corporate owner might not have the same community mindset as the WooSox current ownership. WooSox officials are frequent attendees at major Worcester community functions. The team goes out of its way to bring schools and nonprofits into its sphere, to the point where the WooSox won Minor League Baseball’s CommUNITY Champion Award for its local commitment.
What sets the Central Mass. business community apart? We have been struck by the community spirit and collaborative nature of Worcester.
Championship hand: I’ve been fortunate to earn a Final Four Watch, a Super Bowl Ring, and several World Series rings.
