Major League Baseball recently approved the record-breaking $3.9 billion sale of the San Diego Padres to a new ownership group.
It's led by a power couple — private equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and his wife and business partner, Kwanza Jones.
Feliciano was born in Puerto Rico. His heritage has stirred excitement and pride within San Diego’s Puerto Rican community.
“I think it's going to be a positive thing, encourage the Latino community, encourage the Latino baseball players. And then (they) can share more of the culture and understand a little more about us,” Carmen Acevedo said.
She was born in Puerto Rico and has lived in San Diego for over 20 years.
Acevedo is also a board member at the House of Puerto Rico in Balboa Park. She said thousands in the local Puerto Rican community are big baseball fans and are proud of the Padres’ new ownership.
“As soon as you hear ‘Puerto Rican’ with a big achievement, you just get pride, it doesn't matter who is it,” Acevedo said. “And then José has humble beginnings. And he had developed his life and business and now becomes the first Puerto Rican owner of a team.”
Feliciano is now the second Latino principal owner in Major League Baseball, along with Arte Moreno of the Los Angeles Angels.
His wife, entrepreneur-philanthropist Kwanza Jones, is the first Black person to own a majority stake of a MLB team. She happens to also be born and raised in Los Angeles.
It's a major milestone for San Diego County and the country, said San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce President Donna Deberry.
“For me its really about creating this direct bridge from the legacy of Negro Leagues to modern era,” Deberry said. “This is a historic moment that really changes the face of sports leadership. It breaks that century old glass ceiling and proves diversity belongs, absolutely, at the highest level of American business.”
Deberry said this moment personally reminds her of her grandmother and the generations of other women who built foundations they never got to stand on.
“It changes who gets to sit at the decision making table. And inspires the next generation of women and leaders of color to see sports ownership as an achievable dream,” Deberry said.
The sale of the team comes two-and-a-half years after the death of former Padres owner Peter Seidler.
The Padres are expected to officially announce the new owners on Monday at a Petco Park media conference.
