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Keeps His Money; Maybe He's Just Partial to Hockey
Broadcom co-founder and Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli passed up an opportunity to buy a professional video gaming team.
The surprising disclosure came during a panel discussion on the rise of esports during OCTANe's signature annual event, Technology Investor Forum, on May 31 and June 1 at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa.
"We decided not to do that," Gerald Solomon, executive director of the Samueli Foundation, said in the discussion.
The Newport Beachbased foundation made headlines in September when it gave $200 million to the University of California-Irvine, the largest in the school's history and seventh-largest to a single public university, according to UCI.
The market for esports franchises varies widely, from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $20 million, the reported buy-in price for teams in the Overwatch League, which Irvine-based Blizzard Entertainment Inc. launched in January. The Samueli Foundation established the OC High School Esports League, which ended its first season last year. Solomon is commissioner of the league.
Samueli, a lifelong sports fan, wouldn't budge on esports, but the...