With their success in Wrexham — both the team and Welsh town — Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are going to Mexico to invest in a much-loved local sports franchise, Variety reported.
Reynolds and McElhenney bought a stake in Club Nexaca. Eva Longoria is also one of the owners of the century-old Mexican football club. The Wrexham pair will work with Longoria, along with fellow investors Al Tylis and Sam Porter to strengthen Club Necaxa's standing. The new investors will also help grow the club's profile in international sports, especially with the current increased TV and streaming demand for football content.
The Deadpool star has a strong business and investment credentials, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Mythic Quest star McElhenney, who partnered with Reynolds for his “movie star money” against his “TV money,” invested through their R.R. McReynolds Company. Their company, through Wrexham Holdings LLC, owns Wrexham AFC. Both actors serve as chairs of the team's board of directors. As for Club Necaxa, it hasn't been announced if they will also hold leadership roles.
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney take on La Liga
Due to the connection to Reynolds and McElhenney, Club Necaxa could go the way of Wrexham FC with a TV docuseries a la Welcome to Wrexham. The series introduced the Welsh club to the rest of the world and turned them from just a sports team to actual pop culture icons.
The FX series follows the story of the storied club that has fallen on hard times, with the Hollywood stars injecting much needed financial capital, with the help of town who initially pulled together to invest on the team.
After the actors bought a majority stake in the team, Wrexham AFC's X (formerly Twitter) account posted a skit with Reynolds and McElhenney parodying a commercial for Ifor Williams Trailers, which was the team's only sponsor at the time.
In its first season, Welcome to Wrexham won five Emmy Awards in for the 2023 season, including Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. Its third season is set to premiere May 2.
Sources stated that it's premature to speculate whether Club Necaxa would have their own docuseries since there aren't any deals in place yet. The new investors would still need to work around the team's current TV rights. If a docuseries were to be created, Longoria's Hyphenate Media Group would most likely work with Reynolds and McElhenney's company.
Could there be a Bienvenida a Necaxa? Or is it Beinvenido a Aguascalientes?
The pair's investment in Club Necaxa underscores the importance of media deals and pop culture integration in order to keep sports teams going. It would be much easier for franchises if they have the kind of connections already built in with Hollywood celebrities. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video serve as a way for sports team to grow their fan base internationally.
The biggest difference between Wrexham and Club Necaxa is that the latter is still a top-tier franchise in Mexico. However, the club hit its peak in the '90s. Longoria, Tylis and Porter bought their stake in the club in 2021. Reynolds and McElhenney paid $2.5 million to acquire their stake in Wrexham in November 2020.
Club Necaxa is based in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Currently, R.R. McReynolds' percentage of stake is still unclear. While it is labeled as a minority interest, sources have said that it is a “significant” size. The actor's representatives, as well as FX, have refused to comment about the deal. According to Sportico, a Variety sports outlet, Tylis and Porter now have a 5% interest in Wrexham FC as part of Reynolds and McElhenney's Necaxa deal.
In 2021, Club Necaxa had a valuation in the low nine figures. Then Tylis, Porter and Longoria bought approximated 50% of the team from the Tinajero family. Other investors joined their group later, and in 2022 the team was valued over $200 million.
Tylis is the club's co-chair, while Porter is a board member. Porter was formerly a board member of the Welsh football team Swansea City.
Liga MX vs League Two
Liga MX is currently the most-watched football league in the US, far outstripping MLS, La Liga and the English Premier League. However, its teams' trade values are much lower than that of MLS'. This is due to Liga not selling its commercial rights as one group. In recent, there has a been a push for a change in the structure.
While the new investors do need to figure out how to work with Club Necaxa's existing TV rights pacts, it would be beneficial to the team if they do end up having a docuseries. While the club's situation doesn't have the same drama as Wrexham's rags-to-riches tale, there's definitely a lot of story to be mined.
One of the reasons for Welcome to Wrexham's success is that it aired at the same time as Jason Sudeikis' Ted Lasso. While Ted Lasso dealt with a fictional team, Wrexham was definitely rooted in reality, with the show interviewing both the players and members of the community.
With Ted Lasso's last episode in May 2023, there's room for a new football-centric show. Sure, there's Welcome to Wrexham, but the team is currently on an upward trend. They're pretty stable.
Club Necaxa could benefit from a docuseries. Outside Mexican-Americans, not a lot of people know the team or even La Liga. Most Americans are familiar with MLS due to Messi and Beckham. La Liga could give MLS a run for their money when it comes to viewership and the introduction of Club Necaxa to Wrexham fans could be its gateway.
Or hear me out: Club Necaxa could play against Wrexham FC.
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