Kang’s purchase of the team from former majority owner Steve Baldwin marks the close of an extraordinary period of upheaval for the Spirit, which won the NWSL title last year. After former coach Richie Burke was fired in the wake of allegations of verbal and emotional abuse, Spirit players and fan groups rallied around Kang, then a minority owner, and called for Baldwin to sell the team to her.
Baldwin agreed to sell the Spirit last year but fought Kang’s offer for months. He instead attempted to sell the team to Todd Boehly, a Los Angeles billionaire who is a part-owner of MLB’s Dodgers and the WNBA’s Sparks, for $10 million less than Kang offered. But the sale fell through after Kang convinced many of the Spirit’s investors to become shareholders and sell her their stakes.
Some NWSL owners and executives backed Boehly’s bid over Kang’s, people with knowledge of the sale said. On Wednesday, Marla Messing, the NWSL’s interim CEO, said in a news release that the league was “thrilled that the sale of the Washington Spirit to Michele Kang has closed.”
In the release, Kang promised to invest in a permanent training facility for the team, which was, for a time, forced to train at a high school field in the midst of its championship push. The Spirit also lacks a corporate sponsor for its jersey.
The Spirit will host the North Carolina Courage on Wednesday night at Audi Field as part of the Challenge Cup, the NWSL’s preseason tournament. Kang is expected to attend.