Earth, Wind, and Fire's Verdine White Ventures Into Sports Ownership
HOUSTON — The Elements — Earth, Wind, and Fire — are pioneers and legends. It's more than a declarative statement; it's a fact. The legendary group's classics from the Seventies and Eighties of September, Boogie Wonderland, That's the Way of the World, Reasons, Shining Star, and Let's Groove, were crafted and performed by co-founders Verdine and Maurice White. Until this day, those grooves, ballads, and anthems still reverberate through the airwaves and speakers of music lovers.
For the Rock Hall of Famer Verdine White, he's venturing into becoming a pioneer in a new arena outside of entertainment — sports ownership. More importantly, owning a rugby team.
VERDINE WHITE VENTURES INTO SPORTS OWNERSHIP
White, Paxton Baker, and Pablo Calderini will become minority owners in the Old Glory DC Rugby Football Club of Major League Rugby. Thanks to Paxton Baxter, the Grammy-winning artist crescendoed his way into the world of sports. "Paxton is a great friend," White said to HBCU Legends. "He was responsible for us getting the Congressional Medal and Soul Train Award honors. He also has ownership of another sports team and told me about the rugby team. He got me involved, and I jumped at the chance to become an owner."
Baker has been a prominent figure in the entertainment industry for almost twenty years. He served as the President of BET Event Productions and General Manager of Centric and BET Digital Networks, a division of Viacom, Inc. During his tenure, he organized world-renowned festivals, award shows, and concerts. It's not his first venture into sports as a minority owner. The accomplished entrepreneur has won championship rings as a minority owner with the Washington Nationals, Washington Kastles World Team Tennis, and the 2021 National Women's Soccer League champions, the Washington Spirit.
Verdine White has been highly pleased following Baker's recommendation to buy into the Washington D.C. rugby team. "D.C. is a great place for Earth, Wind, and Fire. That's where we made our bones. And that's where we've always been successful and popular. It's a major place for us. And so, I think this goes along with the tradition."
Old Glory's Chairman, Chris Dunlavey, noted, "Since our founding, Old Glory has been looking for opportunities to broaden our ownership group with partners who bring not only capital but real strategic value to our group. At this point in our development, we could hardly do better than to include partners of this stature from the fields of sports, entertainment, and finance."
The other new minority owner of the rugby team is Pablo E. Calderini, President and Chief Investment Officer at Graham Capital Management, supervising the discretionary and systematic trading operations.
WHITE'S THOUGHTS ON HBCU SCHOOLS
White, 71, profoundly connects with HBCUs through his son Warner, a Morehouse graduate, and stepfather Dr. Verdine Adams, Sr. He shared these thoughts on his son attending an HBCU, "He's always grown up with that kind of consciousness. We always talked about that as he was a young man. My son was around my father, who was a doctor, his grandfather was an attorney, and we would talk about our history. So by him going to Morehouse, he's only fulfilling what they're doing. Everything is generational. We must keep reminding our young people that we've done great things, and they can do great things."
Although it's White's first significant investment into sports, you can sense he's anxious to be more active in the industry. Besides selling nearly 100 million records, his music with Earth, Wind, and Fire inspires thousands of fans and listeners yearly. He admired "his hero," brother, EW&F's co-founder, Maurice White, who died in 2016 due to complications from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Verdine's passion and energy are infectious, hoping those characteristics will transfer to the Old Glory DC players.
Before leaving the interview, White, forever humble, expressed his love for the fans. "I just want to thank all the fans for being supportive and being supportive of the band, Philip [Bailey], and Ralph, and my brother Maurice and my brother Freddy who just passed. We just want to thank them for the love they sent us all the time."
Old Glory DC has secured its first-ever playoff appearance and aims to compete for the MLR championship during the 2023 post-season. They have a match with Rugby ATL scheduled at Segra Fields for 6 PM ET on Saturday, June 17.