Wrexham AFC co-chairman Rob McElhenney jokes he chose Wrexham because a NFL team cost too much 😂

Wrexham AFC co-chairman Rob McElhenney joins SportsCenter to discuss his rationale for choosing to invest into Wrexham, his Philadelphia connection and more.
✔️Subscribe to ESPN+ espnplus.com/yo...
✔️ Get the ESPN App: www.espn.com/es...
✔️Subscribe to ESPN on KZbin: es.pn/SUBSCRIBE...
✔️ Subscribe to NBA on ESPN on KZbin: bit.ly/SUBSCRIB...
✔️ Watch ESPN on KZbin TV: es.pn/KZbinTV

[@deekell1960]

For the first time in my life, I'm interested in a team. I have never been a sports fan but the Wrexham team and its supporters have won my heart. Best wishes from Australia. Up the Town.

[@DNGR369]

You need to get into the Boomers and women's basketball they're doing amazing things and great group of people with big hearts left on the court

[@glenod]

I have never liked soccer, but after watching the doco i my self, as a fellow aussie, now watch wrexham on youtube when ever they put out a vid.

[@billder2655]

@@glenod there’s a show called “sunderland ‘til i die” on netflix, supposedly it inspired rob to get interested in association football in the first place - it’s really good. it’s similar to “welcome to wrexham” but by no means the same.

[@10.Rowbit]

Promotion and relegation is definitely an exciting prospect for any league. It makes it more meaningful and the bottom teams actually will play for something

[@markw6369]

@B Sell It would get the fans more passionate too because there would be more to play for and more to lose.

[@Ginric99]

I am British and spent a year in America where I was told, at a certain point of the season, my friend wanted his Basketball and NFL teams to start losing because then they would get a better draft pick next season, the chances of winning this season where gone.

[@billder2655]

i find this thread really interesting (apart from the bots 😂) - im an english association football fan (aka soccer fan - as an aside, it bewilders me how the “football”/soccer” debate exists, both “football” and “soccer” are shortened versions of “association football” - strictly speaking, neither are correct) anyway, i found it really interesting how some think the relegation formula could add something to your game - i think that as an international fan it would probably endear me to your game a little more. however, as a rebuttal, id say that the commercial aspect of american sports is unparalleled. even though tens of millions more people watch the premier league, your leagues (nfl, mlb) are still richer. clearly this has negatives. furthermore, the positives might not be as tangible because you don’t have competitions like the champions league where teams from different countries’ leagues go head to head - yet even so, the mechanisms in place support a “super league” system which creates endless sagas and stories around the same clubs year upon year. i’ll hold my hands up and say i don’t know anything about american sports (bar the mls), however i feel like this could be a part of the magic of your leagues. perhaps, in the same way the imposition of the “super league” structure would’ve “ruined” (aka changed irrevocably) european association football, the imposition of structural changes inspired by association football could “ruin” your leagues. introducing relegation alone would change the entire landscape of the nfl, the mlb and the nba beyond recognition.

[@06rtm]

And it means the markets with fans and money survive. So bug markets get multiple teams and rivalries

[@jakeh-wb6ub]

It can also make a club pretty irrelevant like Wrexham before these owners. Premier league football usually who has the most money spent on players wins, Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd…

[@ramoncastro4737]

Finally some Wrexham recognition. I finished watching the final 3 episodes of welcome to Wrexham earlier today and I enjoyed the series

[@jgaffney567]

This just in because of a simple spelling mistake they bought Wroxham instead of Wrexham.

[@jakeh-wb6ub]

Will Wrexham reach League 1? Or the Champions League 🤔😂

[@stefandrakche]

They will have to beat Salford to get to the champions league

[@OzyMandias13]

They’re establishing themselves as an anti-Glazers at a time when the Premier league is fraught with American ownership, and a lot of them have given reason to be suspicious, if not completely against it. My club, Chelsea, seems to have gotten some good ones, and I’m thankful. But even they have gotten stick. I think they picked the perfect project with Wrexham and they’re showing your dedication at any club will be happy to see is their ownership. All the best! I look forward to seeing Wrexham at Stamford Bridge soon.

[@Doug1885]

@@gavinthegoliath …..One of them is Canadian Gavin

[@clipcoug1139]

@@brainysmurf1125 He's referring to Ryan Reynolds

[@chichasmash]

I know Ryan gets all the love but watching Rob so passionate about Wrexham is what has made so much of the things possible. He really means it when he says Wrexham runs through his veins. 👏🏽

[@powerpoleextend]

He's doing it to promote Fight Milk

[@tommy_noble]

I drink it every morning so I can fight like a crow

[@constantinewilliams3292]

CAWCAW!

[@mattcarberry368]

it's packed full of crowtein

[@drewg17]

If you haven't watched Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia please do so. It's on hulu and is goated.

[@grayknight836]

Wow, ESPN: SportsCenter actually covering Football ⚽️ aka: Soccer. Mind blowing 🤯! Keep it up. 👍🏻

[@DanNguyen-ey5tw]

I mean they do cover soccer. It's called espnfc.

[@emu8435]

Never finished a documentary series so quick! So good

[@joeroganreviewexperience9964]

Was to short, lol

[@michaelloriwilhide2503]

Soccer/football has been on our TV as my husband is a Liverpool fan. We have watched this show as I was never a big fan until Wrexham. It's the fans that have won me over.

[@Sonikgav]

Can you imagine where the Browns, Jags or the Jets would be if Relegation was a thing?

[@TinaMichelle70]

Born in Wrexham.. Used to go to the matches before I moved away

[@nitsujnewbie1408]

Love the show and such a smart plan. 5 years wrexham will be in the championship.

[@lastpenny849]

Don't reply to the comment. It's a scam.

[@nitsujnewbie1408]

@@lastpenny849 you just did

[@TheDirtyKenzo]

He should be wearing his duster 🤣🤣🤣

[@ricodread]

Still feels strange that we (Wrexham) are being referred to as a City, it will always be the town to me.

[@larryfroot]

Same with me and Newport.

[@jjwxm81]

Mad to see my hometown club be so famous now!

[@CoreyGY]

MARINERS

[@jonaverage9771]

Rob & Ryan - thank you from North Wales!

[@KingRealEstate]

I love Welcome To Wrexham... I am buying a shirt!

[@ramoncastro4737]

Gotta broadcast more Wrexham matches after Saturday's game

[@lastpenny849]

They can't. The broadcast rights are owned the National League. This match is an F.A Cup tie, and will have a different status. It's much easier to get the rights for a one off game. They aren't even allowed to stream their own matches, but they are negotiating with the league on this issue. They are happy do donate any earnings from streaming to the league or split it between the other clubs in the division. Truly nice to see owners being all about the club rather than the Money. (Glazers)

[@ramoncastro4737]

@@lastpenny849 wow I didn't know that 😲 I hope that issue can be fixed soon. I agree, Wrexham owners know what they are doing for the fans and club

[@kevhaha2005]

Rob’s been absolutely hilarious. Love him and I’m glad HE DECIDED to take over the team with Ryan. They definitely saved this team big time. Went from bottom to top bc of the smart investments they made

[@jeffreymoscardelli8428]

Ryan and Rob have saved that team the former owner bought it to destroy it sell off every thing including it's historical pitch, stadium he was investigated for mortgage and loan fraud

[@EthanBSide]

Rob learned the Welsh National Anthem. (In Wales) he's true Fan, despite not understanding offsides. What's his face is "supporting"

[@sadface6635]

This is cool! I’ll watch this match on ESPN!

[@f0t0b0y]

We’ve got Mullin, super Paul Mullin!!!

[@neilwiddison6529]

We got langstaff. You pies.

[@juliehaggarty6860]

Great interview Rob...⚽️⚽️⚽️

[@Reticulosis]

So I just got a 1 year subscription thinking they’d show all of Wrexhams games, turns out it’s only FA cup games

[@dwwilliamsdw]

Are they showing the replay? I think there will be a separate (not espn) streaming service for the second half of the National League season

[@guillermoelenes7252]

@@dwwilliamsdw They are showing the replay.. at 2 pm ET

[@JADBeats]

Unfortunately the National League isn’t allowing Wrexham to stream games.

[@spradder5]

@@dwwilliamsdw I believe BT hold the rights for Vanarama league. Rob was slightly wrong that Wrexham matches had never been televised before. I’m sure Match of the Day live or The Big Match Live featured them at least once in the last thirty years as a giant-killing team that they followed. Last year Wrexham were featured on at least three live games on BT Sport. The channel is prohibitively expensive and the matches are so poorly promoted that it’s often better to just listen to the match on BBC Radio Wales.

[@dwwilliamsdw]

@@spradder5 I think for the second half of the season the National League plans to launch a streaming service. This is going to be in conjunction with BT sport where non-televised matches will be streamed on a league platform. BT are apparently supportive. Watch this space :)

[@fathertedcrilley3988]

The town and the club are better for all this. Cheers Rob

[@francovb2001]

Yes! Thank you ESPN! 😜❤️

[@linsithebe7080]

Hope Wrexham follow the MAC system when it comes promotion in football, good luck in football.

[@craigtartist9007]

I’ll be there at the ground in Blyth❤

[@martronix85]

Love it!

[@erniec806]

If he had sold Chardee Macdennis properly he could afford an nfl team

[@hondomclean6759]

Maybe also sell some D towels.

[@ycancela]

I’ll be watching 😊

[@nateb9768]

First problem… “Welsh Soccer club”. Coming from a MLS fan get the terms right!

[@ryiin]

Never in my life did I think you'd hear ESPN talking about Non league football.

[@AlFrazelle]

Is that true about not having been televised for 17 years? I thought the national league used to be on one of the sky channels every week so surely wrexham were shown at that time?

[@adilsonfernandes8026]

They going to need an all star squad. I'm all in.

[@reeleyes466]

TikTok ?? It was built in 1802 but it was not a football ground for another 50 plus years at least. Hence the name, Racecourse Ground. Many or most football grounds were multi purpose in the early days, athletics, cricket, dog racing, horse racing, rugby, tennis - anything. Hence names like: AFC ( Athletic & Football Club, where 'athletic' could mean various sports. Maidenhead United, is the OLDEST still in using and continuously used ONLY for football ground in the world, since 1871. Only and always for football.

[@paulsmith2920]

Wish they come to Preston North End. We definitely have history.

[@goattm2]

Wrexham is my local club and McElhenney and Reynolds come across as two genuine and lovely guys who have really fallen in love with the club, the town and Wales. Thankfully they get what the club means to people in north Wales and they are in it for the long run.

[@Delboy0]

Welcome to Wrexham shows why real football is by a long way the most popular sport in the world. A 5th tier football team is more exciting than anything in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL and you realise how unauthentic and meaningless and commercial those leagues are in comparison to football.

[@scottbergman8662]

From how you spelled “realise” shows that you aren’t an American. If you live in the US, as I do, you can’t understand what it’s like to be a NFL or MLB fan and enjoy their wins and cry for their losses. I know that it’s unique to be a Football fan (or soccer) in Europe, but fandom in the US is just as unique, but in a different way.

[@FluffyButtBelcher]

You are wildly incorrect in your assumption that 5th tier football is more exciting than any American pro sport.

[@Delboy0]

@@FluffyButtBelcher with the exception basketball American sport has no substance and tries to use razzle dazzle to hide the fact the sport isn’t very good.

[@scottbergman8662]

@@Delboy0 you are speaking as if you have lived in the US and actually spent time attending US sporting events. Of the 3 you mentioned, the sport you like the most, the NBA, is the MOST commercialized, the MOST woke, and the MOST disingenuous. If you attended an NBA game you would see that. There is history with MLB and the NFL. There is a charm to some of their fields (examples: Lambeau field in Green Bay, Soldier field and Wrigley field in Chicago, Fenway park in Boston). I cannot speak of Euro Football, but I believe that there is something with US fans with baseball and American football as it is with your football in Europe.

[@Delboy0]

@@scottbergman8662 I have lived in America. Basketball is the only American (Canadian invented ) sport that is objectively good, that doesn't need any cultural brainwashing to like, which is why basketball is the only globally popular American sport. As a person who has been to many of the places you mentioned none of the team come close to soccer game atmosphere and more about selling hotdog and shirts. In Americans sports fans are consumers, in soccer the fans are supporters and followers. That is why MLS is getting so much more popular with young fans because the fandom for soccer is more like community stakeholders rather than franchise consumers like the rest of American sport, so they are more passion with soccer. In MLS the fans decide the uniform, the badge, the food concessions and help design the stadiums and pick up the trophy, nowhere else do fans have that level of power.

[@Dutchofclass]

to quote green streets hooligans; it's not socer mate..it's football!! get it right americans Xd

[@gromosvidaselvagem]

FOOTBALL MY RELIGION ⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧💚

[@seangotts6470]

the uk has the best none league football in the world .. its worth over 13 billion ..and i cannot fault these 2 lunatics for what they are doing not only for wrexham but for the entire lower league of english football ... they have helped drum up interest from all over the world ... and as the economic crisis bited harder the prem clubs are pricing normal ppl out of the market for tickets and the price of watching live tv iss also going the same way ... more and more ppl are watching lower league .. and its causeing a shift and tbh its great to see

[@SongofIceandTea]

i do believe the real reason these 2 guys bought Wrexham was because the name itself, i mean, how cool was that ? Wrexham ?!! even the title of their tv series is the club name, just Wrexham, imagine if they bought Salford City, or Oldtown, the name won't sell, but Wrexham is a team with very cool name, cheap price, and great history as one of the oldest club in the world, why i didn't understand was why to they even bother to buy it in the first place 😂

[@DanielLeeJones]

Hahaha ! ESPN is still a thing

[@juanpecan7089]

If any billionaires are watching and feeling inspired by this - please buy the NY Red Bulls.

[@justingrierson1698]

Stop saying soccer is football

[@gillianboden6735]

HE IS WREXHAM'S SAVIOUR!!

[@hu9945]

Football ⚽️ 🥅 🏟

[@neilwiddison6529]

Notts County top ,you pies

[@nasmaxfit]

Why arent you covering the kobe & redeem team doc?

[@muwahahhahahahhaha]

Cause who cares

[@ankr3w1]

Yes, playing for the FAA is the greatest achievement. These guys have no clue.(ESPN) They just love shouting sports words into a camera.

[@brianeleighton]

The trophy is the only competition Wrexham has a viable chance to win currently. Is it prestigious? Not really, and certainly isn't worth endangering promotion for. Wrexham has no shot to win the actual FA Cup, but the FA Trophy is definitely in their grasp. For a non-league club like Wrexham, outside of promotion to the EFL the FA Trophy IS their greatest possible accomplishment.

[@ankr3w1]

@@brianeleighton I was making fun of the espn host saying FAA like the Federal Aviation Administration.I'm a football fan. I know everything you just said. And to be fair, I follow Wrexham quite a bit now with this new interest.

[@MelloThatDude]

Mac is the best

[@JohnSmithyy365]

You can tell how insecure Rob is when he’s next to Ryan. Kinda sad really, he has no reason to be.

[@highrofellos6721]

NFL team cost too much. He's not wrong.

[@roymillward3375]

Won’t be long before they get bored, money dries up at the club and suffer for!!!

[@HUW1097]

Jesus the echo..... Sound team getting fired

[@CanadianInScotland]

Bring relegation to north American sports. It prevents lazy owners, poor players and professional tanking. If a team fails to produce results than they can be dropped into a lower league . Gives the owners and players incentives to actually perform

[@neilcrowesongs9768]

What about philly union MLS team

[@nateb9768]

MLS is not doing the right thing since they aren’t going to implement promotion and relegation. And without it the owner of my hometown MLS team is absolutely horrible, no reason for him to invest in our team. They just want a closed off league with a salary cap to see their teams values continue to climb.

[@Chetanp1445]

Rob looks like that guy, whos with the main lead girl first in a show before he gets dumped for the main lead male

[@salamisumo2]

You’re wrong, jabroni

[@elevated_engineering6515]

I still like Fat-Mac better

[@mattcarberry368]

it's not fat, he's cultivating mass

[@2171580z]

Ryan play Mac's boyfriend

[@hussienalsafi1149]

🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😍😍😍😍

[@jamieandtherandomstuff]

Dear American sports fans. Feel free to choose another team other than Wrexham to follow and support. There are another 23 within the same league equally deserving.

[@arcadeshift5071]

No offense (or offence, UK spelling), but most of us footy fans in the US are watching the Premier League and not delving into the 5th-tier league in the English football pyramid. We're not going to be picking teams and following this league religiously. Wrexham is an intriguing story that we're more familiarized with via the documentary. If a famous Brit bought single A baseball team (look it up), I wouldn't expect people from the UK to start picking random low-level single A baseball teams to cheer for to counter the attention being brought to one singular team.

[@jamieandtherandomstuff]

@@arcadeshift5071 guess what. We had a gentleman visit us (Maidenhead) all the way from Chicago. He came to a game on the Saturday against Bromley and liked it so much he then decided to come with us to an away game on the Tuesday evening up in Wrexham. Over a 500 mile round trip leaving just after lunchtime and not returning until 2:30 on Wednesday morning. He's now a fully fledged Magpie. And he's already planning his return.

[@Blahem1]

Is he the funny one?

[@jetlifewill23]

Its all PR they don't really care about the town as much as making sure their asset makes it to the big money and having a "feel good" story to go along with it, if they wanted their franchise to succeed and be legitimately recognized as just owners they wouldn't want the attention they'd go about their business without the cameras

[@XhosaShinobi01]

Why... why wouldn't they want the attention if they wanted the team to succeed?

[@justinhopkins6055]

What they have over most other owners is the ability to generate income through their status internationally which leads to revenue streams almost no team has. Why would they own a team and not use their talents to help it grow.

[@deanmeehan4135]

They literally said they're going to use their publicity to help the club grow...jerseys sold out on the club website...massive social media following increase and lots more eyes on them because of the owners and documentary...all increased the revenue coming into the club

[@ella6547]

You might be half right. They're doing it for the PR because it builds the club which generates more PR etc. Also it's a club not a franchise, Americans have franchises which can move from city to city, but in England it's a travesty if a club has to relocate (see wimbledon fc for details).

[@DNGR369]

Jeff you're commenting on an ESPN channel right now.. If it wasn't for their reach you wouldn't have heard of this club through the American media, and no players would want to play there. It's possible to have your heart in something and to use your marketing skills to give the club the best chance to survive at the same time. You're biased because you want them to be greedy Hollywood players.. If I owned a club I'd want it to make its own money too, especially when it's in a league that does not generate any at all for the teams.

[@jppennypincher9051]

Poo