• Loading stock data...
Sunday, October 19, 2025

The Kennedys Wanted to Buy the Dodgers and Put JFK in Charge

  • Joe Kennedy made a little-known bid for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950.
  • It could have been a real-estate investment—or a career backup for his son John.
Shae Cornette
Exclusive

Shae Cornette to Replace Molly Qerim on ESPN’s ‘First Take’

Qerim abruptly left the show last month.
Read Now
October 16, 2025 |

In the 12 years since Frank McCourt sold the Los Angeles Dodgers for a then-record $2.15 billion to Guggenheim Partners, the franchise has won two National League pennants and one World Series title, and it is currently one win away from returning to the World Series. But the Dodgers could have been part of a historical twist almost a decade before they left New York. 

It was the summer of 1950, and Walter O’Malley, co-owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was flying home from Connecticut with Branch Rickey, who ran the team’s front office and was a part-owner. They had attended the funeral of Pfizer chairman John L. Smith. Together, O’Malley, Rickey, and Smith owned 75% of the Dodgers.

Before heading to the service, Rickey was at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, getting breakfast with Joseph Kennedy, the former ambassador whose family would soon become synonymous with American politics. While the plane’s engines and propellers whirred over their conversation, Rickey told O’Malley that Kennedy had expressed interest in purchasing Rickey’s and Smith’s stock in the team for $1.3 million (roughly $17 million in today’s dollars). Additionally, Kennedy hoped to retain Rickey as general manager and insert his son John as team president. 

Joseph P. Kennedy—who played baseball at Havard—was personally invested in the sport, more than any other Kennedy. His love of the game likely fueled at least part of his acquisition wish. 

But David Nasaw, author of The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy, and an expert on JPK’s life, says Kennedy also saw a new way to grow his wealth, following his time in government, during which he helped change rules and regulations in a way that prevented him from continuing to make money the way he always had, including on stocks. 

Nasaw speculates Kennedy saw the Dodgers as a potential real-estate investment. “He was looking for safe investments that were not in stocks and bonds because he only knew how to do that on the edge of legalities,” Nasaw tells Front Office Sports. “And he had helped change the boundaries.”

But in 1968, Walter O’Malley asserted Kennedy’s motivation was different—and that it involved his son John (often known as Jack). In a Saturday Evening Post story from July that year, “A Visit with the Artful Dodger,” O’Malley said Joseph Kennedy was worried John’s health might squelch his political ambitions—and that owning the Dodgers could provide a backup plan if his son lost the 1952 Senate campaign.

“Jack was then a freshman congressman, and his back was giving him a lot of trouble. Joe Kennedy said he had high hopes for Jack in politics, but he had begun to wonder if the boy was up to it physically,” O’Malley told reporter Gerald Holland. “He said Jack was fond of baseball and, if politics was out, he might like to run a ballclub. Joe Kennedy said he was ready to meet anybody’s price for a controlling interest, with the idea of putting Jack in as club president.”

“JFK was a sports fan and knew what was happening in the pennant races—which teams were up, which were struggling, who had just thrown a no-hitter, etc,” Fredrik Logevall, the author of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956, wrote in an email to FOS. “He could name the top players on the major teams. In the 1960 campaign against Nixon, he sprinkled in references in his stump speeches in October to the Yankees-Pirates World Series.” But he didn’t have the love for the game his father did: Logevall says John “was more drawn to football.”

Regardless of JFK’s actual desire to run the team if the opportunity had presented itself, the acquisition didn’t pan out: Joseph Kennedy withdrew the bid shortly after he’d put it on the table. O’Malley told The Saturday Evening Post that Kennedy pulled out because the Korean War had just started and he feared the cancellation of the baseball season.

And, of course, John F. Kennedy stayed in politics, becoming the country’s 35th president a decade after his father’s bid for the Dodgers. But could Camelot have become a reference for Ebbets Field and not the White House in an alternate reality? 

There’s no clear answer, especially with limited documentation besides O’Malley’s own trumpeting; John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Library also has nothing in its archives about his father’s pursuit of the team. For Nasaw’s part, he is skeptical of O’Malley’s version of events, especially since O’Malley didn’t even take the meeting with Kennedy himself. 

As the Dodgers edge closer to the World Series, with a roster led by the sport’s biggest global star, it’s interesting to imagine what it would look like with a Kennedy or two intently watching from the owners’ box in Los Angeles—and pulling the strings.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

How Vanderbilt Went From SEC Doormat to Dark Horse CFP Candidate

After beating LSU, Clark Lea said: “Internally, we expect to win.”

Financial Behemoth Dodgers Win NL Pennant, Eye History

The biggest spenders would be MLB’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
May 27, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) shoots a three point basket over New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the third quarter of game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

NBA Stars Swap Wine With League Friends and Foes

A wine-exchange tradition emerged from the bubble season’s close quarters.
Hansi Flick

Barcelona Players, Coach ‘Not Happy’ About Miami Game

La Liga is on the verge of relocating a December match.

Featured Today

@chef__tezz/Instagram

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance, balancing science, taste, and the demands of professional football.
May 25, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Derek Jeter walks the red carpet on Sunday, May 25, 2025, ahead of the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
October 16, 2025

The Players’ Tribune Is Still Kicking 11 Years Later

Founder Derek Jeter is still closely involved in the publication.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive
October 10, 2025

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”

For Yankees, It May Be ‘Business As Usual,’ but Title Drought Lingers

GM Brian Cashman says a salary cap is not at the forefront of his mind.
October 13, 2025

RAJ Sports Withdraws Lawsuit Over Trail Blazers Stake

RAJ Sports had sued the Cherng family, owner of Panda Express.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (12) celebrate their first and third place at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
October 15, 2025

Mercedes F1 Team Rides With Russell, Antonelli Despite Verstappen Link

Russell took the Formula One seat at Mercedes in 2021.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
October 13, 2025

Titans Turnover: Brian Callahan Firing Adds to Pattern of Instability

Tennessee fired coach Brian Callahan six games into his second season.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (5) throws as quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) looks on during rookie minicamp May 9, 2025, in Berea.
October 9, 2025

Browns Paying $41.6M to 8 QBs, but Only 2 Are on Their..

Cleveland traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals this week.
October 9, 2025

The Yankees’ $319M Roster Flopped. Now Comes the Hard Part: 2026

The MLB club’s current contracts limit its flexibility somewhat for next year.
October 6, 2025

Connor McDavid Signs Short-Term Deal, Eyeing Oilers’ Cup Window

The three-time Most Valuable Player signs for below his market value.