John Joseph Fisher (born June 1, 1961) is an American businessman. He is the principal owner of the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball, the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, and the Texas Rattlers of the Professional Bull Riders organization.

John Fisher
Born
John Joseph Fisher

(1961-06-01) June 1, 1961 (age 63)
Alma materPrinceton University (BA)
Stanford University (MBA)
Known forOwner of the Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes
Political partyRepublican
SpouseLaura Meier Fisher
Parent(s)Donald Fisher
Doris F. Fisher
FamilyRobert J. Fisher (brother)
William S. Fisher (brother)

Fisher is the son of Gap founders Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher, inheriting his fortune from them. Along with his father, he was a former part-owner of the San Francisco Giants, purchasing a stake in the team in 1992 as part of an investment group that prevented the team from relocating to the Tampa Bay area.[1][2] In 2005, Fisher sold his stake in the Giants, in order to buy the Oakland Athletics. His ownership of the team has been regarded as one of the worst in sports.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Under Fisher, the team will relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas after an agreement where Nevada provides $380 million in taxpayer money towards a new stadium for the team.[11]

Early life and education

Fisher is the son of Doris Feigenbaum Fisher and Don Fisher, the co-founders of Gap, and inherited his fortune from them.[12][13] Fisher attended Phillips Exeter Academy and Princeton University, and graduated with an A.B. in history in 1983 after completing a 279-page-long senior thesis titled "Echoes of the Holocaust: Survivors in America Speak Out."[14] After college, Fisher worked in the mailroom at the Republican National Committee and worked as a fundraiser for then-President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush.[15] He then attended graduate school at Stanford University School of Business, where he earned a master's degree in Business Administration.[12]

Career

 
Oakland Athletics Fans wearing fan-made green "SELL" t-shirts protest against Fisher's proposed relocation of the team to Las Vegas

After graduate school, he took a job for a real estate company that did business with his parents' company, the Gap. The business was not successful and he became president of Pisces, the Fisher family's investment management company.[15]

In 1992, John purchased a stake in the San Francisco Giants with his father, as part of a locally formed investment group's effort to prevent the franchise from relocating to the Tampa Bay area.[1] His father's memoir describes John as having been anxious about rumors in the early 1990s that the Giants could move to Florida. He told his father: "I think we ought to try to put a deal together to keep the Giants here. Warren Hellman's interested in it, and so is Walter Shorenstein. We should be interested". The investment group's effort was ultimately successful and the Giants stayed in San Francisco, opening a new bayfront ballpark in 2000 (now known as Oracle Park). Fisher retained a small ownership stake in the Giants "so he could continue to monitor its financials", according to his father, until 2005, when he was required to sell it upon becoming the owner of the Oakland Athletics.[2]

He established a relationship with Lewis Wolff to jointly purchase several Fairmont hotels in San Francisco, which led to his investment in the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.[15] He also has stakes in the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer and Celtic, which competes in the Scottish Premiership.[15]

Fisher has been the majority owner of the Athletics since he and Wolff closed on their joint purchase of the team in 2005, and is now also the managing general partner. In November 2016, Wolff sold his 10% share[16] in the Athletics to Fisher, giving him full ownership of the team.

In September 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $3.0 billion.[12]

Oakland Athletics relocation to Las Vegas

In April 2023, the Oakland Athletics announced a plan to build a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip at the site of the former Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel casino near Interstate 15, near the T-Mobile Arena, while also ending negotiations with the City of Oakland.[17] After this, in a June 13 game against the Tampa Bay Rays, the crowd of 27,759 protested the relocation in an organized "reverse boycott" by wearing green "Sell" shirts, holding signs, and chanting "Sell the team!" during the game.[18]

On September 26, 2024, at the end of the A's final game in Oakland, a giant collective chant of "Fuck John Fisher" broke out in the Oakland Coliseum.[19] Fisher was not in attendance, and had not been to a game at the Coliseum for nearly two full seasons.[20]

Personal life

He is married to Laura Meier Fisher.[21][22] The couple lives in San Francisco. Fisher, who is Jewish,[23] has two brothers: Robert J. Fisher and William S. Fisher.

Political views

In 2019, it was revealed that Fisher, with his mother Doris F. Fisher and brothers William S. Fisher and Robert J. Fisher, had donated nearly $9 million to a political action committee that opposed Barack Obama in the 2012 election.[24] He has donated to Ohio rep. Mike Carey, a longtime coal lobbyist and supporter of President Donald Trump.[25] In 2023, Fisher endorsed fellow billionaire and Republican Party candidate Doug Burgum for the 2024 US presidential election, having donated the maximum legal amount to Burgum's campaign.[26][27]

References

  1. ^ a b admin. "San Francisco Giants team ownership history – Society for American Baseball Research".
  2. ^ a b Wallack, Todd (March 31, 2005). "A's NEW ERA / JOHN FISHER / Son of Gap founder is the money..." SFGATE.
  3. ^ https://www.knbr.com/2024/04/04/today-john-fisher-violated-the-social-contract-of-sports-ownership-and-sealed-himself-as-the-worst-of-all-time-in-the-bay/
  4. ^ https://www.si.com/mlb/athletics/relocation/heard-on-espn-john-fisher-is-the-worst-owner-in-sports
  5. ^ https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/05/clendaniel-oakland-as-john-fisher-the-worst-owner-in-mlb-history/
  6. ^ https://fansided.com/posts/john-fisher-worst-lengths-possible-make-athletics-fans-miserable-one-last-time
  7. ^ https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2024/may/13/owners-moves-embarrassing-baseball/
  8. ^ https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3509296/during-the-mlb-all-star-break-bryce-harper-and-ballplayers-from-around-the-league-took-the-time-to-rip-the-worst-owner-in-sports-oaklands-john-fisher-and-his-plan-to-move-the-as-to-las-vegas
  9. ^ https://www.vcstar.com/story/opinion/2023/09/28/which-californian-is-the-worst-sports-owner/70990671007/
  10. ^ https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2023/08/05/clendaniel-oakland-as-john-fisher-the-worst-owner-in-mlb-history/?returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eastbaytimes.com%2F2023%2F08%2F05%2Fclendaniel-oakland-as-john-fisher-the-worst-owner-in-mlb-history%2F%3Fnoamp%3Dmobile&noamp=mobile
  11. ^ "A's owner tells Oakland fans he's 'genuinely sorry' ahead of final Coliseum games". Las Vegas Review-Journal. September 23, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "John Fisher". Forbes. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "John J Fisher, The World's Richest People - Forbes.com". images.forbes.com.
  14. ^ Fisher, John Joseph. Echoes of the Holocaust: Survivors in America Speak Out. http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp012r36v020m
  15. ^ a b c d San Francisco Gate: "A's NEW ERA / JOHN FISHER / Son of Gap founder is the money behind the deal" by Todd Wallack March 31, 2005
  16. ^ Ozanian, Mike (November 18, 2016). "Fisher Family Buys Remaining Stake Of Oakland Athletics From Wolff". Forbes. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "A's turned down $1 plot in resort corridor before settling on site for $1.5B Vegas stadium". The Nevada Independent. April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  18. ^ "Some 27,759 A's fans join at Oakland Coliseum for 'Reverse Boycott'". June 14, 2023.
  19. ^ https://www.kqed.org/arts/13965624/oakland-as-last-game-songs-played-coliseum
  20. ^ https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41478647/oakland-coliseum-final-game-mlb-move
  21. ^ Princeton University news: "Fisher family funds dormitory for Princeton's Whitman College" by Ruth Stevens June 12, 2006
  22. ^ Stanford University Bulletin: "Laura Fisher" Archived July 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine retrieved July 29, 2013
  23. ^ Palevsky, Stacey (October 1, 2009). "Gap Founder Donald Fisher Leaves Stamp on Community". J. J. The Jewish News of Northern California.
  24. ^ Tindera, Michela (October 26, 2019). "At Least 20 Billionaires Behind 'Dark Money' Group That Opposed Obama". Forbes. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  25. ^ A 501tax-exempt; Street, charitable organization 1100 13th; NW; Washington, Suite 800; Dc 20005857-0044 (October 28, 2019). "GOP heavy hitters, Trump cabinet members revealed as donors to anti-Obama 'dark money' group". OpenSecrets News. Retrieved June 14, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ Novak, Chris (July 17, 2023). "Athletics owner John Fisher endorses anti-transgender GOP presidential candidate". The Comeback.
  27. ^ Weisman, Jonathan; Corasaniti, Nick (June 7, 2023). "Doug Burgum, wealthy North Dakota governor, enters presidential race". The Boston Globe.